Less is more: how segmentation makes your personal brand stronger

Segmenting the market is one of the most powerful strategic decisions you can make for your personal brand. Yet it is often misunderstood—or worse, avoided entirely. Many high-potential professionals think that narrowing their focus will limit their options. But as we’ll see, segmentation is not a limitation. It’s a strategic tool to clarify your offer, cut through noise, and maximise your impact.

Let’s begin with a clear definition.

What segmentation is (and why it matters)

Malcolm McDonald and Ian Dunbar, in their classic Market Segmentation: How to Do It and How to Profit From It, propose a structured process that helps brands—corporate or personal—understand where and how to play in a competitive environment.

Their segmentation model consists of two major phases:

• Phase 1: Identify the segments

  This includes:

  • defining the market area and structure

  • identifying the decision-makers at each level

  • mapping their needs

  • grouping those with similar needs into segments

• Phase 2: Select the segments worth serving

  Here, you:

  • evaluate each segment’s attractiveness (based on size, growth, competition, and alignment with your capabilities)

  • decide where your brand can deliver the most relevant and unique value

These phases are applicable not only to companies but to personal brands too. As a professional, entrepreneur or executive, you must identify which audiences your brand can serve best—and which ones you should deliberately avoid.

The classic segmentation criteria

McDonald and Dunbar highlight five main segmentation criteria:

1. Product/service needs: What benefits are different audiences looking for?

2. Demographic factors: Age, gender, socio-economic data.

3. Geographic factors: Location and its implications.

4. Channel behaviour: Through which platforms do people reach you?

5. Psychographics: Motivations, emotions, and worldview

This last criterion—psychographics—is crucial in personal branding. People follow a personal brand not only for its functional value, but because it resonates with their deeper beliefs and aspirations.

Four reasons why segmentation empowers your personal brand

1. You find a less crowded space

   When you segment, you don’t just serve a market—you select a part of the market where your brand can stand out. This reduces competition and increases your visibility. Think of David Bowie in the 1970s: his androgynous persona and artistic direction did not appeal to everyone—but that was the point. He deliberately crafted a brand that stood outside the mainstream and, as a result, attracted a fiercely loyal following that grew with him.

2. Your offer becomes more focused and relevant

   Once you know whom you serve, you can shape your message, your value proposition, and your tone of voice to match. A narrow audience means a sharper, more resonant communication. Andy Warhol offers another example. He didn't try to please the entire art establishment. Instead, he targeted those fascinated by consumer culture and celebrity, elevating soup cans and Hollywood icons to the realm of high art. The message was clear, focused, and profoundly disruptive.

3. You become more efficient

   Broad messaging requires broad energy. Segmenting helps you concentrate your resources—time, energy, and money—where they matter most. Instead of trying to be everywhere, you invest where the return is highest. When Bowie leaned into the Ziggy Stardust persona, he wasn’t spending energy trying to be accepted by the mainstream. He channelled everything into the expression of that one character, and it worked.

4. Your value proposition gains clarity

   The clearer your segment, the easier it is to define what value you bring—and why it matters. Segmentation, therefore, is not only about the audience: it is also a tool to refine your own identity and sharpen your strategic posture.

The paradox of segmentation

Segmentation may seem counterintuitive. You reduce your potential audience—but increase your chances of success. By saying no to many, you say yes more powerfully to the few that matter. And in personal branding, as in all strategic positioning, that’s the only audience that counts.