It's okay to be 2nd or 3rd in a market. You only need a unique selling proposition, and solve the problems others aren't solving. You're correct, you don't have to tell the same story over and over again, letting people know how your product is used - others have already done that. So, what is your competitive advantage? If you know that and can demonstrate it to the clients, your purple ocean strategy is perfect.
Being first means you have more money invested in R&D and customer education. Being last means you have to be competitive and efficient. Somewhere in the middle is the sweet spot.
As Lee Iacocca used to say, "We don't want to be the biggest, just the best."
Technically, I believe there’s much more than just a red ocean and a blue ocean - but different levels of awareness.
People aware of the brand.
People aware of the product (but not the brand).
People aware of the problem (but not the product).
People unaware of the problem.
Each of these levels requires a dedicated type of communication, because we’re not simply talking about different people, but about fundamentally different starting points.
The higher the level of awareness, the narrower the target audience becomes.
Conversely, as awareness decreases, the target expands and market opportunities grow exponentially - just like you realized.
The real jackpot lies in reaching those less-aware customers that competitors usually ignore, because they’re focused on the more obvious (and more expensive) audience.
I don’t have any additional information about your company beyond what I’ve read in this article, but perhaps all you need is a good (human) copywriter who can communicate your message as clearly and simply as possible to each of these “audiences.”
The human copywriter is me 😂 I've re-read Obviously Awesome to get a refresher but a lot of these marketing exercises get you to interview customers to find more people like them, which is counter-intuitive when you need to find people who are NOT like them because awareness level is different. I mentioned that in this article as well. I'm working on something myself, brainstorming with Claude, and will get a human expert copywriter/product marketer to review it with me after.
Yes, I read your article and understood that on one side you're looking for people similar to your fans, and to the other side that niche seems to be too small to grow the company as you wish. What I would try to do in your place, is developing different marketing channels to get different type of people. The website (through SEO) is what they reach when they're already aware of the product/brand - otherwise they wouldn't find Ewebinar through certain keywords -, but before getting there, you might create other steps (even out of the main website, like dedicated funnels) where you can adapt the content to their knowledge/problem awareness/solution needed. Example: to someone who never used AI for their job it's probably useless to talk about a new, specific and revolutionary feature, but you could (should) find a way to let those people understand how much time they could save in normal everyday tasks by giving very simple examples they could apply and benefit from immediately.
Of course, this is easy to say, but harder to make, and needs a lot of testing! It's a long way to go, but I see you have the guts to do what's needed to grow! :)
One more thing I was thinking about... People who find your website through SEO, as you wrote, are those "red ocean" customers with a high level of awareness about the problem, the solution, and eventually who you are.
So, changing drastically a copy that works for those people, could put at risk up to 50/60% of your revenue coming from that channel.
Before touching the homepage of the website, might be a wise idea to test blog posts, social media content and paid advertising that points out the less aware customers your looking for - and only once the tests gave you a clear insight, might think of changing something on the homepage as well. That could even be optimized only for high aware people who were eventually warmed by your new content (like just said, blog posts, social media content and/or paid advertising). Analysis will let you understand the right customer journey and what to optimize for who.
Here's the thing about that red ocean audience, they know they need it so they'll sign up no matter what. There's really good indication that that audience is way too small, because we try to actively deflect them and they still come. No matter how good or bad our SEO gets, trial sign ups are the same. They're switching from something so they know the tool. I think an expanded message won't impact them, and if so, it's a risk I'm willing to take to unlock the rest of the market. The expanded message doesn't change the product, it just starts the education from 0 instead of 1. The thing about taking bets is something you just gotta trust your gut, you can't dip your toe in and think that's a reflection of the entire strategy, especially when it comes to self served. Yes I can write article targeted for another audience, but that could take months, and if my homepage doesn't reflect the article they read, I risk them bouncing. Products need to be repositioned as the product and market changes, and I feel good about this direction.
I really appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts!! BTW - I think you'd be an awesome guest on my podcast, ProfitLed. I'm recording the 3rd season now. The theme is passion, profit, and purpose, and how those things shift as founders come into financial success. Open to coming on??
Hi, Melissa, I just answered on the practical stuff in another comment, but wanted to say here that yes, I'd be pleased to participate to your podcast! Thanks for the invitation, let's follow up in private.
If you’re not careful, you end up solving two different problems for two different buyers and calling it one market. The upside isn’t just distribution into a new vertical, it’s whether the product sharpens as it crosses contexts or gets diluted trying to explain itself to both sides.
Your risk here isn’t competition, it’s carrying the cost of educating half your market while the other half is already comparing you.
This is why product messaging fit is to important, and such a tough nut to crack. The biggest risk is never knowing what's on the other side because you're too afraid (or content) to try.
I build platforms for professional pharmaceutical marketing and adjacent areas. Within my industry, everyone understands what I do. Outside, nobody. For angel investing, am I only targeting people who understand what I do? Do I need a separate pitch deck for people outside the industry? I often feel the pitch deck is like telling a joke. If you have to explain it, it’s not funny.
A question for one of my favorite angel investors on here: https://susanjmontgomery.substack.com/ She shares a lot about pitches and tips for founders and investors. Thanks for taking the time to read this, Joey!
