Dear Marketers: Want More Business, Alienate More People

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More does not equal better. More features does not equal a better product. More attention does not equal more customers. More customers does not equal more profit.

And, more often than not, more is not an effective strategy. In fact, it’s often a failed strategy. Especially when it comes to marketing.

Everyone seems to be after more. More attention, more followers, more likes, more ________ (fill in the blank).

Before you decide to go after more, consider this…

More people hate Apple products than love them.

More people buy shoes without a swoosh on the side of them than buy a pair of sneaks from Nike.

There are more Bieber-haters than Beliebers.

When it comes to marketing, consider less.

Less focus on finding more people and more focus on targeting the ones who matter. Yes, you’ll alienate a lot of people in the process. But, that’s the point.

Do you think Beiber cares if you hate his haircut when he has thousands of 13-year-old girls screaming for his attention? No. Because you’re not the one paying for his cool leather jacket. Those 13-year-old girls are.

Do you think Nike stresses when a hippy once again passes up a pair of their sneakers in favor of a pair of birkenstocks?  No. They’re focused on the kid shooting baskets at midnight unwilling to leave the court until he hits that fade-away from 15 feet.

Do you think Apple calls an emergency board meeting when the internet complains about their closed iOS platform? No. The middle-aged mother or father who just bought that iPad, and that iPad, and that iPad, oh and that one, and that one…is far more valuable to them than non-buying technology geeks who complain about their closed platform.

Want more? Alienate more.