Repulsion is as important as attraction in small business
Most of us are great at what we do. But when we start up our own business — even when we’re the only one in it — we take on other responsibilities that we may not be so great at.
A big one of them is marketing.
Today we’re going to look at how small businesses and solopreneurs can become more visible.
Let’s go!
We get that you need to attract customers. But you also need to repel customers.
That might take a moment to sink in. After all, shouldn’t we be trying to attract everyone?
Well, no.
Most of us launch into the marketing of our businesses with the noble ideal that we should attract a broad range of people to like us enough to work with us
Yet, at the same time, we can’t serve everyone.
So there is a fine balance we need to find between attraction and repulsion. That’s a strong word, so let’s remove the emotion and see it for what it is.
It’s all about the need for us to be attractive to some customers and unattractive to others.
Entrepreneur and investor Gary Vaynerchuk understands this intimately.
The guy swears like a sailor on the rum. With that alone, he repulses a whole lot of more conservative people. And he’s completely ok with that.
When asked about this a few years ago, he responded that highly conservative people couldn’t hear his message beyond his swearing. And that this makes them unteachable. If they can’t get past his swearing, they’ll never get past their pre-programmed opinions on investing and entrepreneurship.
A different example would be Professor, Author and Leadership influencer Brené Brown.
Brené’s style couldn’t be more different than Gary’s. But the attraction and repulsion is much the same.
Brené’s focus on vulnerability and empathy is not that different from Gary’s. But the style of delivery is where the contrast kicks in.
Brené’s approach may feel a little “cloudy” or “soft” to some who prefer a more tough love approach. And that’s completely fine with Brené too. She knows she is not for everyone.
And that brings us to one of the first things we, as small businesses — particularly in consulting, personal service and training services — need to grasp:
Who do we want to attract, and who do we want to repel?
It’s an uncomfortable question because when we’re small, we don’t want to repel anyone.
Yet there’s a magical thing that happens when you make content that repels some people. You become visible. For both those who agree with you and those who disagree with you.
It’s just a matter of working out which is which.
Usually, we would assume that the people we want to attract are the ones that are worth the most money. But when you’re small, and you are happy to stay small, it might not play that way.
Some other considerations of who you want to attract could be:
- people of a certain financial net worth
- people in a certain geographic area
- people with a certain belief system
- people you feel most comfortable working with
- people of a certain gender, race or religious affiliation
And then there’s the kind of people you may also want to repel.
Remember, though, that this is not to be used as an excuse to discriminate against people. It’s just a way to focus on the people you feel like working with the most.
Your language when “repelling” isn’t exclusionary. But by stating clearly who you want to attract, it should be easily understood, then who you want to repel.
I work with women to achieve their higher calling. Rather than I don’t work with men.
Christian men find our program helps them to find more peace in their lives. Rather than We don’t work with non-believers.
Those on the plant-based food journey say that our prepared meals are like nothing else they’ve ever tried. Rather than If you like meat, there’s nothing here for you. Go away.
Leveraging your new visibility
While this type of attracting and repelling action gets you more visibility than simply trying to appeal to everyone, it does require some more steps to make it work for you.
Leveraging this new visibility is then about a technique I’ve heard referred to as “throwing rocks at a common enemy.”
Please understand that the “common enemy” isn’t the people you want to repel. It’s an enemy common to both you and the people you are attracting to you.
The workplace is shifting, and women are rising to the top in record numbers. The walls are falling. And I’m loving it!
Or here’s another…
After hundreds of years of ridiculous stiff upper lips and destructive social expectations, men are finally learning how to talk about their mental health. And I am thrilled to be seeing the change happening right in front of my eyes.
Not only have you attracted the right people, but you’re also confirming their decision to follow you by “throwing rocks” at a thing that both you and they regard as an enemy.
How else can I get visibility?
While the attract-and-repel action is a more subtle way to become visible, there are faster and more expensive ways.
What we’ve been talking about today is a quiet and long-term method for gaining visibility. It’s based around using social media posts and creating digital content.
But you can move more rapidly with more obvious forms of marketing — like advertising:
- Annoying mass media ads (like TV and radio)
- High-impact, attention-seeking short-form video (like TikTok and Reels)
- Being publicly controversial
You can see why these methods may not be for everyone. And while controversy brings attention, it tends to be short-term in nature and polarising enough that it can do immense damage to your business.
This is because controversy often blurs the lines between what was said, and what someone said that you said. The game of “Chinese whispers” is an example of how a message of any type can be misheard and misread as it spreads.
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That’s all for this weekend. Just one short read about how you can start being more visible in your business by learning who to attract and who to repel.
If you’re not getting value from these tips, please consider unsubscribing.
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See you again next week.
Cheers, Dante
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P.S. Whenever you’re ready, here are a few ways I can help you out:
1. I recorded an introduction to personal branding on YouTube last week that is a great way to start off your journey to working out who your audience is. Watch it here
2. My popular and comprehensive 2-hour online workshop on my five-point content writing framework is coming up on Tuesday, September 13. It books out quickly! (Current ABN is required)
3. Get started on the road to building your own personal brand in my free 5-part email-delivered mini-course on Personal Branding that was released last week. Start it here.
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