The one question that really needs an answer before you do anything.
By Michelle Stark
November 13, 2025
“Who is this actually for?”
Ask that question before every campaign, email, or social post.
Get it wrong—and you’re shouting into the void.
Get it right—and your message lands like a perfectly timed punchline.
Welcome to the single most important rule in small business marketing:
Know your target audience inside out.
Why “Everyone” Is the Worst Audience
“We help everyone who needs [your service].”
That’s not a strategy. That’s a prayer.
When you try to speak to everyone, you speak to no one.
Your message gets diluted. Your budget gets wasted. Your ideal client scrolls past.
But when you know your audience like an old friend, everything changes.
Meet Sarah: The Village Shop Owner
Let’s make this real.
Sarah runs a community shop like Chalford Village Shop.
She thinks her audience is “local people.”
Wrong.
Her real audience?
- Name: Emma
- Age: 38
- Lives: 2 miles away, walks the dog past the shop daily
- Pain: No time to cook, hates supermarket queues
- Dream: Fresh, ethical dinner in 15 mins
- Scrolls: Instagram at 7:15am while the kettle boils
Now Sarah’s Instagram post isn’t:
“Fresh veg in today!”
It’s:
“🚶♀️ Dog walk dinner? Grab our 15-min stew kit—local veg, ethical meat, zero plastic. Open till 6. #ChalfordMums”
Result? 18 kits sold in 2 hours.
How to Know Your Audience Inside Out (5-Step Cheat Sheet)
| Step | Action | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Build a Persona | Name, age, job, pain, goal | “Emma, 38, busy mum, wants quick ethical meals” |
| 2. Spy on Their World | Read their Facebook groups, Amazon reviews, Google searches | “best quick dinner Stroud” |
| 3. Ask Them | Send a 3-question survey (Google Forms) | “What’s your biggest dinner struggle?” |
| 4. Track Behaviour | Use Google Analytics to see when they visit | 7–8am & 5–6pm |
| 5. Test & Tweak | Run 2 ad versions. Double down on the winner | “15-min dinner” beats “fresh veg” 3:1 |
The ROI of Audience Obsession
| Without Audience Knowledge | With Audience Knowledge |
|---|---|
| £500 Facebook ads → 2 enquiries | £500 Facebook ads → 12 enquiries |
| Generic email → 4% open rate | Personalised email → 28% open rate |
| “Nice website” | “How did you know I needed this?” |
Your 24-Hour Challenge
- Pick one service/product.
- Write down your ideal customer’s name, biggest pain, and dream outcome.
- Rewrite your next marketing message just for them.
Watch what happens.
The Bottom Line
Marketing isn’t about being loud.
It’s about being heard.
Know your audience like family.
Speak their language.
Solve their exact problem.
The result?
Clients who don’t just buy—they brag.
Michelle Stark
Strategic Comms for Small Businesses
mhstark.com
P.S. Not sure who your Emma is? Book a free 20-min Audience Clarity Call →