Have you ever heard that phrase “No one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public”.

(It's actually a paraphrase of something that H.L. Mencken wrote in 1926).

And while the phrase is kind of funny, I don't believe it's a good one to follow. I rather prefer David Ogilvy's comment that “the customer is not a moron, she's your wife”.

The thing is, both these phrases are true. Because there are both intelligent and less intelligent customers in every market.

Which ones would you rather have?

If you'd like intelligent clients, then treat them as intelligent in your marketing. Don't make ridiculous claims of all the wonders that will befall them if they hire you. Be realistic.

You'll lose a bunch of potential clients as a result. But do you really want clients who expect unrealistic results?

Similarly, you see many “personalities” complaining or ranting about others in their marketing. They're doing it to polarise their audience, of course, which is generally a good thing. Better to be loved by a few than seen as just OK by everyone. 

But the problem with being a “shock jock” type personality is that the people you attract tend to be the sort of angry, complaining people that most of us wouldn't want as clients.

So whenever you're thinking about trying a new marketing technique, don't just think about how many clients it will get you. Think about what sort of clients they'll be.