Welcome to The Advantage Playbook. Each week, we share one big idea you can implement for your small business, along with a curated roundup of resources to help you level up your marketing game.

This Week’s Big Idea: Crafting Your Customer Personas

You know your product or service is THE BEST, but no one's buying. Are you talking to the right people? You're posting on all the channels...crickets!

Do you have a clear picture of who your target customers are? Do you know their likes, challenges, and desires? No? This is where customer personas come in... Without personas, you'll waste precious time and money by shouting into the deep void, and your messaging to customers will sound like gibberish (sorry).

Okay, what are these life-changing customer personas? Think of them as the blueprints for a house you're building for a client.

You need to know a few pieces of information to help you build the perfect house to meet their expectations:

• Like their age... are they a young 25-year-old or an aging 60-year-old?
• What's their budget — their income?
• What features are they looking for — maybe they want a chef's kitchen because they have a big family and they like to host Sunday dinners.

Think of blueprints (customer personas) as information to build your target customer their perfect house that meets their needs and what they've been dreaming of.

When your messaging doesn’t connect, you risk showing up inconsistently across channels. Your words start to sound like background noise, failing to spark interest.

The result? Customers mistakenly think you’re not a good fit, even when it’s really just a communication issue.

Customer personas help you figure out what language your customers speak. When you speak to their challenges, their desires, their goals, they’ll listen.

Want to save your breath and make your messaging purposeful? Download this free buyer personas worksheet ​and get started today!​​

P.S. Customer personas are an ongoing process. People evolve, and so do their needs and desires. Stay curious and open to learning about them.

📚Bridge The Knowledge Gap

• ​DoBot™ Diaries Entry 9: Attracting Your Ideal Client​
• ​define: Brand ​
• Retail Readiness Training Program with WalMart and Watson Institute | Applications due January 26 -Apply Here

🎓 Free Workshops & Webinars

• The Insider's Guide to Building Influencer's Campaigns That Scale | January 14 | 1 PM EST - Sign Up Here​
• The Ultimate 2025 Marketing Calendar | January 16 | 1 PM EST – Sign Up Here​
• Building Your Brand: How Your Small Business Can Stand Out in the Market | January 22 | 1:30 PM EST - Sign Up Here​
• Mastering Social Media Marketing | February 11 | 10 AM | Sign Up Here​

💰 Free Shmoney–Grants & Funding

• ​Wish Local Empowerment Program: Offering up to $2,000 for black-owned brick-and-mortar businesses. Rolling Applications.
• ​Athene Black & Brown Business Summit Pitch Competition Application: Athene Black & Brown Business Summit on April 16-17 at the Sheraton Hotel in Des Moines, Iowa for a chance to win thousands of dollars. Applications due January 31.

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About The Advantage Playbook: You are receiving this email because you subscribed to AD-IN's weekly newsletter. Each Tuesday, we share one big idea for your small business, along with a curated roundup of resources to help you stay on top of your marketing game.