Last November, I received an email from Kathy Times, an Emmy winning journalist, communications strategist, executive coach, and past president of the National Association of Black Journalists.

Through KathyTimesWOW, she helps leaders strengthen their communication, personal brands, and professional presence.

Someone had referred her to me, and she wanted to discuss how I could support her with a LinkedIn newsletter. Kathy facilitates the NABJ Leadership Academy and works with emerging media executives, so I was excited to connect with her.

After I helped her with her LinkedIn content, she told me how much she loved my work. We began talking about developing a workshop together. A few months later, Kathy invited me to join her panel at the NABJ Convention in Atlanta.

The panel, “Newsletters, Influence, and the Power of You,” also featured the amazing Philip Lewis and Jai Stone. I discussed brand positioning, drawing from my background in TV news and my work as a content strategist.

Getting specific about who I serve

During the panel, I talked about my decision to become more specific about the audiences for my two brands.

For Chayil Media Publishing, I help Christian women service providers use their stories and expertise to market their businesses. After seven years in business, I understand many of the challenges and emotions connected to building a business while staying grounded in your faith.

My understanding also comes from building The Virtuous Creative. I started it as a blog in 2013. Back then, it had a totally different name and mission. Later I re-branded it as an independent journalism platform for Christian women entrepreneurs. Both experiences help me create marketing grounded in what this audience cares about, struggles with, and hopes to accomplish.

Being specific doesn’t close the door

Choosing Christian women service providers as my target audience for Chayil Media Publishing gives my marketing stronger direction. It helps me decide which challenges to address, which stories to share from my experience, and how to talk about my services.

Like many entrepreneurs, I once worried niching down would cost me opportunities. Then I realized my target audience guides my marketing without limiting who can hire me.

Someone outside my target audience may connect with my work, trust my expertise, and decide to work with me. I’m confident the right person will reach out when my experience fits what they’re looking for. In fact, they certainly have.

Being specific helps the people I want to reach recognize themselves in my message. Everyone else can still come through the door.

Positioning should show up across your marketing

Your positioning connects your website, emails, social media content, and videos. Each platform serves a different purpose, yet together they help people understand who you serve, what you offer, and what makes your perspective valuable.

So, think about your current website, emails, social media content, and videos. Would someone new understand who you serve? Would they know what you offer? Could they explain your work to another person?

People have a hard time recommending a business they don’t understand. Vague messaging also makes your expertise harder to remember.

Making someone study your website, scroll through weeks of posts, and search through every service creates too much work. Your audience needs an easy way to recognize when your services connect with what they’re looking for.

What do you want people to know you for?

Choosing your audience is one decision. Communicating that choice across your marketing takes deeper work.

The goal is messaging that sounds like you, reflects your expertise, and helps people recognize where your services fit into what they’re building.

Chayil Media Publishing helps Christian women service providers create website copy, emails, social media content, and videos grounded in their stories, expertise, and the people they want to reach.