SBA Consultation Insight
Two Audiences, One Confused Message
A B2B service provider built impressive technology but struggled to attract customers. The website spoke to everyone at once, which meant it persuaded no one specifically.
By Doug Mansfield | President, Mansfield Marketing
Home > SBA Consultations> Two Audiences, One Confused Message
A Technical Founder's Marketing Problem
I sat with a business owner recently who had built something genuinely innovative. He had developed a complete advertising platform from scratch, including custom software, remote management capabilities, and analytics dashboards that tracked real engagement.
The technology was impressive. The business model was solid. The execution was professional.
But he could not figure out how to reach the right customers. His question to me: how do I reach my target market?
The Two-Audience Problem
As he explained his business, I noticed something he had not fully articulated. His company served two completely different types of customers who wanted completely different things.
The first audience: venue owners. Restaurants, professional offices, retail locations. These businesses had physical spaces with foot traffic. The value proposition for them was additional revenue without additional cost. Install a screen, get free promotional content for their own business, and potentially share in advertising revenue.
The second audience: advertisers. Local businesses who wanted to reach consumers in specific locations. The value proposition for them was targeted exposure to real people in real places, with engagement tracking through QR codes and analytics.
These two audiences have almost nothing in common except that both involve screens.
One Website Trying to Do Two Jobs
When I looked at his website, the problem became clear. The homepage attempted to explain the entire platform to everyone simultaneously. The messaging mixed technical capabilities with business benefits. It described the technology without first establishing why anyone should care.
The opening paragraph talked about industry trends and competitive positioning. Traditional static message boards are becoming outdated. That statement is accurate but does not give anyone a reason to pick up the phone.
Someone visiting that website could not immediately identify themselves. A restaurant owner looking to generate additional revenue had to read through content intended for advertisers. An advertiser looking for local reach had to parse through venue partnership information.
Neither audience found a clear path to the information they needed.
The Split Homepage Solution
I showed him a competitor's website that handled this problem cleanly. Right at the top, two distinct paths. One for venue partners. One for advertisers. Each click leads to messaging tailored specifically to that audience's needs and motivations.
This is not about having two different businesses. It is about recognizing that the same product delivers different value to different buyers. The screens are identical. The technology is identical. But the conversation with a restaurant owner sounds nothing like the conversation with a local accountant looking for exposure.
The homepage should function as a sorting mechanism. Identify which type of visitor has arrived, route them to the right message, and let them find the benefits relevant to their situation.
Different Benefits for Different Buyers
For venue owners, the benefits include additional revenue streams, free promotional content for their own specials and menus, and reduced customer frustration in waiting areas. That last point resonated unexpectedly. Anyone who has worked a front desk knows the stress of managing customers waiting longer than expected. Entertainment in a waiting room reduces complaints.
For advertisers, the benefits include targeted local exposure, real engagement tracking, flexible campaign timing, and the ability to reach consumers in specific contexts. Someone viewing an ad while waiting in line at a grocery store is a different prospect than someone scrolling through their phone at home.
Same screens. Same platform. Completely different value propositions.
The Phone Number as Trust Signal
The website had a contact form at the bottom but no phone number visible in the header. I suggested adding one prominently at the top, even if calls route to voicemail.
The phone number does more than enable calls. It signals legitimacy. A real business with a real human behind it. Someone accountable if something goes wrong. Even visitors who prefer filling out a form are more likely to do so when they see evidence that a real company exists.
For B2B services especially, trust signals matter. Business owners get pitched constantly. They have developed skepticism about vendors. A visible phone number and chat option remove friction and communicate professionalism before the visitor reads a single word of copy.
The Cold Calling Question
He asked about cold calling as a sales strategy. He was prepared to do it himself but recognized it might not be the best use of his time.
Cold calling works, but it requires a specific personality. The ability to handle rejection repeatedly and still maintain enthusiasm. Most people find that exhausting. The business owners who succeed at it often cannot do anything else because the calling consumes their entire day.
I suggested exploring appointment setting services. Companies that do nothing but make initial calls and schedule meetings with interested prospects. The business owner then takes qualified appointments rather than spending hours reaching voicemails and gatekeepers.
These services cost money. Whether the budget supports that expense requires research. But knowing the cost establishes a benchmark. At some point, the math works. Until then, at least the owner understands what that leverage point looks like.
Commissioned Salespeople as Alternative
Another option: commission-only salespeople. Find someone who will work for a percentage of closed deals rather than a salary.
This model works for many businesses. The challenge is finding reliable people who represent the company well. An aggressive salesperson making inappropriate promises creates problems that outlast any revenue they generate.
The advantage is scalability without fixed costs. The disadvantage is quality control. For a service requiring technical explanation and relationship building, the wrong salesperson can damage more than they build.
LinkedIn as the Long Game
For B2B service providers targeting business owners, LinkedIn offers unique value. Not through advertising initially, but through genuine connection building.
The platform allows filtering by geography, industry, and company size. A service provider targeting local businesses can identify exactly the right people and begin building relationships before any sales conversation happens.
The key is avoiding the immediate pitch. Connect genuinely. Provide value. Build the network. When the numbers reach critical mass, inbound connection requests create natural opportunities for conversation without the awkwardness of cold outreach.
This takes time. Months of consistent activity before meaningful results appear. But the asset compounds. Each connection creates potential reach into their network. Each piece of content shared reinforces expertise and visibility.
The Website as Foundation
Every outreach strategy eventually points back to the website. Cold calls reference it. LinkedIn connections check it. Referrals validate with it.
If the website fails to communicate clear value to the specific visitor, everything else operates at diminished capacity. The prospect who finally arrives cannot quickly identify whether this service applies to their situation.
Get the messaging right first. Split the audiences. Speak directly to each one's motivations. Then the outreach activities built on top of that foundation convert at higher rates.
A brilliant platform means nothing if the right people never understand what it does for them specifically.
