As a medical device organization, you’ve developed a groundbreaking technology that is not only clinically relevant but also holds the promise of transforming patient care. You’re confident that the healthcare market is primed for your innovation and that success is just around the corner. But have you taken the critical step of defining your ideal Buyer Persona?
Understanding market dynamics is crucial. You know that patients need your product for their well-being, physicians want it to provide top-tier care, hospitals see the value in adopting it, and agents and distributors are eager to get it into the hands of consumers. Everything seems aligned. However, if I were to ask whether you can identify the exact profile of your top three ideal customers—based on solid internal data, return on investment (ROI), and industry research—would you hesitate?
Without a clear aim, even the best technology can miss its mark. If you can’t confidently describe who you’re targeting, it’s time to address this issue immediately.
Why Defining Buyer Personas is Crucial
The purpose of this blog is to provide you with a practical methodology for defining your ideal Buyer Persona profiles. Simply put, a Buyer Persona is a semi-fictional representation of your ideal customer, grounded in both qualitative and quantitative data.
At its core, here are the five critical data points you need to know for each Buyer Persona:
- Who are they?
- What type of company do they work for?
- What are their goals?
- What challenges do they face?
- What solutions can you offer them?
These questions should form the foundation of your marketing communication strategy. It’s essential to remember that your buyer personas are not interested in your company or your products—they are focused on solving their problems and achieving their goals. If your messaging clearly demonstrates how you can help them succeed, they will become loyal customers. If not, they will simply tune out, no matter how much you invest in your marketing efforts.
Unfortunately, many companies fall into the trap of talking about how great they and their products are, rather than focusing on how they can help their customers. Your messaging should always center on the value you bring to your buyer personas.
The Method to Create a Buyer Persona
Developing your Buyer Personas is a collaborative effort that should involve input from your sales, marketing, and finance teams. The best approach is to dedicate a full-day workshop to this exercise.
If you prefer a DIY approach, you can use the MT-7 Buyer Persona templates. However, you might consider having MedTech Momentum organize a private Buyer Persona workshop for your team to ensure the process is both thorough and effective.
During the workshop, you and your team will follow a 3-Step process:
Step #1: Brainstorm
- Leverage your experience, statistics, and financial data to identify who you believe are your ideal customers.
- Assign each persona a fictitious name (e.g., Dr. Jones, the Entrepreneur).
- Answer seven key questions related to each persona (demographics, background, etc.).
- Document everything (use a whiteboard or paper board).
Step #2: Select, Categorize & Find Consensus
- Through team discussion, you’ll naturally eliminate irrelevant ideas from the brainstorming session.
- Use the paper board to find consensus and finalize the answers corresponding to the seven categories of questions.
Step #3: Create Identity Cards
- After the workshop, your marketing lead will consolidate the information from Step 2 to create an identity card for each Buyer Persona using the provided template.
- These identity cards should be easily shareable across the organization to ensure alignment and guide all content creation (website, articles, blogs, social media posts, videos, etc.).
Repeat this three-step process for each Buyer Persona.
If conducted effectively, by the end of the workshop, you’ll have the identity cards for your top three ideal Buyer Personas. This clarity will enable your company to consistently target the right audience with the right message, driving success in the competitive healthcare market.
