Tag Archives: target audience

Revisiting Brand Archetypes with My Good Buddy Gemini

I’ve been interested in brand archetypes for years. You’ll recall my first post on the topic, after which I used Kaye Putnam’s quiz to determine my archetypes: primarily Sage, with some others.

Sage, Explorer, Royalty, Entertainer.

This morning I attended a webinar, sponsored by Verizon and under the auspices of SCORE and BizHuub, on the topic of budget-friendly branding. It was presented by Warrick and Takicha Roundtree.

After some preliminary discussions, the Roundtrees focused on the topic of the 12 brand archetypes. They then encouraged us to explore our brand archetypes, with the help of our favorite generative AI tool.

The first prompt, and the response

I am Bredemarket. I offer marketing and writing services (content, proposal, analysis) to identity, biometrics, and technology firms. I sell these services to marketing leaders at these firms. Give me a list of psychographic characteristics of my most likely buyer.

Here is a list of psychographic characteristics of your most likely buyer, the marketing leader at an identity, biometrics, or technology firm. These characteristics go beyond simple demographics and aim to uncover their motivations, challenges, and attitudes.

Core Motivations and Goals

  • Career-Driven and Results-Oriented: They are primarily motivated by professional success. They need to demonstrate a positive ROI on their marketing budget and show tangible results in the form of lead generation, increased brand awareness, or successful product launches.
  • Aspirational: They want to be seen as innovative and forward-thinking within their company and the industry. They are looking for solutions that will help them gain a competitive edge and establish their firm as a leader in its field.
  • Driven by Urgency: They are often facing deadlines and a “need it yesterday” mentality. They have projects to complete, campaigns to launch, and are looking for a reliable partner who can jump in and deliver high-quality work quickly and efficiently.
  • Seeking Strategic Partnership: While they need a service provider, they are really looking for a partner who can provide fresh, objective insights and strategic thinking. They value an external perspective that isn’t clouded by internal biases or politics.

Challenges and Pain Points

  • Overwhelmed and Under-Resourced: They are likely managing a lean team and a multitude of responsibilities, from content creation to campaign management and analytics. They may not have the in-house expertise or bandwidth for every project, especially specialized ones like proposal writing or complex analysis.
  • Need for Specialized Expertise: They are acutely aware that their firm’s technology is complex and niche. They need a writer and marketer who can understand the technical nuances of identity and biometrics and translate them into compelling, clear, and trustworthy content for a B2B audience.
  • Information and Privacy Concerns: The identity and biometrics space is sensitive. They are concerned with navigating complex issues like data privacy regulations, ethical considerations, and public perception. They need content that addresses these concerns and builds trust with their audience.
  • Difficulty Demonstrating Value: They struggle to effectively communicate the value of their complex, often-invisible, technology to different stakeholders, from technical users to C-suite executives.

Attitudes and Behaviors

  • Risk-Averse (to a point): While they want to innovate, they are also responsible for their budget and brand reputation. They will seek out a provider with a proven track record, relevant case studies, and a clear understanding of their industry.
  • Values Efficiency: They appreciate a streamlined, no-fuss process. They don’t have time for extensive hand-holding or for a provider who needs a lot of training on the basics of their industry.
  • Prefers a Collaborative Approach: They don’t want to simply hand over a task. They want a partner who will engage in a dialogue, provide strategic recommendations, and work with their team to achieve a shared vision.
  • Values Trust and Reliability: Given the sensitive nature of their business, they need to feel completely confident that their partner is stable, consistent, and committed to the project. They value a partner who is responsive and transparent in their operations.

The second prompt, and the response

Which of the 12 brand archetypes would appeal to my customers?

Based on the psychographic characteristics of your target customer—the marketing leader at a technology, biometrics, or identity firm—several brand archetypes would likely resonate most strongly.

The key is to choose an archetype that speaks to their professional motivations, pain points, and desire for a strategic, trustworthy partner.

Here are the most relevant archetypes for Bredemarket:

1. The Sage

  • Why it works: This is the most natural fit. The Sage is the expert, the thought leader, and the trusted advisor. Your customers are seeking knowledge, analysis, and strategic insights. They don’t just want content written; they want content that is well-researched, accurate, and authoritative.
  • How to embody it:
    • Focus on data-driven insights and analysis.
    • Create content that educates and informs, such as white papers, in-depth reports, and industry analysis.
    • Position yourself as an expert who understands the complex nuances of their industry, not just a content mill.
    • Your tone should be knowledgeable, wise, and credible.

