Even the biggest brands in the world aren’t for everyone either.
Not everyone wears Nike.
Not everyone uses an iPhone.
Not everyone rides a Tesla.
But still, how can you get as successful as all these big brands?
By focusing on your minimum viable audience.
Odds are, you have limited energy, time and resources to build your brand.
By focusing on a smaller group of your audience, you’ll be able to be more efficient and effective with your efforts.
The law of diffusion of innovations says that new ideas or products are spread and accepted in a market by moving through five groups of people:
- Innovators
- Early adopters
- Early majority
- Late majority
- Laggards
If you want to capture the mass market, you’ll need to reach the early adopters and early majority, which make up 68% of the market.
But these groups will only embrace the new idea or product after they see the benefits through the innovators and early adopters, who make up only 16% of the market.
So the way for your brand to reach the two biggest groups is by focusing on the first two groups of people.
The innovators and early adopters are more likely to adapt and embrace your brand.
They are more likely to get enthusiastic and passionate about your brand.
You build enough trust and credibility with the first two groups and they will turn into your brand ambassadors for the mass market without you asking them.
Do not underestimate the power of word-of-mouth.
If you do it right, they will willingly talk about your brand, recommend it and even defend it when needed.
This level of loyalty and advocacy can only be achieved if you’ve built a strong enough relationship with your audience.
And you can’t do that if you keep trying to appeal to everyone.
Your brand doesn’t need everyone.
It needs the right people.