Once again, Seth Godin has written an intriguing blog post where he uses an example as a way to share one of his talking points.
Demetri Martin tells the story of seeing a necklace for sale. It says, “Diana” on it.
“Wait,” he says to the owner of the jewelry store, “you’d probably sell more if it said ‘Not Diana’ on it.” After all, just about everyone isn’t named Diana.
The absurdity of this story is precisely why focusing on the smallest viable audience makes so much more sense than trying to make average stuff for average people.
It’s a funny line from Demetri, and it is a bit absurd.
And Seth Godin has long encouraged people starting out on their own to find their “tribe”, a group of like-minded people, and focus on their needs, and not try to be everything to everyone.
I guess I just don’t see the connection between the example and the point Seth is trying to make.
Maybe, like me, Seth just wanted to share a funny Demetri joke, and this was the best way he knew.
And if you want to watch a clip of Demetri, here you go:
*photo from Etsy
He’s pretty funny.
I don’t like hanging out with like-minded people. They want everything I want, and I don’t like sharing. Better to hang out with those you have nothing in common, as you get to keep your stuff.
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it is important to be able to hold on to your stuff…
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I’ve never seen this guy, but I thought he had some good moments. I like the homeless sign makers have been hit hard recently and the ransom note with the paper clip popping up.
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He was pretty popular for a while, and the line about the paper clip was pretty funny…
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he is pretty funny and I like to hang out with all kinds of people. it makes for an interesting mix –
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I agree, it is nice to have diversity in your life…
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If I were interested in having a larger audience, I would write something other than poetry. Alas, I have settled for reaching only the “Dianas” of the world.
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and I am happy to be one of those Dianas!
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Thanks Jim! It would not be as much fun without you!
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👍
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Everytime I see him, he reminds me of an updated (and more optimistic) version of Steven Wright. I find both funny.
As someone with a very tiny audience, I see the appeal to the “Not Diana” method of marketing. My “Diana” method seems to have found too small a niche. But really, I do think you have to drill down to your core fanbase rather than spraying your message everywhere and hoping it lands on someone who cares. In the end, though, regardless of strategy, hard work, and talent, I believe some of it comes down to luck. And you can never account for that.
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that is a great comprison to Steven Wright.
I agree, finding that core audience is not easy, but I think with work, and luck, it can be done…
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I like finding like-minded people if I’m in a crowd on my own but once I’m in that crowd of like-minded people and comfortable, that’s when I try to stand out.
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that’s a great way of thinking about it; and it’s also nice to have perhaps a couple of different crowds of like minded people to hang out with…
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I don’t see the connection either, but the video did make me smile and chuckle.
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Demetri is a pretty funny guy. It’s nice to see you back!
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Good to be back 🙂
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👍
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Funny video. Stand up comedy is hard. I liked the joke about naming oranges before naming carrots. 😄
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that one and the Microsoft paper clip were my favorites…
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Demetri comes across as an “original.” Being a blogger (when I am not writing), you never quite know where you will land as you begin this journey.
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Demetri seemed to be a pretty big deal a few years ago; it seems like it’s a tough field to stay on top. coming up with new material must be quite challenging…
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