A buyer persona refers to a fictional representation of an ideal or typical customer, based on thorough market research and real customer data. The purpose of the persona is to enable businesses to understand their target audience's demographics, behaviors, goals, and challenges in order to tailor their marketing and sales efforts effectively.
Among marketers, opinions vary as to the necessity or value of creating and using buyer personas. Some of the disagreement comes from the traditional emphasis on demographics.
Some outperforming brands, like YouTube, have found success in looking beyond demographics to discover new audiences based on shared interests.
The importance of buyer personas is therefore by no means a settled issue. There are successful businesses that rely on them and others that never use them.