ICP vs Buyer Persona: What’s the Difference? — Playbook #2
ICP vs Buyer Persona: What’s the Difference? — Playbook #2. If your brand feels fuzzy to you, it’s fog to your audience. Let’s make it obvious and repeatable.
Strategy is choosing what not to do. Your brand exists to make specific decisions obvious.
Steps
- Document decisions in one page — People use what they can read in two minutes.
- Define the audience and their stakes — Name who loses what if nothing changes; real stakes sharpen choices.
- State the promise in plain words — Avoid poetry; say the outcome a buyer can point to later.
- List three proof points — Social, data, demos. Proof turns belief into trust.
- Design constraints before concepts — Constraints produce coherence; they are not creative jail.
Why this matters: People use what they can read in two minutes. In branding, consistency is a function of decisions captured and reused.
Why this matters: Name who loses what if nothing changes; real stakes sharpen choices. In branding, consistency is a function of decisions captured and reused.
Why this matters: Avoid poetry; say the outcome a buyer can point to later. In branding, consistency is a function of decisions captured and reused.
Why this matters: Social, data, demos. Proof turns belief into trust. In branding, consistency is a function of decisions captured and reused.
Why this matters: Constraints produce coherence; they are not creative jail. In branding, consistency is a function of decisions captured and reused.
Toolkit
- Positioning line — For [audience] who struggle with [problem], we deliver [outcome], proven by [proof].
- Messaging blocks — Headline • subhead • bullets • CTA mapped to page sections.
- Palette tokens — CSS variables / design tokens for color and spacing across apps.
How to use it: For [audience] who struggle with [problem], we deliver [outcome], proven by [proof]. Save the final in a shared doc; link from tickets so execution matches intent.
How to use it: Headline • subhead • bullets • CTA mapped to page sections. Save the final in a shared doc; link from tickets so execution matches intent.
How to use it: CSS variables / design tokens for color and spacing across apps. Save the final in a shared doc; link from tickets so execution matches intent.
Example
A fintech tightened palette tokens and shipping velocity rose because designers stopped re‑deciding shades.
Common Pitfalls & Fixes
- Guides nobody reads — One page first. Depth later. Adoption beats length.
- Collecting adjectives — Translate adjectives into constraints (type size, palette count, tone limits).
- Logo first — Write positioning before pixels; a logo is a receipt for choices.
Related Articles
- ICP vs Buyer Persona: What’s the Difference? — Field Notes #2
- Onboarding Emails that Feel On‑Brand — Deep Dive #2
- Personas That Don’t Lie — Case Files #2
- Logo Systems vs. One‑Off Marks — Pro Tips #2
← Previous: Jobs To Be Done for Marketers — Guide #2 Next: Differentiation Without Feature Fights — Case Files #2 →
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← Previous: Jobs To Be Done for Marketers — Guide #2 Next: Differentiation Without Feature Fights — Deep Dive #2 →