The Problem
An HR Tech startup was prepping to move up market after success in the SMB category. But, they knew this meant transitioning from a C-Level buyer persona to an HR and People persona. Before engaging with this new segment, our client wanted to better understand the HR professional profile for more efficient and effective sell-ins.
The Approach
We crafted a two-stage study, starting with one-to-one interviews and ending with surveys.
The initial interviews were performed with existing SMB C-Level buyers and early enterprise HR leaders in our clients’ customer database. We used the same structured discussion guide with both segments to effectively compare and contrast each group regarding their product needs, evaluation factors, and their decision-making parameters.
We then layered in survey-based research to validate the findings.
The Results
Persona Templates
We built buyer persona templates for SMB C-Level personnel as well as enterprise HR personnel to help internal marketing and sales teams understand the audience target evolution.
Content & Collateral Needs
Through the interview phase, we uncovered major topics of interest for each persona, giving our client’s marketing team intel to develop future thought leadership and marketing content.
Case Study Materials
As an ancillary upside, we uncovered unique product use cases to be used for upcoming case studies and to further promote the software’s overall benefits.
Did You Know...
Selling in to a new buyer persona is a key inflection points for my young startups. It heralds growth but also the growing pains that comes with appealing to a new type of buyer. Buyer persona work helps mitigate these growing pains. It brings in the intelligence marketing and sales teams to fully prepare to work with these new buyers.
