r u talkin' to ME?! ... [🐝U]

As a business owner who knows what you offer is solid
but you still feel invisible half the time …
this is for you.

& that’s true whether we’re trying to reach them online or off!

“everybody” isn’t your audience…

In a loud crowd of strangers, “hey everyone” is just more noise.
No one’s turning their head

If a small child called out “hey mom”, I won’t notice … but mom’s will!

& when someone in that crowd called out “hey EG”, my ears will perk up & I’ll look around

As humans we’re wired to pay attention to what’s relevant to us.

This isn’t dodgy marketing psychology … it’s survival wiring.
Our brains are constantly scanning for “Does this matter to me?”

& this is where most of us business owners get stuck.

Because we know relevance matters
But translating that into marketing feels clear as mud.

This is why marketers obsess over avatars, personas, & ICPs (Ideal Customer Profiles).
It’s not because they love spreadsheets (some do!)
But because relevance starts with understanding how someone thinks.

Demographics vs psychographics

Understanding the difference is critical.
This is where good offers (& businesses) die … no dramatic finish…
but slowly, while you 2nd-guess yourself because no one’s responding.

Demographics are objective characteristics such as age, gender, income, location, etc
They tell you who someone is on paper

Psychographics focus more on psychological & behavioral aspects like lifestyle choices, interests, & opinions.
The focus on how/why we make decisions

On paper, demographics can look impressively specific…

Until you test them in the real world.

Easier to Group. Much harder to persuade.

here’s why …
There’s an old comparison made by a UK marketing company that still works wonders, even if it isn’t technically accurate today.

 I’m pretty sure you’ll going to remember this example …

Picture 2 men…
→ Both born in 1948
→ Live in the UK
→ Rich
→ Well-known public figures
→ Own a castle
→ Divorced once
→ Have kids … & dogs
→ love vacationing in the Alps
→ … & both labeled as a “prince” in the public eye.

You’d think that’s pretty specific & a lot of common ground.

“Prince” #1 is Charles
But who’s the 2^nd ?

 Well, it’s none other than the “Prince of Darkness” … Ozzy Osborne

VERY surprisingly similar demographics …

Now imagine trying to sell clothes or furniture to this demographic?

Do you see how wildly different the response would be if you don’t focus on psychographics?

If that feels extreme, here’s a more everyday example most of us interact with constantly…

Selling what “everyone” DOES need … water

There’s a group of people who refuse to buy bottled water & always leave the house with reusable mugs & get free water & no waste, from a water fountain

On the opposite end are people who demand “boutique” water … the fruity, fritzy kind that’s $10 a bottle

Or maybe the person that loves those squishy (& flimsy) bulk pack water bottles from Costco.

Technically, it’s all water.
Same product
Radically different meaning for the buyer

& they may all be once-divorced men in their 70s with kids in the UK

But because their psychographics are different, how you find & talk to each of these groups is not the same

Are there times when the eco-conscious reusable mug-carrier would pay $10 for water?
Yes, of course
But it’s the exception, not the rule.

A bottle of water in the cooler at the checkout line can be twice as expensive as the warm bottle sitting on a shelf in the aisles …

That same bottle is 10x the price when you’re at an outdoor concert during a heatwave.

& in the desert, dehydrated, & miles from civilization … priceless!

Same product.
Same person.
What changed was the context & the psychology.

This isn’t theory.
& it’s not a clever trick for “unsophisticated buyers.”
I know because I’m living it … on the painfully expensive lesson-learned side.

These “powers of persuasion” can be used for good & evil.
Choose wisely.

→ solar company #1 knew the right demographics, right psychographics, right words
but had the absolute wrong intent.
→ solar company #2 did the same but for completely different reasons

Because you may get your hands on someone’s $$ by knowing them well enough to say the right thing at the right time … but when you over promise & under deliver …
(or in my case, it meant trusting the wrong company & watching thousands of $$ disappear, along with my sense of safety & trust)

2 months later… after taking 10s of thousands of $$ to “cover costs”

But it’s also because of my getting scammed that solar company #2 got my attention.
Their Facebook ad was - literally - me …
It felt like they understood exactly what just happened to me

It wasn’t saying “hey everyone”
I was saying “hey person who got scammed by an unethical solar company & is now in a desperate situation

 1 day later … before asking for $$

Persuasion isn’t the problem.
Using it without integrity is.

If you want help dialing in your messaging in a way that’s psychographically accurate & ethically sound, hit reply & tell me how you sell.

If you’re wondering whether your marketing is speaking to how your buyers think
or just who they are on paper

Reply to this email with one sentence about your ideal customer.

I’ll tell you whether it’s demographic… or actually persuasive.

Make it a great “psychographically (& ethically) persuasive“ week!
EG

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