2. The Creator

  • Why it works: Your services are inherently creative. You are creating content, proposals, and narratives from scratch. Marketing leaders at tech firms are looking for someone who can translate complex technical information into compelling, engaging stories that resonate with their audience.
  • How to embody it:
    • Showcase your ability to build something from nothing—a strong narrative, a winning proposal, or a memorable campaign.
    • Use a portfolio to highlight diverse, imaginative work you’ve done for other clients.
    • Emphasize your process, from ideation to final execution.
    • Your messaging should focus on innovation, originality, and the power of well-crafted communication.

3. The Hero

  • Why it works: This archetype addresses your customer’s pain points directly. They are heroes within their own companies, tasked with generating leads and demonstrating ROI. You, as Bredemarket, can be their sidekick or a “hero for hire” who helps them conquer their challenges.
  • How to embody it:
    • Frame your services as a solution to their problems. Instead of “We write proposals,” say “We write proposals that help you win bids.”
    • Use success stories and testimonials that highlight how you helped a client overcome a major challenge (e.g., “Helped Company X generate 50% more leads with a new content strategy”).
    • Your tone should be confident, courageous, and results-oriented.

Secondary, Supporting Archetype: The Ruler

  • Why it works: While this may not be your primary archetype, it’s a good supporting one. Marketing leaders are often in a position of power and authority. By positioning yourself as a professional and organized partner, you align with their desire for order and control.
  • How to embody it:
    • Emphasize your clear processes, reliability, and project management skills.
    • Communicate with precision and confidence, demonstrating your command of the subject matter and the project.
    • Show that you bring order to the chaos of their marketing needs.

Summary & Recommendation

For Bredemarket, the Sage and Creator are your strongest primary archetypes.

  • Sage establishes your expertise and credibility, which is paramount in a technical field.
  • Creator highlights your specific skill set and ability to build compelling narratives.

You can then use the Hero archetype to frame your marketing messages around the problems you solve, and the Ruler to reassure potential clients about your professionalism and reliability.

By combining these, you can craft a brand identity that is both intelligent and innovative, while also being trustworthy and empowering for your target customer.

What I need to do

So what have I learned from the Roundtrees’ prompts and Google Gemini’s responses?

Well, at least my Sage and Royalty/Ruler archetypes are on, um, target with my audience.

I need to analyze the rest of the two responses and perhaps make some changes in direction in my self-promotional content. After all, Google never lies.

In truth, why is Google happy that I’m ignoring its marketing advice?

How Does It Feel?

Whether you’re a marketer, a biometric expert, a technologist, or just someone scrolling the webs, you can feel a variety of emotions after reading a Bredemarket blog post.

Maybe amused.

Maybe informed, 

Maybe empowered.

But some will experience more powerful emotions.

For a targeted few who find themselves paralyzed, maybe afraid. Afraid that your competitors will steal your prospects unless you act.

Or for those targeted few who despise powerlessness and want to act, maybe hungry. Hungry to get your product’s benefits to your prospects so they convert.

I have to be honest. Some of the people who are inspired to act are perfectly capable of acting on their own. Because they’re not complete unknowns.

But others can use the help of an outside consultant such as Bredemarket.

Content, proposals, analysis. I can help with all of them.

You’re the ones I’m talking to right now.

And perhaps you should take the time to talk to me. https://bredemarket.com/mark/

Stop losing prospects! Use Bredemarket content for tech marketers
Stop losing prospects!

How to (Almost) Sell Anything to Anyone

Marketers, have you ever used someone else’s marketing as an opportunity to market your own solution?

I’ll confess that I’m haunting online conversations about the Kettering Chick-fil-A age assurance issue and adding a technical spin to the conversations.

But I’m not the only one doing this.

I admire the effort of this person who recently emailed me:

“Hi John,

“Your recent post about the 22 types of content product marketers create caught my eye. It echoes what we’ve been seeing with global teams – managing diverse content across borders can be as complex as handling cross-border payroll.”

The emailer then launched into a pitch for his cross-border payroll solution.

While I give the emailer an A+ for effort, the emailer didn’t do his research on his prospect. His prospect, me:

  • Focuses his business on the U.S. (with one exception that you may have seen me mention).
  • Is a sole proprietor, and therefore does not handle payroll in any country.

Good effort though, even though I’m not one of the emailer’s hungry people (target audience).

And if you want to know about the 22 types of content product marketers create, NOW ENDORSED BY A CROSS-BORDER PAYROLL EXPERT, read my post here.

Pharmacy Product Marketing to the Proper Hungry People

Health marketing leaders know that pharmacy product marketing can be complex because of the many stakeholders involved. Depending upon the product or service, your hungry people (target audience) may consist of multiple parties.

  • Pharmaceutical companies.
  • Pharmacists.
  • Medical professionals.
  • Insurance companies.
  • Partners who assist the companies above.
  • Consumers.

