Jim Connolly Marketing

  • Home
  • About
    • About Jim Connolly
    • Jim’s small business marketing newsletter
    • Top Marketing Tips for 2026
    • Privacy Policy
    • How I use cookies
    • Contact
    • Disclosure
  • Let’s Grow Your Business

You can’t have insiders without outsiders

Updated June 2015

By Jim Connolly | September 7, 2012

The success of your business is directly linked to your ability to attract and engage insiders. Insiders are the people who buy from you, recommend you, comment on your blog and link to you from their social networks, etc.

Most small business owners regard almost everyone as a potential customer or client. They have not yet discovered that we can’t have insiders, unless we have outsiders. As a result, their marketing messages are diluted.

The paradox is that by trying to be relevant to everyone, we fail to be directly relevant to anyone.

A more focused approach

When you develop your marketing, focus only on the people you want to do business with and no one else.

  • Write for them.
  • Talk about what matters to them.
  • Listen to them.
  • Be where they are.
  • Speak in their language.

This kind of targeted approach will see you develop more and more insiders. They will find your marketing compelling because it was designed for people just like them! That’s the type of impact you need to create, if you want to motivate people to buy from you or inspire them to contact you.

In short: If you get fewer sales leads than you would like or you often attract low quality inquiries, focus on being 100% relevant to the right people.

IMPORTANT: If you want to make more sales, boost your profits and grow an amazing business, this will help you!

Creative Marketing Tips

Get my best ideas delivered direct to your inbox. Just add your email below.

You can unsubscribe at any time. I respect your privacy.

Jim Connolly

Hi! I'm Jim Connolly and I use creative marketing to help small business owners increase sales, boost profits and build amazing businesses. Read more here.

Featured by

marketing advice, marketing help

Categories

  • AI (8)
  • Blogging (407)
  • Business development (495)
  • Copywriting (307)
  • Creative Marketing (1,669)
  • Email marketing & mail shots (187)
  • Professional development (546)
  • Social media marketing (358)

Hosting provider

20i hosting

Search

Recent posts

  • Keeping it real September 10, 2026
  • Lessons from highly successful business owners September 2, 2026
  • Sign your work. Grow your business August 17, 2026
  • Get creative: Let others market your business for free! August 7, 2026
  • Traditional marketing is dead July 27, 2026
  • The stupid game July 13, 2026
  • Hey! Not so fast! July 6, 2026
  • How to get your fees right June 23, 2026
  • A 3 shot espresso for your business June 17, 2026
  • Unproductive? You’re probably just bored June 12, 2026
  • Make AI grow your business June 8, 2026
  • It motivates people to take action, now June 4, 2026
  • Is your business one of the 50% that prospects now avoid? Probably! May 30, 2026
  • Give your best ideas away for free. Here’s why May 12, 2026
  • AI is wiping out your competitors. Now take their market share May 5, 2026
  • Powerful words for your marketing toolbox. Part 2 April 29, 2026
  • Your social media is sending an important message April 27, 2026
  • When was the last time? April 23, 2026
  • Jim, why are my sales numbers down? April 20, 2026
  • The secret sauce you were looking for, is here April 15, 2026

Creative Thinking?

My Creative Thinking Website
  • Home
  • About
  • Let’s Grow Your Business

Copyright © 2026 Jim Connolly