When looking to market your bridal shop, it is important to know WHO you are marketing to. Now you may be thinking “I’m marketing to brides…duh”, well brides can have many different kinds of wants/needs and creating a buyer persona can help you understand your ideal customer!
Want to learn how to segment your Email Marketing based on Buyer Personas? Check out this guide!
What is a Buyer Persona?
A buyer persona is a representation of your ideal customer. Buyer personas can be based on market research or data about your existing customers.
How do I make a Buyer Persona for my Shop?
Buyer Personas include both internal and external thinking of your ideal customer. To gain this information from your customers, you can use polls/ surveys on social media platforms. You can also watch for wedding trends on social media such as budget-friendly trends. Of course, one of the best ways to get this information is by TALKING with your brides! By asking your brides these casual questions cannot only help them feel at ease when in your shop, but also help you gain insights! Buyer Personas are an evolving thing and should be adjusted throughout your time with brides.
Check out this FREE BUYER PERSONA WORKSHEET to help you get started!
What is in a buyer persona?
Buyer personas can be created/altered to fit the needs of your shop and your brides the best. A good place to start is to include things such as professions, demographics, want/needs, personality types, or goals. Here’s a deeper look at a few of the components:
Desires/Aspirations
Do most of your brides aspire for a similar look or feel such as boho chic? Understanding this desire can help when creating displays or content for your shop as you can place dresses of all kinds in a boho chic setting to help your brides visualize unique takes on their dream look.
Reactions to Trends
Another aspect of your buyer persona could be how they respond to trends. For example, does your bride want a dress from the newest designer, a dress style that is currently trending, or a dress design from a while ago for a vintage feel or for a lower price? Observing and knowing your bride’s response can change your inventory needs or what designs you feature when marketing! This aspect is called your bride’s location on the Innovation Adoption Curve! Check out more on this topic here!
Demographics
Demographics of your ideal customer can include gender, age, location, and likes and dislikes. Location, for example, can help with location-based marketing. Location-based marketing includes local print/radio ads, using location-based keywords for SEO, or geo-fencing marketing.
Fears/Challenges
A bride’s fears/challenges can also be a key insight to how they shop for their dress. If your brides seem to be worried about a strapless dress not staying up while dancing, you could showcase your beautiful dresses that have straps more often on your social media. Brides may also be worried about bridesmaid dresses flattering different body types. To market to these brides/bridesmaids, your shop could invest in mannequins with different body shapes or show models of all kinds on your media.
