Your approach is right on the money. I recently worked with a client who believed they catered to only one general market known as the “lab manager.” Upon conducting a persona exercise, we split the team into two groups, one representing the traditional market, and the other representing a new opportunity.

Soon one of the teams was laughing up a storm. I asked why, and they were rallying around the word “slacker” as they described the persona. When I asked why, the painted a picture for me of a persona who had reached a comfort level in their career and were not interested in advancement. Upon hearing this description, the other team objected saying that their persona was the exact opposite best described as an “overachiever.” In fact, their persona represented a new generation of biologists who want to make their mark, get published, and advance to the next level in their career.

In short, by doing the persona exercise, the team realized there were two very different personas with very different needs and expectations. Lightbulbs lit up and the team, invigorated with a heightened understanding of their target audiences, developed a set of interactive marketing campaigns that engaged these personas like never before.

For marketers who believe they have no time to plan, taking 30-45 minutes to build a persona can pay very rewarded dividends.