Delight a Minimum Viable Audience

My commercial colleagues needed to deliver competitive, profitable proposals to customers within days. However, getting supporting third-party supplier costs was a slow process. By using historical cost data, I developed a prototype tool, comprising a database, algorithm and user interface. Initial testing and feedback from five colleagues allowed me to refine the design iteratively. The tool reduced customer quote times by 90% and my colleagues loved it. It was adopted across many parts of the company and my contribution was recognised by the CEO.

Minimum Viable Audience

When you seek to engage with everyone, you rarely delight anyone. - Seth Godin

Seth Godin highlights the importance of a Minimum Viable Audience (MVA). He encourages creators to move away from trying to appeal to everyone. The focus should be on a small, clearly defined group for whom our product is indispensable. The aim is to create deep, meaningful connections. By serving this audience exceptionally well, they become loyal advocates, sparking organic growth. More often than not, this carefully chosen MVA turns out to be larger than initially anticipated.

The Minimum Viable Audience is rooted in three principles:

1. Specificity is strength: When we tailor our work for a specific audience, we can deeply understand their needs, desires and pain points. This precision enables us to create something uniquely valuable, something the masses would never appreciate as much as our chosen niche.

2. Authenticity builds trust: Serving a smaller audience means we can engage authentically without the compromises that come from chasing universal appeal. Authenticity breeds trust which is the foundation of relationships.

3. True fans drive longevity: Kevin Kelly suggested 1,000 True Fans are sufficient to make a living. We don’t need millions of followers. Instead, we need a small group of people who are so passionate about our work that they will support us consistently.

Applying the Minimum Viable Audience mindset

The strategy of the smallest viable audience doesn’t let you off the hook; it does the opposite. You don’t get to say, we’ll just wait for the next random person to find us. - Seth Godin

To find and serve a Minimum Viable Audience, consider:

1. Who are we helping? Instead of designing for the masses, define a smallest viable audience. Who are the people who must have what we’re offering?

2. What transformation do we promise? People don’t buy products, they buy change. What transformation does our audience seek and how will our product deliver it?

3. How will we delight users? Serving an MVA means exceeding expectations. How can we go above and beyond to make our audience know we care?

4. Are we ready to lead? Embracing our MVA means leading a tribe, a group of people who rally around a shared purpose or idea. Leadership requires vulnerability, consistency and a willingness to take risks.

The world is noisy. Trying to appeal to everyone dilutes our uniqueness. The smallest audience that can sustain our work allows us to focus on what truly matters: resonance and connection.

Other resources

Finding Your Minimum Viable Audience talk by Seth Godin

How Less Makes Us Creative post by Phil Martin

Finding Our Initial Customers post by Phil Martin

Seth Godin sums it up. Specificity is the way. It has nothing to do with absolute scale and everything to do with being really clear about what hook you want to be on and setting a standard for producing work that people connect to and are changed by.

Have fun finding your Minimum Viable Audience.

Phil…