And the pharmacy product marketer has to create positioning and messaging for all these parties, for a myriad of use cases: fulfillment, approval, another approval, yet another approval. All the messaging can become a complex matrix. (I know. I’ve maintained a similar messaging matrix for an ABM marketing campaign for the financial services industry.)

To achieve your goals, health marketing leaders require a mix of strategy and tactics. And that’s where my extensive experience can help with your pharmacy product marketing program.

Talk to Bredemarket.

Stop losing prospects! Use Bredemarket content for tech marketers

Animals and Marketing

The experts who do NOT recommend letting ChstGPT run your marketing program DO recommend projecting authenticity in your communications.

But some prospects don’t like authenticity because it is too real and not “professional.”

I’ve alluded to the story of a group of people that knew me well. But of that group, only two felt moved to subscribe to the Bredemarket Instagram account. And one of those two subsequently unsubscribed.

Maybe the wildebeests were the problem.

The problem with people knowing you well is that they know you well…and know the wildebeests more than they want to. And when someone is focused on important business information, one wombat may be one wombat too many.

But not one koala. They have fingerprints, after all.

The lesson learned from this group?

When selecting your target audience, don’t market to satiated people.

Not hungry people.

The Difference Between Busy and Too Busy

Regarding your hungry people (target audience), Kristina God wrote:

“You’re not annoying people when you tell them about your offer (behind the paywall), you’re reminding busy humans.”

As someone who sells to people who sell, I reflected on what Kristina said:

“Reading Kristina reminds me that there is a difference between BUSY and TOO BUSY.

“Prospects who are too busy won’t convert.

“Those who are busy may.”

And reminded myself that while “too busy” people aren’t hungry, “busy” people still need to stop to eat to fill that gaping hole in their stomachs.

And possibly in their content.

In space, you cannot wash away the rain.

Do YOU have a content black hole?

Let Bredemarket help you take the blindfolds off. We can work together to fill your content black hole with blogs, articles, case studies, white papers, and other written words that make your prospects stop and eat.

Get started here.

(All pictures Imagen 4)

Biometric Marketers: What About WRITER Personas?

(Imagen 4)

Biometric marketing leaders already know that I’ve talked about reader personas to death. But what about WRITER personas? And what happens when you try to address ALL the reader and writer personas?

Reader personas

While there are drawbacks to using personas, they are useful in both content marketing and proposal work when you want to tailor your words to resonate with particular types of readers (target audiences, or hungry people).

I still love my example from 2021 in which a mythical Request for Proposal (RFP) was issued by my hometown of Ontario, California for an Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS). The proposal manager had to bear the following target audiences (hungry people) in mind for different parts of the proposal.

  • The field investigators who run across biometric evidence at the scene of a crime, such as a knife with a fingerprint on it or a video feed showing someone breaking into a liquor store.
  • The examiners who look at crime scene evidence and use it to identify individuals. 
  • The people who capture biometrics from arrested individuals at livescan stations. 
  • The information technologies (IT) people who are responsible for ensuring that Ontario, California’s biometric data is sent to San Bernardino County, the state of California, perhaps other systems such as the Western Identification Network, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. 
  • The purchasing agent who has to make sure that all of Ontario’s purchases comply with purchasing laws and regulations. 
  • The privacy advocate who needs to ensure that the biometric data complies with state and national privacy laws.
  • The mayor (Paul Leon back in 2021, and still in 2025), who has to deal with angry citizens asking why their catalytic converters are being stolen from their vehicles, and demanding to know what the mayor is doing about it. 
  • Probably a dozen other stakeholders that I haven’t talked about yet, but who are influenced by the city’s purchasing decision.

Writer personas

But who is actually writing the text to address these different types of readers?

Now in this case I’m not talking about archetypes (a topic in itself), but about the roles of the subject matter experts who write or help write the content.

I am currently working on some internal content for a Bredemarket biometric client. I can’t reveal what type of content, but it’s a variant of one of the 22 types of content I’ve previously addressed. A 23rd type, I guess.

Anyway, I am writing this content from a product marketing perspective, since I am the self-proclaimed biometric product marketing expert. This means that the internal content fits into a story, focuses on the customer, highlights benefits, and dwells on the product.

But what would happen if someone in a role other than product marketing consultant wrote this content?

  • An engineer would emphasize different things. Maybe a focus on the APIs.
  • A finance manager would emphasize different things. Maybe an ROI focus.
  • A salesperson may focus on different things. Maybe qualification of a prospect. Or eventually conversion.

So the final content is not only shaped by the reader, but by the writer.

You can’t please everyone so you’ve got to please yourself

With all the different reader and writer personas, how should you respond?

Do all the things?

Perhaps you can address everyone in a 500 page proposal, but the internal content Bredemarket is creating is less than 10 pages long.

Which is possibly already too long for MY internal target audience.

