The world has conditioned us from toddlerhood to understand that ‘most’ is what matters. Even a two year old instinctively knows that having just one more chocolate chip cookie than his sister is a good thing. Life teaches you that the people with the most win and so the quest for more begins pretty early on. It becomes part of how you operate, how you value yourself and keep score.

In business the quest for more has led to marketing without context. A kind of ‘great email smash and grab’ which has left us living in pop-up hell. The idea being that as long as you get the email address, the view, the like or retweet you’ve won.

The truth is that you never win if you try to make your work resonate with everyone. It turns out that ‘most’ isn’t the best measure of a more successful business or fulfilled life.

I know for a fact that headlines that promise to deliver ’10 steps to marketing success’ attract more eyeballs….but if hearts and minds is what you’re after, then a more eyeball strategy might not be the best one for you.

It’s far more important to reach out to the people who care, than to take aim at everyone.

Image by visitflanders.