Creating Buyer Personas Based on Real-Time Data
Written by Fred Ferguson – GeezerWise on Substack at www.geezerwise.com #Perplexity
Most buyer personas are fiction.
A marketing team sits in a boardroom, invents “Marketing Mary” or “Startup Steve,” and fills in the blanks with guesses: job titles, demographics, maybe a stock photo to make it feel official.
The problem? People change faster than those binders do. Their problems evolve, new influences shape their decisions, and suddenly your static persona is about as useful as a VHS tape.
Perplexity changes the game.
Instead of building personas on assumptions, you build them on what real people are saying and doing right now.
How Perplexity Builds Real Personas
Language Insight – Capture the exact words people use to describe their problems and ideal solutions.
Decision Mapping – Understand what factors drive (or delay) their choices.
Behavioral Data – See what sites they visit, what content they share, and where they hang out online.
Timing Intel – Learn when they’re active, when they buy, and what events trigger decisions.
Motivation Clarity – Go beyond demographics to uncover what truly drives them forward.
Beyond Demographics
Perplexity helps you surface details static surveys never show:
Their budget constraints and what feels “expensive.”
Who influences their buying decisions.
What objections and red flags keep them from pulling the trigger.
Their preferred content format — articles, videos, podcasts, or tools.
Their learning and research style when evaluating solutions.
Keep It Fresh
The real secret? Updating personas regularly. Markets move. People adapt. A persona built on real-time data doesn’t go stale — it evolves alongside your audience.
That means:
Your marketing resonates.
Your product positioning feels spot-on.
Your sales conversations stop sounding like guesswork.
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