All real estate customers bring their own concerns to the table. Someone may be a buyer or a seller, but that's only the beginning. The more you know about your client's story, the easier it is for you to do an excellent job—which is one reason why Homesale Realty experts excel.

A buyer persona is one way people in marketing and selling-driven professions make their knowledge about their customers more concrete. A good buyer persona is a written record that helps you understand exactly who your brand should appeal to so you can plan effective marketing.

With a Buyer Persona, You Always Know Exactly Who Your Brand Is Talking to

A buyer persona usually takes the form of a fictional individual whose personality you describe in detail. The description arises from your interactions with buyers who fit into that persona. Age, gender, location, income, education, and marital status are just a few of the different traits that can be included in a buyer persona.

Buyer personas are never perfect at the very beginning. They will need to be refined over time as you learn more about the kind of customers you want. That said, it's best to start building out a persona after your first year when you begin to zero in on the precise audience that energizes you and moves your business forward.

Here's how to get started with buyer personas for a real estate practice:

• Start with a Persona Name and Picture
  A picture can be found on a variety of websites that offer royalty-free stock photos of real people. By using a photo, you make the persona more real. What about the name? It should be descriptive and memorable. It usually includes adjectives like "First-Time Buyer Amy" or "Millennial Allison."
  
  
• Develop the Persona Description
  A persona description is a brief story that helps you contextualize the person and their place in the world. What is their current home situation like? What inciting event led them to look into buying now? What are their short and long-term goals? What do they value? And crucially, how do they make their buying decisions?
  
  
• Clarify Your Persona's Needs and Goals
  The needs and goals center around what the persona is trying to accomplish by reaching out to a real estate agent like you. This can be very simple: List their three or four biggest problems as they relate to real estate, along with the corresponding solutions you offer. Then, consider how you can publicize those solutions.
  
  
• Add Color with a Quote
  A buyer persona can be so motivational because it reminds you there are real people out there who see your marketing efforts, even if you don't always encounter them directly. A quote is a terrific way to take the concepts of a buyer persona and bring them down to earth in a more relatable way.
  
  
• Add Technology and Media to the Picture
  Age deeply influences your prospective buyer's relationship with technology. Younger Millennials and Generation Z are true "digital natives," for example, while older Millennials have adapted, and their elders might prefer non-digital approaches. What technology and platforms is your persona comfortable with?

Contact BHHS Homesale Realty to find out more, or join our team.