Why Marketing to Everyone Gets You Overlooked
Marketing to everyone makes you easy to overlook. When your message could apply to anyone, nobody sees themselves in it. So nobody stops.
Getting specific about who you serve fixes that. Start by looking at your best clients from the last year or so. Find what they have in common and speak directly to that group. More of the right people will notice you, and you’ll be a lot easier to refer.
That sounds simple. Most of us still resist it. And for an understandable reason.
Nobody wants to turn away business. Especially when you’re building something on your own and every client matters. So we keep the door wide open. We tell people we work with everyone.
You’ve probably heard some version of this. A realtor helps anyone who wants to buy or sell a home. An IT company serves small and medium-size businesses. A consultant works with entrepreneurs.
Each one sounds focused. We even convince ourselves it’s a niche. After all, plenty of people fall outside that group.
But look a little closer. “Small and medium-size businesses” covers a huge range of companies with very different needs. “Entrepreneurs” includes the person selling candles online and the founder raising millions. That’s a category. A big one. And someone reading your website can’t tell if you mean them.
The guy with the megaphone
Picture someone standing on a busy street corner with a megaphone. He’s shouting about how great his service is. People keep walking past.
Nobody’s being rude. The message just isn’t meant for anyone in particular. So nobody stops.
That’s what broad marketing looks like from the other side. And when someone finally does need what you offer, you’re often one of five or ten names on their list. All saying roughly the same thing. So they compare on price. Or they go with whoever a friend mentioned.
What happens when you get specific
When you specifically name who you help, people start to notice. They see themselves in what you’re saying. You can use the words they use and name the exact problem they’re stuck on. Then show them how you solve it.
That moves you out of the crowd. You become the person who solves a specific problem for a specific kind of person. For that group, you can become the obvious choice.
I use a campfire to explain marketing, and this is the kindling part. Hold a match to a big log and nothing happens. Small pieces catch first. Specifics work the same way. They’re what get people interested enough to come closer.
One quick worry to clear up. Getting specific shapes who you market to. Your door stays open. If someone outside that group notices you and reaches out to see if you can help, you absolutely can.
How to find your specific person
Start with your client list from the past 12 to 18 months. Go back further if you need more to work with.
Then pick a lens. You could look at the clients who got the best results, or the ones you enjoyed working with most. You could look at the clients who brought in about 80% of your revenue. Or even the clients you want more of.
Now look for what those clients have in common. Write down every trait you notice.
Once you have that list, take each trait and drill down. How could you make it more specific? It may have nothing to do with age or income or location. It could be a situation someone’s in. It could be a stage of business. Or a stage of life. You’re looking for where your strengths show up in who you serve.
Back to that realtor. Who do you help most? Maybe first-time buyers who need someone patient to walk them through every step. Maybe downsizers leaving the house they raised their kids in. Maybe people going through a divorce who need a steady hand. Maybe dog owners who care about fenced yards and good walking trails. Each one is a different person with different worries.
For the consultant, are your clients solopreneurs? Are they building a business to grow fast and sell? Or one that supports the life they want?
I’m working through this myself right now. When I looked back at my own client list, I noticed most are established coaches, consultants, speakers and service providers. They’re building businesses around an area of expertise. I’m still refining it. But it’s already far more useful than “small business owners.”
Why it’s worth the effort
Specifics attract more of the right people. They also make you easier to refer. When someone mentions they’re selling the house after a divorce, a friend thinks of you right away.
Your marketing gets more effective too. You know where to aim any advertising. You know which rooms are worth showing up in. And you always have something to write about, because you know what your people are wrestling with.
That last part matters more every month. There’s a flood of generic content out there, much of it written by AI. Specific beats generic. When you talk about real situations your people face, you stand out.
Where this fits
This all lives in the Clarify phase of Strengths-First Marketing. That’s where you answer the big questions that drive your marketing. Who do you serve? What problem do you solve? How do you solve it? What value do you provide? And why does it all matter?
Who you serve comes first. Get that one clear and the rest gets a lot easier to answer.
Struggling to get specific about who you serve? Book a Now What? Clarity Session. In addition to looking at your strengths, we can spend a few minutes helping you get a little more specific about your ideal client.