I must confess, today is a tad different. I’m offering a unique approach to “remarkable marketing” and the smallest viable market. But not through my eyes…
I’m sharing the secrets of one of my digital marketing “gurus”, Seth Godin.
Seth Godin argues that effective marketing requires creating remarkable products and services worth discussing, rather than relying on interruptive ads. Success involves finding the smallest viable market, showing empathy, and telling consistent stories that build status and connection.
Building an Audience that Buys
Marketing success in the modern landscape requires a departure from traditional interruption-based tactics. The current environment is saturated with noise and mediocre products that rely on stealing attention rather than earning it. For business owners, the goal is to create conditions where ideas spread naturally because the service or product provides genuine value to a specific group.
The core strategy focuses on the “Smallest Viable Market.” By identifying a narrow group of people and solving their specific problems, businesses build a foundation of trust and referrals. This approach avoids the trap of vanity metrics like social media views, which often fail to result in meaningful sales. True marketing is a long-term commitment to consistency, generosity, and delivering a story that aligns with the chosen audience’s existing worldview.
Redefining Marketing as a Value Creator
Marketing is not about billboards, ads, or interrupting people with noise. It is the process of creating conditions for an idea to spread. A product or service spreads when the people being served benefit from telling others about it.
The Failure of Average Products
Many businesses fail because they attempt to sell average products to ordinary people. In the past, television and mass media allowed companies to buy success by running ads for mediocre offerings. The internet has changed this dynamic. While social media platforms attempt to turn business owners into unpaid employees chasing algorithms, the most successful entities focus on being worth talking about.
The Vanity Metric Trap
High visibility does not equal high revenue. Data shows cases where 40 million views on social media resulted in only 0 in sales. Relying on algorithms is a dangerous game. Instead, businesses should focus on creating something so specific and valuable that the audience does the work of spreading the word.
The Five-Step Framework for Effective Marketing
This structured approach moves away from pushy sales tactics and focuses on building a brand that customers would miss if it disappeared.
| Step | Action | Focus |
| 1 | Invent a thing worth making | Create a story worth telling and a contribution worth talking about. |
| 2 | Design for a few | Focus on the Smallest Viable Market rather than the masses. |
| 3 | Tell a matching story | Align the narrative with the existing dreams and beliefs of the audience. |
| 4 | Create conditions for spread | Ensure customers benefit from telling their friends. |
| 5 | Show up consistently | Create conditions for the spread |
1. Inventing with Purpose
Originality is often overrated. Business owners do not need to invent a new structure. They can use proven models while focusing on the story of status, affiliation, and community. People buy stories and feelings rather than just utility.
2. Targeting the Smallest Viable Market
Trying to appeal to everyone is a sign of a lack of confidence. Effective business targeting involves choosing a niche so specific that you can become the undisputed expert for that group.
- Example: An agency that only works with pediatric orthodontists will find more success than a generalist agency.
- Result: Once you prove your effectiveness for 20 specific clients, word of mouth eliminates the need to hunt for new leads.
3. Matching the Audience Worldview
Do not try to change how people think. It is much more effective to show them they were right all along. Identify the assumptions and beliefs your customer personas already hold.
- Customer Insights: Understand if your audience values being first (status) or being together (affiliation).
- Context Matters: A story that works in a symphony hall will fail in a subway station because the audience’s mindset is different.
4. Letting Customers Spread the Word
The word spreads when the system is designed for conversation.
- Visual Cues: Products with distinct logos or styles create social contracts where friends feel compelled to ask about them.
- Mutual Benefit: Customers share a product when doing so raises their own status or helps them connect with their peers.
5. Consistency Over Authenticity
Professionalism requires consistency. Customers do not want a business owner to be “authentic” if that means being moody or unreliable. They want the best version of the promise the business made. This requires showing up for years, not just days, to build lead generation and long-term trust.
What makes a product or a service truly remarkable to consumers?
A product/service becomes truly remarkable to consumers when it is worth remarking about. This is not achieved through gimmicks, “hustle,” or aggressive advertising, but by designing the product and its surrounding story in a way that compels people to talk about it for their own benefit.
