Can Someone Pass the Ketchup?

You’re at a big dinner table. Jerry says:
“Can someone pass the ketchup?”

Everyone hears it, but no one budges.

Why?
Because Jerry didn’t say who. So no one felt that they were spoken to. And so no one acted.

That’s what happens when a SaaS product tries to speak to “everyone.” The message floats into a void. No one leans in. No one responds.

If your product is for everyone, it hits no one.

This is more than a marketing issue. It’s a product issue. A UX issue. A design issue. A copy issue. A strategy issue.

In SaaS, the desire to be broadly appealing is often really a bad case of indecision.

You think you’re opening more doors, but you’re actually closing them. Why? Because general equals forgettable.

Here’s what usually happens when you try to be for everyone:

• Vague messaging - “Optimize your workflow.” Okay... whose workflow?

• Generic UX - Designed for everyone, so it is truly helpful to no one.

• No trust - If I don’t feel that you understand me, I won’t trust you to solve my problem.

Being specific makes you believable. It gives people a reason to care. That’s how you build real traction.

Every touchpoint in your product should make your user feel:
“They get me.”

That doesn’t happen by accident. It happens when you design, write, and build for someone specific.

• UX - Your flows should match how your actual user thinks. A marketer does not think like a real estate developer who doesn’t think like an SNF operator.

• Design - Visual language matters. Use colors, layouts, and interfaces that feel native to the user’s world.

• Copy - Speak in the words they use. Reflect their thoughts back to them.

When you stay neutral, you sound like elevator music.
Polite. Vaguely pleasant. Totally ignorable.

Instead:

• Be narrow in your audience

• Be bold in your message

• Be consistent in your voice, visuals, and values
  
  

Marketing works when it’s clear who you’re talking to; when you call someone’s name and cause them to look up.  

Real Examples of Doing It Right 

Airbnb didn’t launch with “a better way to travel.”
They zeroed in on a very specific use case:
Conference-goers in cities with sold-out hotels, looking for a cheaper place to crash.

Not luxury travelers. Not family vacationers.
Just a clear group of people with a real problem.

That narrow entry point gave them traction. Later, they grew into a platform for all kinds of travel.

Slack wasn’t marketed as “a better communication tool.”
It was built for engineering teams drowning in endless email threads.

The pitch wasn’t fluff — it was direct: “Here’s how your dev team can get out of inbox hell and actually move faster.”

They solved a specific pain for a specific group — and that group became a springboard for other groups.

The worst part is when people say, “Well, Slack is for everyone. So we can also be.” It’s like reading the book from the end. They didn’t start out for everyone. 

TL;DR

If your software is built for everyone, it’s connecting with no one.

When you don’t speak directly to your audience, you risk them hearing nothing.
Every touchpoint — whether it’s UX, copy, design, or marketing — should feel like you’re speaking directly to one person with their specific pain points, needs and language.

When you do this:

• Your messaging becomes clear.

• Your product becomes easier to use.

• Your marketing becomes magnetic.

Name them. Picture them. Speak directly to them.

Only then will they hear you. Only then will they act.

And only then will they pass you the ketchup.

Ok, now how do I find my Someone?

In SaaS, clarity is power. The more you narrow your focus, the stronger your product and message become. When you try to be everything to everyone, you risk losing the attention and trust of your actual audience.

If you need help finding that focus, narrowing down your audience, or making your product speak to the right people, I’m here to chat. Let’s make sure your SaaS product speaks to the people who matter most.