What Is a Buyer Persona?
A buyer persona is a semi-fictional profile of an individual involved in buying your product — their role, goals, pain points and objections. Where an ICP describes the target company, personas describe the people inside it, so Marketing and Sales can tailor messaging to each.
Key takeaways
- A persona profiles a person (role, goals, pains); an ICP profiles the company.
- Personas tailor messaging to each member of the buying group.
- Base them on real research, not assumptions.
What a persona includes
- Role and seniority
- Goals and success metrics
- Pain points and objections
- Where they go for information
Persona vs ICP
Use them together: the ICP tells you which companies to pursue; personas tell you how to speak to the different people inside those companies — the economic buyer cares about ROI, the end user about usability.
Frequently asked questions
What is a buyer persona?
A research-based profile of a typical individual who takes part in buying your product, covering their role, goals, pains and objections.
What's the difference between a buyer persona and an ICP?
A persona describes a person; an ICP describes the company. You target accounts by ICP and message people by persona.
How many buyer personas do you need?
Enough to cover the distinct roles on your buying committee — usually a small set, each based on real research rather than guesswork.
Related service: Put personas to work in HubSpot