Here's an Idea: Use LinkedIn Profiles to Define Audience Personas

Unlocking audience personas is key for impactful content strategies. One platform that holds a wealth of insights is LinkedIn.

By analyzing LinkedIn profiles, marketers can uncover valuable buying signals and behaviors, contributing to the development of refined audience personas.

In this article, we explore the process of utilizing LinkedIn profiles to unearth hidden audience preferences and guide content marketing efforts.

Discovering Audience Personas on LinkedIn

Here's how you go about this.

Initiate the Research

The first step is to compile a list of profiles to study. Begin by entering a broad term in the search bar, such as "marketing." Click on "people" and then "all filters" to refine your search. This approach can yield millions of results that align with your criteria.

Apply Filters

LinkedIn offers a range of filters that you can customize based on your research goals. These filters encompass aspects like connections, locations, companies, titles, and more. Tailor your filters to gather profiles relevant to your research objective.

Generate a Comprehensive List

Depending on your criteria, you can create a broad or niche list of profiles. Filter options allow you to identify professionals from specific roles, industries, or geographic locations.

Exploring LinkedIn Profiles for Insights

Here's where you look for your audience persona clues.

Headline

The headline, displayed under a user's name, offers insights into their goals, aspirations, and values. Custom headlines often provide clues about the person's motivations, providing a window into the audience persona they represent. For instance, variations in headlines between product managers, entrepreneurs, or industry leaders can reveal their distinct priorities.

About Section

The "about" section offers a space for users to describe themselves in up to 2,600 characters. This section provides a comprehensive view of their roles, responsibilities, and expertise. Extract insights by examining how individuals describe their work and their achievements. The narrative here can help build a clearer picture of the associated audience persona.

Featured Section

The featured section enables users to showcase LinkedIn posts, articles, and external links. By studying the content individuals choose to highlight, you can discern their areas of interest, expertise, and contributions. This section is particularly useful in understanding their focus within their respective roles.

Experience (Job Detail)

The experience section provides details about a user's employment history, including job titles, organizations, and job responsibilities. Examine this section for insights into their quantifiable impacts, tools used, and specific processes implemented. This information can help identify patterns in their roles and priorities.

Experience (Associated Media)

Users can attach media like images, videos, or slide decks to provide additional context for their current or past roles. Exploring this media can reveal additional insights about their roles, responsibilities, and contributions.

Activity

The activity section aggregates a user's posts, comments, articles, and more. This section can uncover their engagement with industry webinars, discussions, and relevant topics. Engaging with these activities can lead you to other profiles that align with the same audience persona.

Groups (Mutual)

Users can list organizations they belong to in the groups section. Mutual groups can provide insights into their professional interests and affiliations. Exploring these groups and the discussions within them can reveal valuable insights.

Recommendations

LinkedIn recommendations can offer detailed insights into a person's performance within their role. Examining these recommendations can help understand their strengths, achievements, and relationships with colleagues.

Maximizing LinkedIn for Audience Persona Research

LinkedIn profiles provide a treasure trove of data and insights to refine audience personas and enhance content marketing strategies.

By reviewing a profile's various sections, marketers can gain a deeper understanding of their target audience's motivations, preferences, and behaviors.

This comprehensive approach, utilizing LinkedIn's free features, enables marketers to fine-tune their content strategies and create content that truly resonates with their audience personas.