Here are the key elements that make a product/service remarkable:
1. It Facilitates Status and Connection. Consumers do not spread the word to help the business; they do it to help themselves or their friends. A remarkable product provides the consumer with status and affiliation.
- The Social Contract: When someone shares a product, they are often telling a story about themselves. For instance, wearing a pair of Tom’s Shoes (which donates a pair for every pair bought) allows the consumer to signal that they are both philanthropic and fashion-forward.
- Benefit to the Sharer: The product must help the consumer connect with others. Godin notes that we don’t have a shortage of cookies or phones, but “a shortage of things to talk about that connect us to other people”. If a product solves that shortage, it spreads.
2. It Targets the “Smallest Viable Market” Remarkable products are not built for everyone; they are built for a specific group of people with a specific worldview.
- Specific Design: Instead of creating a generic product for the masses (a “race to the bottom”), a remarkable product is designed for a select few who care deeply about quality and specificity. Godin uses the example of Festool, which makes a jigsaw that costs ten times more than a standard one but is designed perfectly for serious woodworkers who would never settle for the cheaper option.
- Radical Empathy: Creating this requires “radical empathy”—the ability to understand and respect the needs of a specific audience (like pediatric orthodontists or gluten-free eaters) even if you do not personally belong to that group.
3. It tells a Story that Creates Tension. A remarkable product is wrapped in a story that matches the existing dreams and narratives of its target audience.
- Tension: The story must create tension..a fear of missing out, a desire to belong, or a challenge to one’s status. This tension drives behaviour and causes people to act (buy or share) to resolve it.
- Context Matters: The perceived value depends heavily on context. Godin cites the example of a world-famous violinist ignored in a subway station because the context didn’t signal “remarkability” to the passersby.
4. It Relies on Consistency, Not “Authenticity” Godin argues that consumers do not actually want “authenticity” (which might include a service provider having a bad day); they want consistency. They want the product or brand to consistently deliver on its promise, acting as a professional rather than an amateur.
Ultimately, a product/service is remarkable because the system around it creates the conditions for it to spread. It spreads because the people you serve benefit from telling their friends. As Godin summarises, “There are people who open a little tiny pizza shop, and there’s a line around the block… not cuz they’re good at using TikTok… [but] cuz they made a pizza that was worth other people putting on TikTok”.
Market Research and Audience Analysis
Effective marketing requires practical empathy. You do not need to be the customer to understand them, but you must observe them closely.
Practical Empathy in Action
- Observation: Watch how people respond to different interactions.
- Small Scale Testing: Start by speaking to or serving a handful of people. Training happens on both sides during these early interactions.
- Identifying Tension: Good marketing creates tension. If a customer ignores a great product, they should feel like they are missing out on an opportunity to improve their status or solve a problem.
Avoiding Wasted Marketing Efforts
Wasted marketing efforts occur when businesses try to force a change in consumer behaviour that goes against the grain of culture. For example, a product that requires a person to be the first to try something will fail if marketed to a group that values safety and tradition.
Navigating the “Dip”
Every project faces a period where progress feels slow, and the likelihood of success seems low. This is “The Dip.”
Knowing When to Quit
Most people quit too late. Before starting, evaluate if you have the resources and training to finish. If the goal is too large or the market is too broad, it is better not to start.
Sticking with the Strategy
The difference between those who finish and those who quit is where they “put the tired.” Professionals acknowledge the difficulty and continue to deliver on their promises.
- Conversion Rates: These improve over time as you move through the dip and gain the trust of your specific niche.
- Value Creation: Focus on creating value for the audience rather than just capturing it for the business.
What success looks like
Success is found by picking a problem small enough to solve for an audience specific enough to care. By rejecting the chase for mass popularity and focusing on the Smallest Viable Market, business owners can build a sustainable and respected brand. Marketing is a generous act of helping someone solve a problem, provided the business shows up with the consistency and story required to earn their attention.
TL;DR: Remarkable Marketing for the Smallest Viable Market to Boost Conversion Rates
- Focus on creating remarkable products that your smallest viable market truly values, improving customer targeting and lead generation
- Build stories that match your audience’s worldview, helping customers feel connected and motivated to share your brand
- Avoid chasing vanity metrics like social media views; instead, design for consistent, long-term trust and word-of-mouth referrals
- Use data-driven customer insights and market research to identify niche personas and craft marketing that naturally spreads
Frequently Asked Questions: Remarkable Marketing and Smallest Viable Market Strategies
Q1: What is the smallest viable market in marketing?
