By Kirk Layton, President & Co-Founder, The Tenex Group
Marketers have been doing it for years – obsessing over who buys what, why they buy it, how to make them buy more of it, and creating a unique customer profile that they can point to. They call it “building buyer personas.” It’s the art of saying, “Let’s give our customer a name, a face, a favourite coffee order, and an emotional weakness for mid-century modern furniture.”
Now, imagine applying that same concept to office buildings.
Welcome to the world of building personas, the new, slightly quirky but totally game-changing concept that helps building managers talk to their tenants like actual humans (and not like a generic notice taped to the elevator door).
So, What’s a Building Persona Anyway?
Think of your building as a living, breathing character. It has moods. It has quirks. It has vibes.
If your tenants are mostly law firms, accountants, and consulting groups, your building persona probably wears cufflinks, drinks black coffee, and listens to classical music while reviewing spreadsheets. Communications here should be polished, professional, and punctual – no Comic Sans, no exclamation marks, and definitely no “Hey bro, there’s a fire drill tomorrow!”
On the other hand, if your building houses advertising agencies, tech start-ups, and design studios, your building persona might show up in sneakers, sip cold brew, and host a ping-pong tournament in the lobby. Communications here can be punchier, friendlier, maybe even a bit cheeky. “Hey team, we’re testing the fire alarms tomorrow … don’t worry, it’s not your burnt Pop-Tarts that are setting off the alarm.”
Why Bother?
Because your tenants are people. And people tune out when things feel irrelevant, dull, or tone-deaf.
If you send a neon-coloured, emoji-filled announcement to a group of senior partners, they’ll assume someone’s intern is in charge of the newsletter. If you send a ten-paragraph, jargon-heavy memo to a group of graphic designers, they’ll never read past the first “pursuant to clause 3.2.”
Building personas help you speak the language of your tenants, literally and culturally. You tailor tone, design, and content to match your audience. Suddenly, your emails get read, your proptech content becomes more engaging, your events get attended, and your tenants actually feel like you “get” them.
How to Create Your Building’s Persona
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Audit Your Tenants: Who’s in the building? What industries dominate? What’s the average age range, working style, and level of formality?
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Listen and Observe: Are people in suits or sneakers? Is the lunchroom silent or buzzing? Do they care about sustainability, networking, or free donuts?
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Give It a Name (Optional but Fun): Is your building “The Boardroom”? Or “The Brainstorm”? Give it a personality. Picture how it would talk if it were a person.
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Tailor Everything: From email tone to signage design, let the building’s persona guide your communication choices.
Let’s not overlook the possibility that some larger buildings might actually have multiple personas – think the six floors occupied by a big bank balanced by all the advertising, tech and, well, non-bank companies in the building. A well-crafted digital marketing strategy can segment your building into multiple personas that make sense, with your communications tweaked slightly to appeal to – and maximize the engagement of – each persona.
The Payoff
When you communicate with tenants in a way that resonates, they engage more, trust more, and feel more at home in your building. Suddenly, building notices get read, event RSVPs go up, and you stop being “that person who sends those boring building emails.”
So go ahead, give your building a personality (or two). After all, it’s not just four walls and an elevator bank. It’s a community. And like any good community, it deserves a voice that fits.
