According to HubSpot, a persona is a semi-fictional representation of your ideal customer based on market research and real data about your existing customers. Now I know what you’re thinking: I’m not in marketing and my association doesn’t really have customers, so why should I care? Well, no matter what industry you’re in, personas are the key to success. And in the case of associations, we’re talking about member personas. Creating personas for your members can actually help you to recruit and retain the right people. After all, if you know what your personas are trying to achieve, you can create content to help them reach their goals. So how exactly should you go about creating member personas? It’s fairly easy with these three steps: Step 1: Conduct research In order to create accurate personas, you need to talk to as many existing members as you can. Ask them questions about their occupation, family, career, etc. Find out what a typical day in their life looks like, as well as why they joined your organization. Remember, the point here is not to guess; it’s to get an accurate understanding of who your members really are. Step 2: Create a profile for two or three personas As you do your research, you’ll probably start to notice similarities in the types of responses people give. These trends are what you should use to build out your personas. But don’t just list a bunch of facts and call it a day. Weave those facts into stories to better depict who your personas are as people. It’s also a good idea to give your personas a name and face to further humanize them. Step 3: Rinse and repeat Personas don’t ever have to be completely done. In fact, personas may actually change over time, so it’s important to revisit them often and make changes as necessary. Once you have your personas built out, it’s time to start engaging your members! Download our free guide below for ideas on how to keep your members happy and engaged.