So I will NOT create the internal content that addresses the needs of EVERY reader and writer persona.

Which is one truth about (reader) personas in general. If you need to address three personas, it’s more effective to create 3 separate pieces than a single one.

Which is what I’m doing in another project for this same Bredemarket biometric client, this one customer-facing.

And the content targeted to latent examiners won’t mention the needs of Paul Leon.

In which I address the marketing leader reader persona

So now I, the biometric product marketing expert writer persona, will re-address you, the biometric marketing leader reader persona.

You need content, or proposal content.

But maybe you’re not getting it because your existing staff is overwhelmed.

So you’re delaying content creation or proposal responses, or just plain not doing it. And letting opportunities slip through your fingers.

Plug the leaks and stop your competitors from stealing from you. Bring Bredemarket on board. Schedule a free exploratory meeting today at https://bredemarket.com/cpa/.

CPA
Bredemarket’s “CPA.”

Why Generic Pablum is Critical for Your Company—Critically Bad

(Imagen 4)

I spend a lot of time on LinkedIn and therefore endure the regular assault from the so-called LinkedIn “experts.”

You know them. 

  • The people who get all bent out of shape over this character—because it’s certain proof that you use “ChatGPT” (because there is no other generative AI tool) because no human ever uses em dashes.
  • And then in the next breath the LinkedIn “experts” slam people who don’t use “ChatGPT” to increase productivity. For example, jobseekers should use “ChatGPT” to “beat the ATS,” automatically fine-tune their resumes for every individual application, and apply to thousands of positions.
  • Oh, but the LinkedIn “experts” say you shouldn’t spray and pray. Tap into the hidden job market via our members-only gated website.

But that’s not the worst thing they say.

Formulate Safe Generic Pablum

When they’re not commanding you to avoid the em dash, the LinkedIn “experts” remind us that LinkedIn is a professional network. And that our communications must be professional.

  • No cat pictures.
  • No “life sucks” posts.
  • Nothing that would cause anyone any offense.

The ideal personal communication is this: “I am thrilled and excited to announce my CJIS certification!” 

The ideal business communication is this:

Yes, the “experts” wish that businesses said nothing at all. But if they do say something, a statement like this optimizes outcomes: “WidgetCorp is dedicated to bettering the technology ecosystem.”

Such a statement is especially effective if all your competitors are saying the same thing. This unity of messaging positions you as an industry leader.

Which enables you to…argh, I can’t do this any more. I am hating myself more and more with each word I type. Can I throw up now? This is emotionally painful.

Derek Hughes just sent me an email that describes this generic pablum. It read, in part:

“Everything reads like it was written by a robot on decaf.

“Same recycled tips. Same recycled tone. Somehow, it’s all… grey.”

Obliterate Safe Generic Pablum

If your company wants conversions—and I assume that you do—avoid the generic pablum and say something. 

This will bring your hungry people (target audience) to you.

And for the prospects that despise humanness and glory in generic pablum…if their focus is elsewhere, your focus won’t impede. Let them roam in the distance.

In the distance.

How Expositor Syndrome Helps Your Firm

What is the opposite of impostor syndrome?

  • The Dunning-Kruger Effect?
  • A delusion of grandeur?

Etymologically, the opposite of impostor syndrome would be expositor syndrome. I asked my buddy Google Gemini to hallucinate a definition, and this is what I got:

“Expositor Syndrome is a hypothetical, non-clinical psychological pattern characterized by an overwhelming and often compulsive urge to explain, clarify, or elaborate upon concepts, ideas, or events, even when such detailed exposition is unsolicited, unnecessary, or redundant. Individuals exhibiting Expositor Syndrome experience a profound discomfort or anxiety if they perceive a potential for misunderstanding or an unstated implication, feeling an internal pressure to “lay bare” all facets of a topic.

“Note: This is a fictional construct, not a recognized medical or psychological condition.”

Gemini actually said a lot more, but I chose not to elaborate.

This, rather than a delusion of grandeur, is considered the opposite of impostor syndrome because an impostor HIDES their true talented self, whereas an expositor ELABORATES and goes on and on about their knowledge. Until their friends become former friends and stop speaking to them.

But can someone exhibit both expositor syndrome and a delusion of grandeur?

Perhaps such a person—if they exist—can still make positive contributions to society.

Such as the Bredemarket 2800 Medium Writing Service, approximately 2800 to 3200 words that (a) answers the WHY/HOW/WHAT questions about you, (b) advances your GOAL, (c) communicates your BENEFITS, and (d) speaks to your TARGET AUDIENCE.

If you need someone to write roughly 3000 words about your identity/biometric or technology firm, request information at https://bredemarket.com/bredemarket-2800-medium-writing-service/

Bredemarket 2800 Medium Writing Service