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Should Entrepreneurs Be Afraid To Polarise People? 

What’s your goal as an entrepreneur? To make sales, right? And the best way to make sales is to talk to the person who wants the solution you are selling. 

Whether to make your brand one that polarises your audience has long been a discussion in marketing circles. This Harvard Business Review article, Make the Most of a Polarizing Brand provides a series of examples of how companies have either placated the haters, poked the haters or amplified the polarising attribute to build more enthusiasts. 

In the UK, Marmite has consistently used the tagline “love it or hate it” in their marketing and whole communities of ‘Marmite Lovers’ have sprung up in support of the intense yeast based spread. There’s even a museum.

Having consumers hate your product is actually a good thing! And entrepreneurs shouldn’t be afraid to polarise people. 

In this article a few weeks back I touched on the topic of polarised marketing, writing; 

“Social media marketing provides online business owners with the opportunity for both specificity and polarity of messaging. You want to not just attract the right people but to also repel the wrong people. You want people to scroll on by as much as click through and engage. We don’t want to win a popularity contest with millions of followers, but rather have a handful of highly committed clients taking action and investing in the value you provide.”

As if by perfect timing just a few days later I received a reply to one of my Facebook ads that called out to my lovely introverted people, which demonstrates the need for polarising content well. So well in fact that I am sharing it here so it’s forever in the archives!

A Stellar Example of Market Polarisation, The Introvert Way

Below I share the advert I was running to purposely only call out to fellow introverts. You can see how it works as an example of polarising marketing.

The original advert.

Busy Introverting Advert by Susanna Reay

The Reply I received.

Mansplaining response to advert

My follow up post on Socials which had the screenshot of the reply (with the originator blanked out as above)… 

  • This made my morning… a comment received on an ad I’m running promoting my book, The Introvert Way Roadmap. Mansplaining at its best/worst?!!! It’s not what the commenter was planning but helps me illustrate that in marketing we want to create SPECIFICITY and POLARITY. This guy is more than welcome to anyone who responds to his comment positively as they are not my people.”
Mansplaining, the statue

‘My people’s responses’... 

  • Oh my word - the last thing anyone will do is ‘go work with him’ 
  • Great response Susanna Reay I would rather think like you!!
  • I cannot imagine having anybody who talks like that anywhere near me honestly. These dudebro coaches mostly make me want to puke. It's actually funny because he is demonstrating just how easy it is to repel introverts from your business. haha
  • Your response was intelligent and kind. His comment I know who I’d rather work with.
  • You gave such an intelligent and polite answer to this over the top ‘come see me little lady’ mansplaining… where do you get the patience from?! What’s your secret?
  • Had a guy use the same technique on me last week. I wasn't as tactful in my reply as you were.
  • Did he really say: ‘come and see me?’ Like …. seriously?!
  • He is like a joke. Susanna, your response is out of this world
  • " a meaningless label" This demonstrates pure ignorance. Great response @ Susanna!
  • I can't believe people can be so condescending and patronising! That's a well-balanced response. It's a delicate balancing act between tolerating diversity of thinking and dissent and feeling belligerent outrage.

And there were more…

The secret of good marketing laid bare

The secret to good marketing is to bring in the people who are ready to accept your methods and understand that the solution is right for them at exactly the point they find themselves in. This is where online marketing can serve us very well. 

Once you’ve polarised and focused on your perfect people, you can start showing your people exactly what their journey would look like if they had you as their guide and confidante. 

Highlight what your people need to believe in themselves to make the commitment to actually go on that journey. 

Contrary to standard thought, your job as a marketer is NOT to convince someone that they need your product. Your job as a marketer is to show the person that you have the right solution for what they need. 

You do this by living your brand everyday when you show up, lead by example as how you wish the world to be, and share the impact or change you wish to see. Just as I did in this rather stellar case study. See how easy it is to stop being bashful when you step into your true introvert power!

If you’d love to learn more about how to market your business, then The Spark Space is your one-stop solution that includes personal support and feedback over the year your business pivots and grows, your way. 

 

Written by Susanna Reay, 07/29/2022

Susanna Reay is a multi award-winning coach, writer, and speaker who’s been bringing clarity, focus and structure into small businesses and entrepreneurial start-ups for over 20 years. Susanna brings a unique perspective informed by her training in design and business strategy, her life-long interest in psychology and strengths as an introverted online business builder. Her book, courses and mentoring have been the catalyst for growth for clients who’ve integrated Sparkle Frameworks® into their business. She helps the unseen be seen, heard and respected. Susanna is based in Europe, serving a global audience from her English home.


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