One of the golden rules of successful marketing, is to identify exactly who your customer or client is, then focus exclusively on them. This is the opposite of what we see most small business owners doing. They try and be a little relevant to everyone and succeed in being directly relevant to no one.
Don’t do that. Really. Stop it. It’s hurting your marketing and hurting your business.
Here’s a smarter alternative…
Who’s in?
In order for your marketing to work, you need to determine exactly who you want to provide products or services to. These people are your insiders.They are the ones you need to focus all your time and effort on. They are the people you need to have in mind, whenever you make a marketing decision.
Of course, you can’t have insiders without outsiders. Every successful business has outsiders. If you are Apple Inc., your outsiders are people who want cheap technology. If you are MacDonalds, your outsiders are people who hate fast food.

• Stop trying to appeal to everyone
• Decide what your ideal customer profile is, then:
• Write with them in mind.
• Use their language.
• Study what matters to them.
• Be where they are.
• Uncover the problems facing their industry or industries.
• Offer answers.
• Become a useful resource.

It’s a massively more effective way to grow your business than the vague alternative.
 
By Jim Connoly