Broadcasting means saying something general to everyone. Narrowcasting means saying something specific to a smaller group.
For most small and medium-sized businesses the second one is the only affordable option, and it is usually the better one anyway.
Why it works
A message written for everybody has to be vague enough to fit everybody, which is what makes it forgettable. A message written for one kind of customer can name their actual problem, and that is what people respond to.
It is also cheaper. You are not paying to reach an audience that was never going to buy from you.
What you can target on
- Who they are. Age, income, job, family situation.
- Where they are. Sometimes a few streets. For a local installer or a restaurant, this is often the only filter that matters.
- What they have done. Pages they visited, things they bought, an email they opened. Behaviour predicts intent better than demographics do.
Where it happens
Social platforms and email are the obvious ones, because the targeting is built in. But narrowcasting is not new and it is not only digital: specialist magazines, local radio and trade channels have always worked the same way.
Screens in a waiting room or a shop are narrowcasting too, and one of the most literal versions of it. You know exactly who is standing there.
The catch
Targeting well needs data about your audience, and collecting that data comes with obligations. Consent, a privacy policy that describes what you actually do, and a real reason for holding it. Worth getting right before you build a campaign on top of it.
The other catch is more common: people target narrowly and then run the same generic message anyway. The targeting is the easy half. The specific thing you say to that group is the half that works.
If you want to know which groups are worth separating for your business, that is a conversation we have often.
Builds websites and the systems behind them for small businesses in Spain and the Netherlands. Writes down the things clients ask twice.
