Build a Business That Speaks to the Right People
Marketing isn’t just about getting in front of people—it’s about getting in front of the right people, at the right time, with the right message. Most small business owners think marketing is about tactics—social media posts, email blasts, or flashy ads. But real marketing starts much deeper. It’s about clarity. It’s about building a foundation that reflects your strengths, values, and passions (SVPs) so that your message attracts the customers who truly align with what you do.
When your marketing isn’t built on a strong foundation, it feels like throwing time and money into the wind. You try everything—discounts, Facebook ads, new product launches—only to see inconsistent results. The missing piece? A marketing foundation that actually aligns with who you are and why your business exists.
Defining Your Brand: Your Marketing Starts With You
A business that isn’t built on a clear brand identity ends up competing on price. And when price is the only differentiator, it’s a race to the bottom. And your brand is not the logo, the colors or the website. It is a clear communication outwardly of your strengths, values, and passions. And that is completely unique to you and your business so it makes you naturally stand out in a crowd.
Customers don’t just buy products or services. They buy a feeling, a belief, a connection. Your brand is how people perceive you, and that perception needs to match what you truly believe in. Over the course of exploring our SVPs all the way back to – Understanding Your Unique SVPs we have been identifying:
- What values drive your business?
- What strengths set you apart?
- What are you truly passionate about?
The action to take when it comes to your marketing foundation is to be able to clearly explain and show that to your potential customers. Instead of guessing what customers might want, you attract those who are already aligned. Your marketing message becomes more compelling because it reflects something real.
Speaking to the Right Customers: Who You Serve Matters
If you try to market to everyone, you end up reaching no one. Instead, focus on your ideal customer—the person who truly connects with your brand, values what you offer, and is happy to pay for it.
Think of your ideal customer as a real person, not just a broad category like “anyone who needs shirts” or “anyone who wants coaching.” Go deeper. What kind of person resonates with your brand? What problems do they need solved? What values do they hold?
Here’s how you find them:
- Go beyond demographics – Age, gender, and location are helpful, but they don’t tell the full story. What are your customers interested in? What do they care about? What are their challenges?
- Identify shared values – Your ideal customers should share at least some of your core values. If you value quality and sustainability, your customers should too. If you prioritize speed and affordability, your customers should resonate with that.
- Understand their pain points – People buy solutions, not products. What problem are they facing that your business solves? Get specific.
By clearly defining your ideal customer, your marketing instantly becomes more effective. As Seth Godin once said, “Marketing to people who actually want to hear from you is more effective than interrupting strangers who don’t.”
Finding Your Unique Value: Why Should Customers Choose You?
To begin determining how to tell the story of your SVPs and to make it clear why you’re different, you have to look in the mirror. Most businesses struggle here because they focus too much on what they sell instead of why it matters.
Your unique value comes from:
- What you do best – What are you naturally great at? What do people compliment you on?
- Why you do it – Your reason for starting your business.
- The transformation you create – What happens when people work with you or buy from you?
For example, let’s say your business is custom embroidered gifts. You could market yourself like this:
“We sell personalized stuffed animals with embroidered messages and Bible verses.”
Or you could market yourself like this:
“We create comfort for people going through tough times, with custom-embroidered messages that bring warmth, faith, and love into their lives.”
The second version connects with the emotions and values of the customer. The first one is about the product, the second is about the experience and transformation.
Bringing Your SVPs to Life in Your Marketing
For marketing to be effective, you have to do more than just say what you stand for. You must show it in a way that resonates with the people you’re meant to serve. Here are the 5 steps to show what you believe in your marketing and beyond.
1. Make Your Brand Story Clear and Authentic – Your potential customers should be able to sense what you’re about, even before making a purchase. That starts with making your story explain why you started your business, what problem you are solving, and why it matters for you to solve that problem. Ultimately, explaining what drives you beyond just making money. Businesses with a clear, relatable reason behind them build trust.
2. Show Your SVPs in Your Customer Interactions – Every part of your business should reflect your SVPs—not just your website or marketing materials, but how you interact with customers. Actions matter more than words.
If kindness is one of your core strengths, how do you show that? Maybe it’s in how you handle customer service, respond to inquiries, or follow up with clients.
If authenticity is a key value, do your customers feel that when they interact with your brand? Are you open about your processes? Do you share behind-the-scenes content that helps them connect with your journey?
If your passion is connection, do you make your marketing feel like a two-way conversation rather than just another sales pitch? Are you engaging with customers, sharing their stories, and inviting them to be part of your mission?
3. Craft Messaging That Feels Like You – Sometimes when we are thinking about and crafting our marketing message, we fall into the trap of wanting to sound like other marketing that we have heard that works for someone else. But when you change how you speak in your marketing, it will fall flat. Use words that match your brand’s personality. If your SVPs include warmth and encouragement, your tone should reflect that. If your strength is bold innovation, your messaging should have energy and excitement.
Also make sure your messaging is consistent. If your website, social media, and emails all have different tones, it confuses potential customers. Your brand should sound like one voice across all platforms. And that voice should focus on the transformation, not just the product. Instead of just listing what you offer, show how it improves people’s lives in a way that aligns with your SVPs.
Example: Instead of saying, “We sell handmade jewelry,” a brand built on self-expression might say, “Wear something that tells your story.” A business rooted in sustainability might say, “Jewelry that looks good and does good for the planet.”
4. Align Your Visuals with Your Brand Identity – Your SVPs should guide everything from your logo and color scheme to the imagery and style you use in marketing. Where many people think of a brand as the imagery, that imagery is supposed to convey your brand, not the other way around. Your visuals should feel aligned with your SVPs so that customers see what you stand for before they even read a word.
5. Live Your Brand Every Day – Your brand is not what you say it is, but rather how your potential customers perceive you. It’s about living your brand values so that customers experience them firsthand.
Start by making decisions that reflect your values. If honesty is key to your brand, be transparent in your pricing and policies. If community is important, find ways to give back or involve your customers in meaningful ways. Also, be intentional about partnerships and collaborations. Work with other businesses or influencers who align with your SVPs. Customers notice when brands stand behind their values, and misalignment can create distrust.
Marketing That Feels Natural
When your marketing is built on your SVPs, it stops feeling like a chore. You’re not chasing trends, copying competitors, or feeling lost about what to say. You’re simply telling your story, sharing your values, and speaking to the people who truly need what you offer.
Here’s how to put this into action:
- Define your brand based on your strengths, values, and passions.
- Get clear on your ideal customer—who they are, what they value, and what problem you solve for them.
- Communicate your unique value in a way that resonates emotionally, not just logically.
Marketing isn’t about selling. It’s about creating connections. And the best way to connect? Be yourself, build your business around what you truly believe in, and attract the people who feel the same way.
The more aligned your marketing is with your SVPs, the easier it becomes. Your messaging becomes clearer. Your ideal customers find you. And your business grows in a way that feels right.
Once your marketing foundation is in place, everything else becomes easier—pricing, customer communication, even sales. Next week, we’re diving into the next structure of the FUNdamental Formula: Value Alignment—How to position your offers to attract the right people and create real, sustainable success.