Most marketing fails not because of execution but because of a fundamental mistake made before a single word is written or a single ad is run.
The mistake is trying to talk to everyone.
I know you know this. Niche down. Target a specific audience. Be specific. You’ve heard this advice a hundred times. But hearing it and actually doing it are different things and most business owners — even the ones who know better — end up with marketing that’s too broad to move anyone.
Here’s why it happens.
When you know your business well, you can see how your offer applies to a wide range of people. You can see how a coach could benefit. You can see how a retail store owner could benefit. You can see how a real estate agent could benefit. The breadth of application is visible to you because you’re close to it.
But that breadth is invisible to your potential clients. They don’t see the general principle. They see whether this is specifically for them. And if your marketing is speaking to coaches and retail owners and real estate agents simultaneously, none of them feel like you’re specifically for them. They feel like you’re for someone — they’re just not sure it’s them.
Specific language is what creates the feeling of relevance.
When a coach reads a marketing message that says “I help coaches who are great at getting results but terrible at getting clients fill their calendar without cold outreach” — they feel seen. That’s a specific description of a specific person with a specific problem and a specific desired outcome. The coach doesn’t have to translate the message to see if it applies. It’s already translated.
When a coach reads “I help business owners grow their revenue” — they have to do translation work. Is this for me? Does this apply to my situation? The more translation work required, the more likely the reader is to move on before completing it.
The fear that holds most people back from going specific is the fear of losing people. If I only talk to coaches, I’ll miss the retail owners. If I only talk to health coaches, I’ll miss the business coaches.
Here’s the math that makes this fear irrational. A message that speaks specifically to health coaches and converts 5% of health coaches who see it will outperform a message that speaks generally to all business owners and converts 0.5% of them — even if the general message reaches ten times as many people. Which it won’t, because platforms reward relevance and specific audiences have communities where they gather.
Go specific. Then go more specific. The revenue follows the relevance.