Last year, a client asked me to help them market a product that they believed everyone would buy. After several hours of discussion, I convinced him to give up that dream.
I suggested instead of EVERYONE, let’s focus first on SOMEONE.
We worked together to figure out who might genuinely want to buy his product.
As we dug deeper and deeper into interviews and research, we found a small group of people who were frustrated and wanted to find a solution like his. He worried that it was too “niche, too small a target.”
I told him that I was excited that we found people who he could serve with his product offering. Helping a smaller group of people who care means they’ll be engaged, responsive and a better customer.
Over time he came to understand that everyone won’t care. The niche will. It was an important marketing lesson and one that is core to his ongoing strategy for growing his brand.
Marketing starts with finding the left-handed audience
Here is my favorite example that helps illustrate this idea.
Eighty-five percent of the people in the world are right-handed. They would be the logical target audience to go after if you follow the typical path. Sell the majority. Go after the big group of potential customers. Reach the globe.
But companies like Lefty’s, an online business serving people who are left-handed, focuses on the fifteen percent.
The owners are left-handed.
They like to cook but couldn’t find left-handed spatulas.
They like to garden but could find left-handed hoes and rakes.
They understand what it is like to be in the minority and so they serve the smaller segment, not the majority piece of the pie. Lefty’s understands the power of serving a community. How can we get people to buy from us instead of Amazon? Amazon doesn’t understand the left-handed buyer.
So, if you are looking to launch a new product, think lefty.
Need help figuring out if the right-hand knows what the left hand is doing? I can help. I sell seasoned advice to guide marketing, product strategy, and brand development. I serve the curious.
You can set up a time to chat using my calendar. Email me jeffslater@themarketingsage.com Call me. 919 720 0995. The conversation is free and we can explore if working together makes sense. Try my new chat feature on my site if you have a quick question.
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