A1: The smallest viable market refers to a very specific, narrow group of customers whose needs and worldview your product or service directly addresses. Instead of targeting a broad audience, focusing on this niche allows you to become an expert for that group, build trust, and generate referrals that improve conversion rates.
Q2: How does remarkable marketing differ from traditional advertising?
A2: Remarkable marketing centres on creating products and stories worth talking about, rather than interrupting people with ads. It prioritises genuine value for a specific audience and encourages word-of-mouth, rather than relying on broad, pushy advertising that often fails to convert.
Q3: Why should businesses avoid chasing vanity metrics like social media views?
A3: High social media views do not guarantee sales or customer loyalty. Vanity metrics can create a false sense of success. Instead, businesses should focus on meaningful engagement with their ideal customer personas that leads to higher conversion rates and sustainable growth.
Q4: How can I create a story that matches my audience’s worldview?
A4: Start by analysing your customer personas and understanding their beliefs, values, and motivations. Your marketing story should confirm what they already think or feel, creating tension that drives behaviour, such as a desire to belong or improve status, which increases the chance they will buy and share.
Q5: What role does consistency play in remarkable marketing?
A5: Consistency builds trust over time by reliably delivering on your brand promise. Customers prefer predictable professionalism over so-called authenticity that might include mood swings or unreliability. Showing up consistently strengthens your sales funnel and lead generation.
Q6: How does targeting a niche improve lead generation?
A6: Targeting a niche allows you to focus resources on a group with specific needs, making your marketing more relevant and persuasive. This focused approach builds authority and encourages referrals, reducing the effort needed to find new leads and improving conversion rates.
Q7: Can businesses use market research to identify their smallest viable market?
A7: Yes, market research and audience analysis provide crucial customer insights. By observing behaviours, testing messaging on small groups, and analysing data, businesses can identify the niche most likely to respond positively and become loyal customers.
Q8: How do customers help spread remarkable products?
A8: Customers share remarkable products when doing so improves their status or connection with others. Marketing that creates social contracts, such as distinctive branding or stories that resonate, encourages customers to talk about your product for their own benefit, driving organic growth.
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About the Author
As your Australian Digital Foreman, I’m here to manage the digital marketing heavy lifting, ensuring your online presence works as hard as you do. My focus is on building a clear blueprint for your business, whether it’s a new build or a renovation, so that you can concentrate on your craft. We chase profitable actions, not just likes or hits, because your bottom line is what truly matters.
For content exploring Remarkable Marketing and the Smallest Viable Market, detailing how to build an audience that buys by focusing on specific high-value niches rather than mass-market noise, these authoritative sources provide essential frameworks and data for 2026:
Sources used to help create this article
- Seth Godin (via Akimbo): Marketing in the Modern World: The Smallest Viable Market
- Foundational strategic concept explaining why targeting a narrow group and solving their specific problems is the fastest path to trust and word-of-mouth growth.
- McKinsey & Company: The Power of Personalisation: Targeted Marketing in 2026
- Research on the economic shift toward niche markets shows that businesses focusing on specific consumer personas grow 40% faster than generalists.
- Harvard Business Review (HBR): Building a Brand That Customers Would Miss
- A non-commercial exploration of “remarkable” marketing—creating products and stories so aligned with an audience’s worldview that they spread naturally.
- Think with Google: The Death of the ‘Average’ Consumer
- Data-backed analysis showing how AI-driven discovery rewards specificity and “information gain” over generic, broad-reach content.
- HubSpot: 2026 State of Marketing Report – Community & Niche Growth
- Statistics on why 73% of modern consumers prefer brands that cater to their specific subcultures and values, highlighting the failure of “average products for average people.”
- SBDC (Small Business Development Corporation): Find Your Ideal Customer – Small Business Niche Strategy
- Practical, government-backed steps for small businesses to define their market and build a sustainable lead generation system without vanity metrics.
