The tech persona. There is a pile of these as deep as the technology stack is high. Yet somehow, whenever we do that discovery call with our clients and ask the question “Who is your target persona?”, it’s always that ‘One’ (or couple of ‘Ones’) that come up.

We get it. Those C-suite personas are irresistible. They have the biggest clout (supposedly) and the deepest pockets (in theory). But there are other options. Very attractive, lucrative options if you’re willing to do just a little extra work.

According to Gartner, in a typical firm with 100 to 500 employees there will be an average of seven people involved in most buying decisions. In tech decisions, this shoots up well into the double digits to become a veritable scrum of decision makers – each with a legitimate stake in the outcome.

Here are 3 reasons why you might want to cast your net a little wider when developing persona-based content:

1. Technology is just a means to an end

Digital Transformation. Augmented Intelligence. Machine Learning. All these things look great on paper. However, when your business is really selling a business outcome – like great customer experiences or the ability to support a mobile workforce – then you need to speak business as well as technology. The CTO might have the final sign off, but you can bet your bottom dollar that the CMO and HRO will be sitting at the table right next to them and on the lookout for solutions that bring business value to the fore.

2. You might actually get to talk to the user

Technology roles have spun off one by one as technology pillars became ubiquitous. There’s a Head of Enterprise Architecture, Head of Cloud, Head of Application Solutions, Head of Source to Pay and so the list goes on.

Pitching your content at these personas means you are likely to engage with someone who is a super user and potential advocate for your solution. The narratives you tell will need to be more niche but will be more likely to resonate with someone who is at the rockface – and incidentally also rocks a seat at the buyer’s table.

3. Decision making is deputised

C-suite leaders deputise decision making to people they can trust. It’s the nature of their job. Great leaders know how to delegate. Great marketers will use this to their advantage by recruiting these trusted advisors to their cause.

The bonus is that this tier also has more time to connect and engage, and if you give them the right tools, they might just do your pitch for you. Remember, the Head of Cloud probably has a KPI attached to how well they are able to deliver value to the business through cloud-based solutions. Have you thought about all the ways that could work for you?

So, the next time you need to think about who you need to reach with your campaign, why not make it someone a little unexpected?

For more information on Coterie and our partner marketing services, please contact us. Call 0113 292 0945 or email [email protected].

Written by: Shelley Hutton, Value Proposition & Content Lead, Coterie