by Blake Jackson | @BlakesTweet

Have you ever been on a website and tried to buy an item and been forced to create a profile? Forced to fill out 3 pages of information just so you can buy a scented candle you thought might smell nice for the holidays. Seems like a little thing (and may be slightly annoying) but, this is now part of your digital persona.

Your digital persona is who you are while on the internet. From the types of websites you visit to the things you search for even to who you are Facebook friends with is all apart of your digital persona. While all of that information may not be important to you. It is important to marketers and people in advertising.

They use all of this information to broadly categorize you as a consumer to better market to you. The goal of anyone in marketing is to get their product in front not only a lot of people but, the right people who might actually buy whatever it is they are selling. As the use of the internet and social media continues to expand it is harder and harder for companies to keep up with the many different digital personas they need.

According to a recent study by MasterCard, everybody falls into one of 5 global types of digital personas: ‘Open Sharers’, ‘Simply Interactors’, ‘Soley Shoppers’, ‘Passive Shoppers’, ‘Proactive Protectors’. Within each of these categories, there are sub-categories that can better

be explored and used by marketers as they see fit. Understanding how and why everyone on the internet chooses to share the information they do and use the internet the way they do is the way companies can harness digital personas to increase their revenue.

Digital personas are starting to be realized as powerful tools to create a more one-on-one marketing experience for the consumer. Fossil clothing company for example has different personas for almost all of their clothing items. Each are specifically tailored to match the unique style of one of the many customers who shop at Fossil.

At Heels.com you can shop by their version of a persona which is called "Fashionality." Are you a Free Spirit?

Do you live your life based on the ideals of Peace and Love? If that is the case, they have an entire selection of shoes for "Bohemians" like you. Do you piece together your wardrobe in a way that no one else does? Then you are an "Eccentric" and so on.

Social media also plays a huge role in this, giving companies a way to segment their audiences and interact in a more personalized way instantaneously. This can not only give consumers easier access

to a company and its offerings, it can also give companies an easier way to see what kind of digital personas make up their customer base. If your social media presence isn’t harnessing the power of digital personas, please contact us a for a free, 15-minute evaluation by calling (469) 248-0616.