7 Reasons Your Agency Struggles to Reach Its Ideal Audience (and How to Fix It)
Hint: You might be doing too much.
Ever feel like you’ve got something to say, but no one wants to listen?
If you’re a parent, you’ve definitely felt it. If you’re an agency owner, there’s a good chance you’ve felt it as well. But the real question isn’t whether we’re feeling it; it’s how we’re fixing it.
Imagine if every message felt like you had a megaphone in a crowded park. All eyes would turn to you, and the right people would want to hear more.
If your agency isn’t connecting with its ideal audience, it’s often due to unclear positioning and scattered messaging. So let’s dive into how we can fix that.
👆 Want to listen instead? Check out Google’s NotebookLM breaking down the article. 1. Your Niche is Too Broad
A vague target audience makes your marketing too generic to attract the right clients.
When you try to serve everyone, your message ends up resonating with no one. Most agencies struggle here because they’re worried about turning down revenue.
Grab your big boy pants (or girl pants) and recognize you’re making less money with this watered-down, half-assed attempt at speaking to everyone. In fact, it’s costing you money.
Instead, focus on a specific niche with a defined problem your agency can solve. For example, instead of "small businesses," try "e-commerce brands struggling with lead generation."
“SaaS” is not tight enough. There are dozens of verticals within it. You have to get specific.
Clarifying your niche allows you to stand out in a crowded market.
While figuring it out, make sure you’re narrowing into a niche with an audience you enjoy working with and who’s easy to deal with. It’ll make your life substantially better, I promise. This article about starting an agency from scratch dives deeper.
2. You’re Speaking the Wrong Language
If your messaging doesn’t reflect your audience’s pain points, you’re missing the mark.
Your ideal clients have specific problems and use particular language to describe them. With the PRISM Model, you can vet out that you’re solving the right problem, and with a few exercises, you can determine the right language to use.
Most people, unless they’re hyper-problem-aware, aren’t thinking about the problem the way you are. They’re thinking about the symptoms.
In these instances, talking about the problem doesn’t help as much as talking about the current pain points they’re dealing with.
When you can talk about the problem with such clarity that someone says, “They get me,” you’re going to attract a larger, most specific audience.
3. Your Offer Isn’t Aligned
Your offer must be directly connected to the problem your audience needs solved.
Take a quick walk down Theoretical Ideas Lane with me.
An offer is all about a transformation. We’re going to take someone from Point A to Point B.
Stories are also about a transformation. The character is a certain way at the start, and they’ve changed at the end. The story should focus around the moment of transformation (otherwise it’s boring).
Now, if both are about transformations, we can see how an offer is simply another way to tell a story.
You’re creating a story the prospect can see themselves in as the protagonist. You’re creating the dream outcome, you’re equipping them with the resources they need to be successful, and you’re serving as their guide along the way.
When you think about your offer this way, it’s often easier to map out what needs to be packaged for it to resonate deeply with your audience.
After you’ve gotten hyper-clear on the problem you’re solving, mapping an offer becomes easier. It should feel like the exact solution your audience has been searching for.
4. Poor Visibility on the Right Channels
You’re showing up where your audience isn’t.
It’s not enough to be active online—you need to be where your audience hangs out. If you’re targeting B2B companies but only posting on Instagram, you’re wasting time. Use platforms like LinkedIn or industry-specific forums to connect with your ideal clients.
As I reread that last paragraph, I also want to specify, I don’t know where your audience is. The only way to truly know is to ask them. Your audience might HATE LinkedIn, but love X. So go to X.
Poll current clients. Join groups. Get nosy. Figure out where the watering holes are.
Another tactic is to piggyback off adjacent influencers.
If someone else has your audience’s attention, comment on their posts. Follow their lead. (Note: Don’t jump in and be salesy. No one likes that and you’ll just get blocked.)
Be present where your audience spends their time, or you’ll remain invisible.
5. You Haven’t Built Enough Trust
Lack of trust is a major barrier to engagement, especially in competitive markets.
Your ideal audience won’t work with you unless they trust you can deliver results. Build credibility with case studies, testimonials, and thought leadership content. Showcasing real success stories from clients similar to your audience can dramatically increase trust.
Another incredibly simple way to build trust is to talk about the problem consistently and keep showing up.
Trust is built on predictability. The more I can expect a specific outcome, the more likely I am to trust it. If you had a vending machine where you put a dollar in and get two out, you’d empty your piggy bank TODAY to make it happen faster.
Most agencies want to be the vending machine, but no one can promise results like that. What you can do is keep showing up and providing value around the problem someone has. Eventually, they’ll take the leap to working with you.
Trust is the bridge between awareness and conversion.
6. You’re Not Consistent
Hey, what do you know? We just touched on this. People love consistency. They feel way more comfortable when they know what to expect.
Ever wonder how kids can watch the same episode of a show a hundred times and still be glued to it? One, it’s redintegration. Our brains are trying to close open loops. That sensation of closure feels great. But it’s also the comfort of knowing there IS a conclusion. They know what to expect.
Your ideal clients need to see your message multiple times before they take action. If your content or outreach is sporadic, you’ll struggle to stay top of mind. Develop a consistent content calendar and stick to it, focusing on delivering value over time.
One of my biggest failures in running an agency was not using my email list well. We’d hit the list when we had an event or something to sell. Thousands of potential leads were sitting there, untouched, only to hear from us when we wanted something from them. It meant we never got to leverage one of the channels we fully owned.
Consistency can take a lot of effort at first, but eventually, it gets easier. It builds momentum, all the while keeping you relevant in your audience’s minds.
7. Your Brand Lacks a Strong Identity
Without a distinct brand voice and personality, your agency becomes forgettable.
There are very very few agencies that stand out from the rest when it comes to their brand. That’s because too many agencies think making some flashy colors and bold statements on the website are enough.
Let’s take it to the literal meaning of a brand. When a rancher stamps that cattle, it’s doing two key things. First, it makes it so other ranchers can’t steal their cattle and claim it’s their own. Second, it’s signaling to buyers what quality of product they’re getting.
When your ranch has a great reputation, the brand means more. Which also means you’re going to command higher rates, etc…
One reason you’re struggling to reach your audience is because your content sounds like everyone else. When you have a true brand, it stands apart and people start paying attention.
First, it’s one person. Then that gets shared with others, and then next think you know, you’ve got an actual audience.
To jumpstart this branding, talk about the problem in a way that no one else does. Your take on the problem is what’ll set you apart.
Here’s a fun action item you can take away: Turn on ChatGPT on your phone. Tell it you’re going to rant about a topic and that you want to provide a summary and highlight key points of your message.
Then use the voice feature to go ham on the problem. Get your blood boiling talking about everything wrong with the industry.
After you’ve taken a moment to cool off, review the output. Do some refinement, but let this serve as the basis for your branding.
Make Your Move: Narrowing Your Focus
Now that you’ve identified where your agency might be missing the mark, it’s time to take action.
Get after it by refining your niche and focusing on one specific audience with a clear problem to solve.
Start small—survey current clients, update your messaging to reflect their pain points, and align your offer with the transformation they seek. Then, show up consistently on the right platforms and build trust by sharing your expertise.
With a clear identity and consistent efforts, you’ll gradually see your ideal audience gravitate toward you.
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