Is Your Marketing Reaching the Right People or Just More People?
When it comes to marketing, bigger numbers can look impressive.
More impressions. More views. More website visitors. More people seeing your ads.
But there’s an important question behind all of those numbers:
Are the right people seeing your marketing?
Reaching 100,000 people sounds great, but if very few of them are potential customers, that reach may not do much for your business. Sometimes reaching a smaller, more relevant audience can be much more valuable.
Good marketing isn’t just about getting in front of more people. It’s about getting in front of the right people with the right message.
Start With Who You’re Trying to Reach
Before choosing where to advertise, you should have a clear idea of who you’re trying to reach.
Depending on your business, that could mean considering:
- Location
- Age or demographics
- Interests
- Customer needs
- Buying behavior
- Industry or profession
- Existing vs. potential customers
You don’t need to narrow your audience down so much that you exclude potential customers. The goal is simply to understand who is most likely to care about what you’re offering.
That gives the rest of your marketing a direction.
More Impressions Don’t Automatically Mean More Business
Impressions tell you how many times your marketing was displayed. They’re useful, especially when your goal is building awareness.
But impressions don’t tell the whole story.
Imagine two advertising campaigns.
One generates 100,000 impressions but very little engagement.
Another generates 25,000 impressions, but those people are much more likely to visit your website, contact your business, or make a purchase.
The campaign with fewer impressions could ultimately provide more value.
That’s why marketing performance shouldn’t be judged by one number alone.
Match the Message to the Audience
Knowing your audience also changes what you say.
A message designed for someone who has never heard of your business might focus on introducing your company and explaining what you offer.
Someone who already knows your business might respond better to a specific service, promotion, event, or reason to return.
The same advertisement doesn’t have to speak to everyone.
When your message feels relevant to the person seeing it, they’re more likely to pay attention.
Choose Marketing Channels With a Purpose
Different marketing channels reach people in different ways.
Digital advertising can help businesses target users based on factors such as location, interests, search behavior, or the content they’re viewing.
Social media can help build awareness and keep your business visible to your audience.
Search marketing can reach people who are actively looking for a particular product or service.
Print and direct mail can put something physical directly in front of a specific community or customer group.
Signage can consistently reach people who live, work, shop, or travel through an area.
The question shouldn’t simply be:
“Where should we advertise?”
Instead, ask:
“Where is our audience most likely to see us?”
Don’t Forget About Your Existing Customers
Businesses naturally spend a lot of time thinking about finding new customers.
But your existing customers are an audience too.
They already know your business, and depending on what you offer, there may be opportunities to encourage repeat purchases, introduce additional services, promote seasonal offerings, or simply stay top of mind.
Email marketing, direct mail, social media, and other communication can all help maintain those relationships.
Sometimes the right audience isn’t new at all.
Know What You Want People to Do
Reaching the right person is only part of the equation.
You also need to give them a clear next step.
Do you want someone to:
- Visit your website?
- Request a quote?
- Call your business?
- Visit your location?
- Sign up for an email list?
- Purchase a product?
- Learn more about a service?
Your marketing should make that action easy to understand.
Without a clear goal, even a perfectly targeted campaign can struggle to produce meaningful results.
Look Beyond the Biggest Numbers
Marketing reports can contain a lot of numbers, and it’s easy to focus on whichever one is largest.
Instead, look at how those numbers work together.
Depending on your campaign, that might include:
- Impressions
- Reach
- Clicks
- Click-through rate
- Website traffic
- Calls
- Form submissions
- Sales
- Cost per result
- Conversions
Not every campaign needs to generate an immediate sale. Brand awareness has value too.
The important part is measuring results based on what the campaign was actually designed to accomplish.
Quality and Quantity Can Work Together
This doesn’t mean businesses should always aim for the smallest possible audience.
There are times when reaching a large number of people makes perfect sense—especially when building awareness, entering a new market, promoting an event, or introducing a new product.
The goal is to find the right balance.
You want enough reach to grow your visibility while still focusing your marketing on people who could realistically become customers.
How WA Fisher Can Help
At WA Fisher, we help businesses look beyond simply getting more eyes on their marketing.
From digital advertising and social media to direct mail, professional printing, signage, websites, SEO, and branding, we can help develop marketing strategies designed around your audience and business goals.
Because successful marketing isn’t about being everywhere.
It’s about being where your customers are.
Final Thoughts
More isn’t always better.
A successful campaign doesn’t necessarily need the most impressions, clicks, mail pieces, or advertisements. It needs to reach people who are interested in what your business has to offer and give them a reason to take the next step.
Before asking how you can reach more people, start by asking a better question:
Are we reaching the right ones?
