Marketing Unbundled Issue #2: Less is More
📚 Source: “This is Marketing” by Seth Godin
💡 Idea Unbundled: Smallest Viable Market
When Tesla started, they wanted to deliver an electric car which is also fast and looks elegant. They were not going for an average electric car.
Neither were they trying to make just a fast, elegant car. They wanted an electric car which is fast and elegant.
Tesla didn’t focus on the masses. They focused on a particular set of customers and became the best in it.
With information and connections around the world available with the click of a mouse, it’s easy to try to be everything for everyone.
We all want to make the biggest impact we can.
However, some of the most successful companies did something disruptive. They rejected the mass-market approach and catered to hyper-specific demographics. They played to their smallest viable market.
In his book, “This is Marketing” Seth Godin introduces this idea of the “Smallest Viable Market”.
He says, “The relentless pursuit of mass will make you boring because mass means average, it means the center of the curve, it requires you to offend no one and satisfy everyone.”
When you try to appeal to everyone, you dilute your message and often your product.
Jay Abraham says, “If you can describe the problem better than your customer, they will assume you have the solution.”
People are busy. And unless the problem you solve is crystal clear, they may be more than likely to miss your message.
What change are you trying to make?
One way to figure out who your smallest viable market is is to ask, “what change am I trying to make.”
“Start your marketing by asking yourself what change you are trying to make happen. Focus on something specific and attainable. You can’t change everyone, so think about changing a specific group of people.”
Godin goes on to say, “As soon as you ask yourself about the change you seek to make, it becomes quite clear that you have no chance of changing everyone. Everyone is a lot of people. Everyone is too diverse, too enormous, and too indifferent for you to have a chance at changing. So, you need to change someone. Or perhaps a group of someones. Which ones?”
Here’s a template, a three-sentence marketing promise you can run with:
- My product is for people who believe _________________.
- I will focus on people who want _________________.
- I promise that engaging with what I make will help you get _________________.
A Simple One Word Transformation
“All human aspirations are opportunities for brands to build relationships.” — Laura Busche
If you are still struggling with this concept, try this one-word transformation.
Instead of talking about prospects and customers, we could call them your “students.”
- Where are your students?
- What will they tell others?
- Are they open to being taught?
- What will they benefit from learning?
For me, this removes the buyer/seller mental framework. It creates a level of empathy for who I am trying to help, and I am better able to paint a picture of my smallest viable market.
💡Big Idea: Once you’re clear on “who it’s for,” then doors begin to open for you.
