I started on Facebook in the late 2000s and treated it like a broadcast channel. I shouted into the void. People followed because the platform was new, then they tuned out as the “buy my stuff” posts piled up. By the late 2010s I joined the chorus saying “Facebook doesn’t work,” even while others were clearly printing results.

The fix wasn’t clever copy or a new ad hack. I stopped making it about me and made it about the customer. Cliché or not, it works.

Method: build a community around your customer’s “I am” statements. Don’t anchor it to your product. Example—if you sell family security software, almost no one says “I am a fan of security software.” Your base says “I am a parent,” which is too broad. Narrow to “I am a parent of school-aged children,” then to “I am a parent of school-aged children and I worry about their online safety.” That is the target identity.

Operationalize it. Publish to the worries, needs, and daily realities tied to that identity. Kill the “buy my stuff” reflex. Early on, skip overt branding. Use the identity-based community to build reach; use your branded page to target that audience with offers once the trust engine is running.

Learn more in a private workshop where we'll customize it for your audience.

P.S. My “I am” community is 150,000 strong. Ad spend since 10,000 members: < $500. Before that: $2/day. For real.

Anyone who played Madden Football in the 90s knows the phrase "Speed... Kills". Announcer Pat Summerall would utter this phrase when a player busted out for a big play.

The same is true on Google. (Slow) speed kills your website rankings. One of the first things we do is analyze your site for "speed leaks" to see what can be improved quickly. You'll be amazed at how a few changes here will improve the user experience and improve your rankings.

Run your website through the Google PageSpeed Insights tool to see how your site grades out. Anything less than 85 means you're losing a significant amount of traffic to your website.