Perfectly logical but not for you
Deciding who we aren’t creating our work for can make or break the entire thing. And yet too few of us actually define who we aren’t trying to serve.
Who are you for? Who are you NOT for?
Now here’s the key: To others, it will seem perfectly logical that you WOULD serve the group you decide you are not for. I mean, anyone can say, “We serve everyone but jerks,” or, “This basketball gear isn’t for swimmers.” That reveals nothing and doesn’t inform your decisions at all.
No, as you attempt this, it should feel more difficult to figure out who you’re not for because they will seem pretty darn close to who you’re for — at first glance.
That’s the issue with how we usually define who we serve: we stop at the “first glance” details, also known as demographics. To spark a movement, we should think more about psychographics. Movements are built (and real change happens) only when we push beyond the surface layer to tell a deeper story — a rally cry based on emotions and beliefs, not a list of facts we can gather without ever communing with those we serve.
Focus on psychographics, not demographics, to determine who you will and won’t serve. Go deeper than the obvious surface layer. Get to the emotional beliefs and through line tying everyone together — and be loud about that. That overt evangelism about shared beliefs helps some people decide you’re not for them, even if they fit the demographic. Because while they’re the right fit at first glance, you’re focused more on the things that harder to see — the psychographics.
On the surface, it seems reasonable that you’d build your work for ALL marketers or librarians or musicians. After all, your work is for that demographic. So it seems perfectly logical that 100% of that group might be somewhat interested in what you have to offer. And that’s the trick: “somewhat” interested won’t cut it. When someone is “somewhat” interested or disinterested, that’s a sign we haven’t dug deep enough. We aren’t clear on who we’re for and not for.
Thus, we want VERY, not somewhat — very passionate, very excited, very personal, very connected to the message … or very not.
The middle ground is for commodities — everyone is “somewhat” interested, but nobody feels strongly one way or the other. The brands that sit there in the middle are the last remaining dinosaurs who sell average products to the masses. That’s a fading approach to selling anything, and an approach that only those with economies of scale continue to embrace, even while time and again the insurgents show us that it’s better to build a brand some people are VERY for and others not so much. (There’s a reason Planters killed off Mr. Peanut in a massive ad campaign. When your plan is to sell to everyone, you’re forced to pull extreme stunts to make anyone truly care.)
Identifying who you are NOT for helps bring the right people all the way into your corner — not just a few steps in your direction. It also helps those you’re not trying to serve run sprinting away.
Ask yourself more often: Who are we for? (This might be a bit easier.)
Ask yourself more often: Who are we NOT for? (This is harder, but worth it.)
At first glance, everyone in a certain demographic will seem like a logical bunch to reach, but if you dig deeper, you’ll realize: some of them are just not for you.
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At Marketing Showrunners, we teach marketers to make better podcasts and videos. But we are NOT for the marketers who aren’t personally involved in their shows. We are NOT for the practitioners who focus solely on tactics and on selling more stuff. We are for those marketers who believe their jobs represent something more than selling stuff. These individuals want to find and share their voice, make a difference, and shift the culture.
If you’re ready to lead like that, we think a show is the best way for you to achieve all those things. But if you think that’s a bunch of meaningless pablum, well … we’re not for you. (All others, start learning now.)