The document profiles Maggie Smith, a high school senior interested in journalism. It outlines her goals of becoming a reporter and attending a top journalism program that provides hands-on experience. The University of Florida is positioned as having a dedicated journalism college that offers programs in all areas of journalism and real-world experience through its newsroom. It addresses Maggie's challenges of finding the right program and explores marketing messages focused on shaping future journalists.

1. University of Florida
College of Journalism and Communications
Buyer Persona
October, 2015

2. Maggie Smith, Future Reporter
Background:
• High school senior looking at colleges
• Interested in current events and the news
• Loves social media
Demographics:
• Female
• 17-18
• Wants to live in a more urban setting
Identifiers:
• Communicative
• Outgoing
• Interested in current events
• Quick on her feet
• Innovative

3. Maggie Smith, Future Reporter
Goals:
• Become a reporter
• Find a university that has a top-rated journalism
program
• Find a university that gives students hands-on
experience
Challenges:
• Finding a university that has an entire program
dedicated to journalism
• Not knowing what part of journalism she wants to
go into
How We Help
• Provide an entire college dedicated to journalism
• Provides programs within all different types of
journalism and has opportunities for Maggie to
explore all of them, to determine which she likes
best
• Gives students like Maggie lhands-on experience
within the field of journalism, preparing her for a
career in journalism after graduating.

4. Maggie Smith, Future Reporter
Real quotes
• “I want to find a university that will prepare
me for the day-to-day life as a reporter.”
• “Most colleges only seem to have a single
major dedicated to journalism. This troubles
me because there are so many different
areas of journalism.”
• “Everyone tells me journalism is a dying
business.”
Objections:
• I have heard that UF is a school mostly
focused on the sciences
• It would be much cheaper to attend a local
community college

5. Maggie Smith, Future Reporter
Marketing Message:
An entire college dedicated to helping
shape the journalists of the future.
Elevator Pitch
We have one of the best journalism
programs in the country and offers
students a wide variety of ways to all
facets of it – from print to broadcast.
Students have the opportunity to get
hands-on experience working in a real
newsroom that caters to multiple counties
throughout the state.

6. Maggie Smith, Future Reporter
Social Media Platforms Used
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram

7. Maggie Smith, Future Reporter
Social Media Messaging:
• Facebook posts sharing works
student reporters have published or
aired
• Live tweets when UF College of
Journalism students win a Hearst
Award, when an alumni wins a
Pulitzer, or other journalism awards
• Re-tweets when students post
pictures of themselves reporting

8. Maggie Smith, Future Reporter
• Tweets or Facebook posts with
current student accounts about
how they love the college or from
alumni on how it prepared them
for the real world
• Instagram pictures of the WUFT
newsroom and airing studios
• Instagram pictures from within a
class