Even in a highly targeted customer segment, your customers are comprised of a variety of personality types, each with their own preferences and quirks and buying habits. To keep marketing manageable we rely on generalizations. There are dozens of personality assessment tools out their that break down personalities into anywhere from four to dozens of different personality types. However, when it comes to marketing and designing marketing messages there are four main personality types to consider. Each one is motivated differently. To really get the most out of your marketing campaigns it is best to understand these differences and work in messaging and materials that speak to each one.

The Bottom Liner

This personality wants to get directly to the point of “what’s in it for me?” They want to know how much money they will save or make, how it will help or hinder their reputation, or what the big takeaway is for your product or service. They like clear, concise, to the point marketing without fluff or empty promises.

The Thinker

This is the person that wants data. They usually do their research and look at the history of the company, the performance of the product or service, what other providers offer, and develops a cost benefit analysis to make their decision. They love white papers, charts, graphs, and other content and are generally slow to reach a decision. They don’t like to be pressured into a purchase, and will often disqualify anyone who tries a hard sell tactic.

The Engineer

This person what’s to see how it works. They love demonstrations and videos and want to know the process of how to use the product or service in question. Generally hands-on folks, they get bored with dense data or anecdotes. They want to try before they buy and are more likely to purchase add on’s if they can see the value add in terms of performance.

The People Person

This person is relationship focused and wants to know what others think about a product. This person looks for reviews and testimonials from actual customers and is more likely to buy something if a friend recommends it. They love to hear stories about the people who work at the company as well as stories from customer experiences. If they love a product they will tell everyone about it and love having a platform to do so.

A solid marketing mix speaks to all of these people. It includes short marketing pieces that get to the heart of the value proposition, long form materials that make the case from a numbers perspective, demonstrations on how the product or service works, and stories from both employees and customers about why they love the product or service. Different products/services may have a higher concentration of one personality type over another, but for the most part your customer base is relatively balanced among all four groups. Make sure you aren’t ignoring one personality type in your marketing as you may be missing a large customer base and the sales that come with it.