Personas vs. market segments
Ever want a quick explanation of the difference between personas and traditional segmentation used by marketing? Check out my article on iMedia Connection: "Create and Satisfy Demand: Two Tools to Complete the Marketing Loop."
An excerpt:
In essence, market segments answer the "Who" and "What" questions: Who do you target, what products or services do they need, what are they likely to purchase and at what price point, what marketing programs can successfully reach them, and so on.
Once you know what your product is, personas help you answer the questions of "Why" and "How." Why does this product or service make sense to your target audience? Why do the people represented in this audience need it, and why will they use it? How should we structure and design it to satisfy how people will be using it? How do we make sure the site gives people the experience they need and the business results we need?