What I Learned When I Stopped Making "Sally, 35, Likes Yoga" Personas
Sally - 35. Marketing Manager. Likes Yoga & Coffee. Shops Online. Values Work-Life Balance
Sound familiar?
If I had a dollar for every time I've seen this exact persona template, I could fund a year of Sally's yoga classes.
After years of strategy work, here's what I've found:
These surface-level personas are a waste.
They make us feel strategic while telling us nothing about how Sally actually makes decisions or what keeps her up at night.
I learned this the hard way.
For years, I'd create these demographic profiles thinking I understood clients' customers. Then I started digging deeper - spending real time understanding not just who they are, but the emotional triggers and psychology around why they buy.
Knowing Sally is 35 tells us nothing. Knowing Sally lies awake at 2AM worried about hitting Q4 targets while her team is stretched thin... That's when we can actually help her.
The Million Dollar Lesson from Coca-Cola
In 1985, Coca-Cola spent $4M on research, conducting 200k taste tests that showed people preferred their new formula. They launched "New Coke" and pulled the original from shelves.
Within weeks they received on average 8k angry calls per day.
After 79 days of complaints, they brought back "Coca-Cola Classic."
What went wrong?
They measured taste but missed emotional connection.
Customers had memories of first Cokes with family and friends, rewards for good grades - the brand was woven into their lives.
So, what we learn here is this:
When we measure what's easy (demographics, preferences) instead of what matters (emotional drivers, decision triggers) we miss the mark.
4-Layer Framework I Use to Creating Buyer Personas
After years of testing, here's what I've found works best (IMO):
→ Layer 1: Observable Behaviors (what they actually do)
→ Layer 2: Decision Patterns (how they evaluate options)
→ Layer 3: Emotional Drivers (the real why behind purchases)
→ Layer 4: Moment Mapping (when they're ready to buy)
Here's the thing:
Layer 1 tells you WHO. Layers 2-4 tell you HOW TO REACH THEM.
Quick Start: Mining Customer Insights with AI
"But I don't have customer data!"
You probably do. Even 10 customer emails can be enough.
Hidden gold mines:
- Support tickets
- Sales call transcripts
- Reviews (yours AND competitors)
- Social media comments
My go-to AI prompt for insights:
"Analyze these customer inputs [paste anything you have] and identify: decision-making triggers, emotional states during buying, hidden objections, and specific phrases they use. Focus on psychological patterns, not demographics."
Even messy data reveals patterns. AI spots what we miss.
The Psychology Layer That Changes Everything
This is where the magic happens.
Map these five factors:
- Trigger Events: What makes them start looking?
- Fear Factors: What are they afraid of getting wrong?
- Trust Builders: What makes them believe you can help?
- Social Pressures: Who influences their decision?
- Success Metrics: How do they define winning?
Your 90-Minute Persona Sprint
Want to see this in action? Here's a super simple stripped down process:
30min: Gather whatever customer data you can find
30min: Run it through AI with the prompt above
20min: Map the five psychology factors
10min: Write one headline using their exact words
Test it on 5 customers. If 3 say something along the lines of... "that's exactly how I feel," you're likely on the right track.
Research shows companies using real personas (like the framework above) see 111% increase in email open rates and 171% increase in marketing revenue. (delve.ai)
But only if those personas go deeper than "likes yoga..." 🧘🏽♀️
Here's the takeaway:
When we understand why customers make decisions, the how becomes obvious.
What's the biggest assumption you're making about your customers right now? ...I bet there's an insight hiding in plain sight.
See ya next week,
Dani
P.S. Want my complete AI prompt library I use for building personas? Reply to this email and I'll send it over.