It's okay to be 2nd or 3rd in a market. You only need a unique selling proposition, and solve the problems others aren't solving. You're correct, you don't have to tell the same story over and over again, letting people know how your product is used - others have already done that. So, what is your competitive advantage? If you know that and can demonstrate it to the clients, your purple ocean strategy is perfect.
Being first means you have more money invested in R&D and customer education. Being last means you have to be competitive and efficient. Somewhere in the middle is the sweet spot.
As Lee Iacocca used to say, "We don't want to be the biggest, just the best."
Technically, I believe there’s much more than just a red ocean and a blue ocean - but different levels of awareness.
People aware of the brand.
People aware of the product (but not the brand).
People aware of the problem (but not the product).
People unaware of the problem.
Each of these levels requires a dedicated type of communication, because we’re not simply talking about different people, but about fundamentally different starting points.
The higher the level of awareness, the narrower the target audience becomes.
Conversely, as awareness decreases, the target expands and market opportunities grow exponentially - just like you realized.
The real jackpot lies in reaching those less-aware customers that competitors usually ignore, because they’re focused on the more obvious (and more expensive) audience.
I don’t have any additional information about your company beyond what I’ve read in this article, but perhaps all you need is a good (human) copywriter who can communicate your message as clearly and simply as possible to each of these “audiences.”
The human copywriter is me 😂 I've re-read Obviously Awesome to get a refresher but a lot of these marketing exercises get you to interview customers to find more people like them, which is counter-intuitive when you need to find people who are NOT like them because awareness level is different. I mentioned that in this article as well. I'm working on something myself, brainstorming with Claude, and will get a human expert copywriter/product marketer to review it with me after.
Yes, I read your article and understood that on one side you're looking for people similar to your fans, and to the other side that niche seems to be too small to grow the company as you wish. What I would try to do in your place, is developing different marketing channels to get different type of people. The website (through SEO) is what they reach when they're already aware of the product/brand - otherwise they wouldn't find Ewebinar through certain keywords -, but before getting there, you might create other steps (even out of the main website, like dedicated funnels) where you can adapt the content to their knowledge/problem awareness/solution needed. Example: to someone who never used AI for their job it's probably useless to talk about a new, specific and revolutionary feature, but you could (should) find a way to let those people understand how much time they could save in normal everyday tasks by giving very simple examples they could apply and benefit from immediately.
Of course, this is easy to say, but harder to make, and needs a lot of testing! It's a long way to go, but I see you have the guts to do what's needed to grow! :)
One more thing I was thinking about... People who find your website through SEO, as you wrote, are those "red ocean" customers with a high level of awareness about the problem, the solution, and eventually who you are.
So, changing drastically a copy that works for those people, could put at risk up to 50/60% of your revenue coming from that channel.
Before touching the homepage of the website, might be a wise idea to test blog posts, social media content and paid advertising that points out the less aware customers your looking for - and only once the tests gave you a clear insight, might think of changing something on the homepage as well. That could even be optimized only for high aware people who were eventually warmed by your new content (like just said, blog posts, social media content and/or paid advertising). Analysis will let you understand the right customer journey and what to optimize for who.
Here's the thing about that red ocean audience, they know they need it so they'll sign up no matter what. There's really good indication that that audience is way too small, because we try to actively deflect them and they still come. No matter how good or bad our SEO gets, trial sign ups are the same. They're switching from something so they know the tool. I think an expanded message won't impact them, and if so, it's a risk I'm willing to take to unlock the rest of the market. The expanded message doesn't change the product, it just starts the education from 0 instead of 1. The thing about taking bets is something you just gotta trust your gut, you can't dip your toe in and think that's a reflection of the entire strategy, especially when it comes to self served. Yes I can write article targeted for another audience, but that could take months, and if my homepage doesn't reflect the article they read, I risk them bouncing. Products need to be repositioned as the product and market changes, and I feel good about this direction.
I really appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts!! BTW - I think you'd be an awesome guest on my podcast, ProfitLed. I'm recording the 3rd season now. The theme is passion, profit, and purpose, and how those things shift as founders come into financial success. Open to coming on??
Hi, Melissa, I just answered on the practical stuff in another comment, but wanted to say here that yes, I'd be pleased to participate to your podcast! Thanks for the invitation, let's follow up in private.
If you’re not careful, you end up solving two different problems for two different buyers and calling it one market. The upside isn’t just distribution into a new vertical, it’s whether the product sharpens as it crosses contexts or gets diluted trying to explain itself to both sides.
Your risk here isn’t competition, it’s carrying the cost of educating half your market while the other half is already comparing you.
This is why product messaging fit is to important, and such a tough nut to crack. The biggest risk is never knowing what's on the other side because you're too afraid (or content) to try.
Thank you so much for this post. I found it extremely interesting and useful.
Thanks for taking the time to read it, Maurizio!
I build platforms for professional pharmaceutical marketing and adjacent areas. Within my industry, everyone understands what I do. Outside, nobody. For angel investing, am I only targeting people who understand what I do? Do I need a separate pitch deck for people outside the industry? I often feel the pitch deck is like telling a joke. If you have to explain it, it’s not funny.
Thanks. Susan is the cat’s meow. Already a subscriber 😀
A question for one of my favorite angel investors on here: https://susanjmontgomery.substack.com/ She shares a lot about pitches and tips for founders and investors. Thanks for taking the time to read this, Joey!