It’s no secret: the better you know your patients, the better you can connect with and serve them. The question is, how do you get to know them without inviting each one to the local Starbucks for a cup of coffee? A persona — it’s the marketing pro’s weapon to reaching patients with individualized messages.

You’ve probably heard about personas, maybe even dabbled in creating some for your practice. But you’re stuck, not sure if the personas you’ve created are accurate or how to maximize their use. Here’s what you need to know.

A persona is simply a profile. It includes specific background information like age, gender, income level, location, and education. It can also include behaviors like social media activity or health goals. The key is to be very specific with your personas, making them as real and accessible as you can.

Take a quick look at these guidelines when creating a persona:    

What a persona is:

  • He’s a fictional person with a real name.
  • She wants accurate health information she can trust related to her condition.
  • He wants to know you can comfort and reassure him.
  • She wants answers to her specific questions.
  • He wants to turn your conversation into a relationship.

What a persona is not:

  • He’s not a general demographic representing a group of people.
  • She doesn’t want broad information that makes her feel like a medical statistic.
  • He doesn’t want to get lost in a stadium full of patients.
  • She doesn’t want impersonal answers that apply to the general population.
  • He doesn’t want to feel like he doesn’t matter.


Now, paint your persona portrait like this:

Cathy is a 42-year-old divorced mother of two children, ages 10 and 14. She’s a bank branch manager who struggles with stress and high blood pressure. She wants to work out more while staying involved in her kids’ lives. She needs to know how you can help her manage stress, start an exercise routine, and lower her blood pressure without medication.

That’s it! Once you start creating personas, your communication will become targeted and authentic. You’ll also be ready to take your persona to the next level by adding health habits and media preferences. Not sure how? We can help!