5 Signs Your Marketing is Targeting the Wrong Audience
Did you know that most brands fall into the same trap with their marketing? Yep, and it can affect their website, blogs, emails, social posts, and even paid advertising.
The trap: making themselves the hero of their marketing story.
Many businesses inadvertently focus their messaging solely on their products and services rather than on the needs, desires, and pain points of their audience. The keyword being “solely”, since there is an appropriate time and way to include your products and services in your messaging, but more on that in a minute (see “Sign #1 below).
Your Customer Is The Hero — Not You
In this blog post, you’ll learn how to recognize when your marketing is too self-focused (and the implications of this) and how to shift your narrative to truly resonate with your customers. By the end of this post, you’ll not only understand the impact of a customer-centric approach but also have actionable strategies to position your customers as the hero and primary focus of all your content.
The very essence of successful marketing lies in understanding and addressing the customer’s journey. Knowing that your customer is the hero and you are merely the guide can transform your copy and marketing strategies.
Better copy and strategy = results, and we all want that, right? So, let’s dive in.
The Problem with ‘All About Us’ Marketing
Successful brands understand that storytelling is an essential element of effective marketing.
Stories help connect us, engage us, and provide understanding. That’s because they provide context and open loops that capture our attention. Think about your favorite book. Maybe there’s a character you relate to or aspire to be like. There was likely a problem that needed to be solved, and perhaps even a lesson learned. The same elements found in our favorite stories are also great tools for creating marketing content that makes a return on your investment.
When it comes to marketing, the common misconception is to lead with your brand’s accomplishments and values. These, of course, are things to be proud of! Good values and a proven expertise help build trust with your customers. But leading with your accomplishments, founding history, mission, or values is a sure-fire way to lose your audience’s attention fast. Potential customers feel alienated because the narrative does not address what they care about.
Why Self-Focused Messaging Hurts Your Results
Self-focused marketing may provide temporary comfort to a company’s ego, but in the long run, it does more harm than good. Here are a few reasons why:
- Customers want to see themselves in your story. We’re all naturally self-focused to a degree. It’s an instinct that helps us survive (and can get us into trouble). Your customers are no different. If the words you use, whether on your website or in a social post, leave them out, then they are less likely to engage. They came to you with a problem they needed solving. If your messaging doesn’t ever bring them into the story and tell them how that problem can be solved, then what’s in it for them anyway?
- Overuse of “we,” “our,” and “us” creates distance rather than connection. Speaking of words, if your content uses words like “we”, “our”, and “us” way more than it uses words like “you” and “your”, then the conversation feels one-sided and your customers feel left out. Think about the last time you tried to have a conversation with someone, and all they did was talk about themselves. If they never once involved you or directed any questions at you, then you probably have a hard time even remembering what the conversation was about, right?
- Modern consumers buy from brands that make them feel understood, not just impressed. You might be impressed with the technology and engineering that go into creating a Tesla car, but if the brand doesn’t resonate with your life, your goals, and your ideals, then you probably don’t feel understood by them either and aren’t planning to make a purchase from Tesla any time soon. Maybe you’re not their target market, or maybe you are and they need to adjust their messaging. Either way, the point is that people engage more with brands that they identify with, and less with those that they don’t. So, how can you make sure your target audience identifies with your brand? We’ll get to that soon!
“We’re award-winning,” “We’ve been in business for 20 years,” “We offer the best service”… Even if what you’re saying is true, it’s still about you. And customers don’t buy because of your story; they buy because of what your story means for them.
5 Signs Your Marketing Is About You (Not Your Customer)
To help you pivot your marketing message (aka website copy, blogs, social posts, ad copy, emails, etc), here are five signs to look for that suggest you may be focusing too heavily on yourself, and not enough on your customer:
Sign #1: The Narrative is Primarily About Your Products/Services.
Of course, you need to talk about what you do or offer, but if your marketing materials primarily focus on the features of your products or services rather than addressing customer needs and explaining how your products or services benefit them, it’s time for a revamp.
Sign #2: Customer Testimonials Consist Solely of Brand Praise.
