The power of personality profiling

72% of business buyers expect communications from businesses that are personalised to suit their needs.

To connect with your prospects, you need to tailor your communications to their unique needs – as a B2B marketing professional, you likely understand this. But, are you capitalising on every opportunity to develop a deeper understanding of your audience? Segmenting by job role and pain points is a great start, as is enhancing your approach with ‘first name’ and ‘business name’ personalisation. However, at Really B2B, we wanted to take prospect profiling to the next level…

Using the principles of DiSC, we developed our DiSCovery profiling solution, which places prospects into one of four personality groups. This enables us to better understand their buying behaviours on a personal level, and adapt our marketing messages and activities to drive improved engagement.

So, how can you identify the four key DiSC personality types, and what is the best way to communicate with them?

 

Dominant

3% of the populations are Dominant. Their key traits include…

Independent

• Decisive
• Abrupt
• Success-driven

Preferred buying process: Fast and efficient

 

Communicating with a “D”

Concise, fact-driven copy is the best way to engage D-styles. Write powerfully and with confidence. Show a willingness to take risks, be decisive, and put an emphasis on achievement and status. Use hard-hitting top-level statistics, and a no-nonsense approach. This means avoiding superfluous and flowery language – in short, get to the point.

 

Given D-style’s preference for concise content, formats such as infographics, tip sheets, short videos and checklists will be most effective for this audience.

 

Influencer

11% of the populations are Influencers. Their key traits include…

• Impulsive
• Creative
• Optimistic
• Focused on feelings

Preferred buying process: Informal and interactive

 

Communicating with an “I”

I-styles prefer light and airy conversation, so drop the conventional business tone, and instead write with a positive, fun and chatty style. Focus on how your product or service will affect the I-style’s experience and emotions. Fundamentally, how will it make other people view them? When writing, be a little more informal. Make a few jokes, and don’t get bogged down in the dull and drab details. Alliteration is always advantageous, and rhymes are sublime (most of the time).

 

Interactive content – like quizzes and games, are ideal for I-styles. When writing infographics, tip sheets, and ebooks, content should be more people-orientated, steering clear of dry facts and focusing instead on telling a fun and engaging story.

 

Steady

69% of the populations are Steady. Their key traits include…

• Reliable
• Empathetic
• Habitual
• Values fairness

Preferred buying process: With in-depth discussions on details

 

Communicating with an “S”

When writing for S-styles, it’s vital to demonstrate that you are fair, consistent, and reliable. When describing your offering, be thorough and thoughtful. Use respectful language and approach from a supportive position. Be warm and kind. Write carefully, reinforcing your argument with relevant statistics. Without being overly-repetitive, double-down on your points. Show that you’re an authority, and highlight the ways in which the product or service will benefit everyone at the business.

 

Given their tentative buying-style, we should be extensive in the body of content we supply S-styles with, carefully designing a narrative for them to follow – from infographic, to tip sheet, to video, to ebook, to case study – supplying this to them directly via email. All content should include a sharing tool, with accompanying text which encourages the prospect to send the content to their colleagues.

 

Conscientious

17% of the populations are Conscientious. Their key traits include…

• Logical
• Organised
• Risk averse
• Follows and respects rules

 Preferred buying process: Filled with facts, figures, and data

Communicating with a “C”

When writing for C-styles, be precise, factual and detailed. Avoid criticism, and instead present a logical and clear argument. Don’t write in an overly emotive style. Instead, write technically. Use industry-relevant language. Show that you play by the rules, and wherever possible, reinforce your offering with facts, statistics, professional testimony, and expert endorsements. What’s important is thoroughness and patience. Leave no stone unturned. Anticipate and answer all of their concerns.

 

C-styles will be most receptive to ebooks, tip sheets and checklists – especially those which provide clear, detailed and informative content. We need not worry about brevity, and should instead provide as much information as possible, linking outside of the copy to external sources like scientific studies which reinforce our position.

Develop deeper connections with DiSCovery

Whether you’re looking to utilise personality profiling at a mass market or ABM level, our DiSCovery solution can be scaled to meet your business’ unique needs. To find out how you can deliver a superior level of personalisation to your prospects, speak to us today on 02392 314498 or email info@reallyb2b.com