There were a couple great comments to the Seth Godin idea today. The one I thought was worth commenting on further came from Stamford Talk.
She asked:
"The more people you reach, the more likely you're reaching the wrong people."
OK, that sounds good, but when I think about it, it makes no sense.
Does it mean, if many people like it, the influential critics won't?
That makes sense, but I don't think that's what he meant.
I would like an EXAMPLE of what he meant!
The best example would be the business owner who says "Everyone is my customer" when asked who their target customer is.
Energy happens in tight niches. The tighter the better. If everyone is your customer, your message is too generic and may not appeal to anyone.
When you're trying to sell to a large volume of people you're missing the opportunity to sell to the people who need you most, almost all of the time. As a result, your sales effort is diluted.
For more great thinking on niches, be sure to check out David Meerman Scott's ideas on the New Rules of Marketing and PR at http://www.webinknow.com/
This is a MUST read book with more excellent thinking on niches and marketing for 2008.
