What Is a Buyer Persona and How to Create One for Your Brand.
If you’re marketing to everyone, you’re connecting with no one. Here’s how to build a buyer persona that actually drives sales.
What’s a Buyer Persona?
A buyer persona is a clear profile of your ideal customer, a mix of real data and educated guesses that paints a picture of the person you're trying to reach.
It covers things like:
Age, gender, location
Job, income, lifestyle
Goals, values, and pain points
Where they hang out online
What influences their buying decisions
It’s like writing a mini bio for your perfect customer, so you can speak directly to them in your marketing.
Why It Matters (and Why Most Small Businesses Skip It)
Here’s the thing: most small businesses market based on what they like or assume, not what their customers actually need. That’s a fast track to wasted ad spend and low engagement.
A solid buyer persona helps you:
Craft messaging that clicks with your ideal customer
Choose the right platforms and tone
Build trust faster
Increase conversions and customer loyalty
Real-Life Examples:
Let’s say you’re selling gumboots (we know a good brand 😉). Here are a few buyer personas we have created to help our customer Boonies with their Email and Social Media campaigns.
Now imagine writing a Facebook ad or homepage that speaks straight to Ruth. Much more powerful than writing for “anyone who needs boots,” right?
How to Build Your Own Buyer Persona (in 4 Steps)
1. Start with What You Know
Use real data from:
Website analytics (location, age, behaviour)
Facebook/Instagram Insights
Customer feedback and reviews
Common questions you get via email or phone. Start jotting questiosn you get a lot over the phone or go through your emails and look at reoccurring questions your customers have.
2. Talk to Your Customers
Ask questions like:
Why did you choose us?
What problem were you trying to solve?
What almost stopped you from buying?
Where did you first hear about us?
3. Fill in the Gaps
Add assumptions based on your knowledge:
Are they budget-conscious or quality-focused?
Do they value local brands?
What objections do they commonly raise?
4. Create a Simple One-Page Profile
Don’t overcomplicate it. One profile per key audience is enough to start.
Pro Tip: Put a Face to Your Buyer Persona with AI
Once you've built your buyer persona, try this:
Drop the description into an AI image generator (like Midjourney, DALL·E, or any platform that lets you generate faces).
Ask it to create a realistic image based on the age, location, lifestyle, and interests you’ve written.
For example: “Generate a portrait of Ruth, a 42-year-old rural NZ mum with 3 kids who loves gardening and lives on a lifestyle block in Canterbury.”
Why do this? Because when you can see your ideal customer, you connect with them more clearly, and so does your team. Every time you write an ad, design a product, or plan a post, you’re no longer guessing. You’re talking to that person. It turns “Ruth” from a spreadsheet into someone you'd actually want to help.
That shift alone makes your marketing way more effective.
Your audience may shift over time. Review your buyer personas every 6–12 months, especially if you’re launching new products or services.
Creating a buyer persona might feel like an “extra step,” but it’s honestly one of the most powerful tools you can use to market smarter, not louder.
When you know exactly who you’re talking to, everything clicks into place. Your ads convert better, your content hits home, and your brand starts building trust faster.
Need Help Defining Your Audience?
At Lasso & Lead, we help small NZ businesses get crystal clear on who they’re marketing to and how to reach them (without wasting budget). Whether you need one buyer persona or a full customer journey map, we’ve got you.