While testimonials are key, they shouldn’t be all about how great your brand is, but how you’ve effectively addressed customers’ problems and facilitated their success.
Sign #3: Brand-centric Language Dominates Your Messaging.
Phrases like “We are the best,” “Our services are unrivaled,” or “We offer top-notch solutions” have their place, but be careful not to let them overshadow the customer focus necessary to build connections.
Sign #4: Your Content Lacks Authenticity.
If your content feels more like a sales pitch or product description rather than a genuine attempt to provide value or solve problems, it might be time for a change.
Sign #5: It Fails to Respond to Your Audience’s Needs.
If your content never talks about the problems your product solves, then how will customers know you can solve their problems? Many businesses are afraid to talk about the problem from fear of sounding too “doom-and-gloom” or spammy. But talking about it in the right way helps your customer clearly understand that you have the solution to their needs.
**Here’s a tip: Go beyond the product. Don’t neglect direct inquiries, social media comments, or complaints that highlight what your customers truly want (beyond just your product or service). These can help you take your customer experience to the next level and truly make your brand shine and your customers brand-loyal!
How to Shift the Story So Your Customers Engage With Your Message
Now that you recognize the signs of a customer-disconnected strategy, let’s explore a few ways you can bring your audience back into the spotlight:
Embrace Storytelling from the Customer’s Point of View: Frame your marketing campaigns around your audience, reflect their pain points, and position your brand as the guide who helps them achieve success.
The “About Us” Page Example:
- Many brands treat their About page like a résumé, full of company history, internal milestones, and industry jargon.
- Instead, try positioning it to make your reader think “that’s me”, for example: “Here’s how we help people like you achieve results.”
Address Customer Pain Points Directly: Understand the common challenges faced by your customers and highlight how your solutions relate directly to these issues. Instead of boasting about the number of years in business, discuss how those years have equipped you to solve problems efficiently.
Website Headline Example:
- “We’re a 5-star, Fortune 500 cybersecurity company.”
Vs.
- “Your business is too important for security breaches. We’ll help you secure your most important assets, and keep them secure.”
The first one is fine, but it’s all about the company. The second speaks directly to the website visitor’s goal and invites them into a story about their success.
Talk About Outcomes More than Features: People buy outcomes, not features. When you translate what you do into what it does for them, your message suddenly clicks.
Product Description Example:
- “Our software includes advanced reporting, AI-powered analytics, and a customizable dashboard.”
Vs.
- “Track what’s working, cut what’s not, and finally see your marketing pay off — without needing a data science degree.”
When you refocus your message around your customer — their problems, their desires, their transformation — your marketing instantly becomes more engaging and persuasive. At the end of the day, people aren’t looking for another hero. They’re looking for a guide who can help them win.
Let’s Make Your Customer the Hero
When you stop centering your marketing solely on your brand and start focusing on your customer’s story, everything else improves, too. Your message becomes clearer and more impactful, you build trust and brand loyalty, and ultimately, you get better results from your efforts.
Championing your customers and making them the hero of your brand story helps you build meaningful relationships with your potential and existing customers. Instead of turning customers into mere transactions or word-vomiting and hoping something sticks, your content will help you position them as heroes successfully navigating their challenges with your assistance (as the guide). And when they see themselves winning in your story, they’re much more likely to buy.
Conversions Follow Story Alignment
Clarity builds connection, and trust builds when your audience feels seen. That alignment leads to higher engagement, stronger leads, and more confident buying decisions. By moving from a ‘we-centric’ approach to a ‘customer-centric’ narrative, your brand can foster connections built on trust and value. When your marketing paints your customer as the hero and your brand as the guide, every piece of content — from your homepage to your social posts — aligns around their success.
At Greenstone, we believe every great brand has a great story — but your customer should always be the main character. When you position your business as the guide that helps them succeed, you’ll see not only a more meaningful connection with your audience but better marketing results as well.
Ready to rewrite your story so your marketing targets and engages your customers? Schedule a Strategy Session! Let’s create messaging that connects, converts, and builds lasting trust.
