20/09/2026
NOT 𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗬𝗕𝗢𝗗𝗬 IS 𝗬𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗖𝗨𝗦𝗧𝗢𝗠𝗘𝗥.
One of the biggest mistakes people make when starting an online business or trying to earn from a digital skill is trying to sell to everyone.
“I can work with anyone.”
“I offer services for everybody.”
“I just need more people to see my business.”
But the truth is, the more clearly you understand who you are trying to serve, the easier it becomes to communicate your value and reach the people who actually need what you offer.
Think about it. A graphic designer who says, “I design graphics for everyone,” is entering a very crowded market. But a designer who says, “I create social media graphics for churches and Christian organisations,” has immediately made their offer more specific. A particular group of people can now see themselves in that message.
The same applies whether you are a writer, virtual assistant, social media manager, web designer, video editor, researcher, AI professional or any other digital service provider.
Your skill may be useful to many people, but your marketing message does not have to speak to all of them at once.
Instead of constantly asking, “How can I get more customers?”, start with a more important question: “Who exactly do I want to serve?”
What kind of person or business has the problem you can solve? What are they struggling with? What do they need help with but don't have the time, knowledge or expertise to do themselves? Where do they spend time online? And what would make them willing to pay for a solution?
Consider two people offering content writing services.
The first says:
“I write articles, blog posts, captions and website content for businesses and individuals.”
The second says:
“I help small business owners who struggle to maintain their online presence create a consistent month of social media content without having to write every post themselves.”
Both people may have excellent writing skills. But the second person has made it much easier for a potential customer to recognise the problem, the audience and the solution.
That is what positioning does.
It doesn't mean you can only work with one type of customer forever. It simply means that when you are trying to build a digital career or attract clients, you need to know who you are speaking to.
Your ideal customer should influence the services you offer, the examples you put in your portfolio, the content you create, the platforms you use and even the kinds of jobs or clients you pursue.
So before you spend another week posting “I am available for work” or “I offer professional digital services,” take a step back and ask yourself:
Who exactly am I trying to help?
What problem do they have?
How can my skill solve that problem?
Because your goal isn't simply to get everybody interested in what you do.
Your goal is to become relevant to the right people.
When the right person sees your offer and thinks, “This is exactly what I need,” you are no longer just another person with a digital skill.
You have positioned yourself as someone who can solve a specific problem.
And that is where a digital skill begins to move from something you know how to do to something people are willing to pay you to do.
Build the skill. Identify the problem. Know your people. Position yourself well.
That's how digital skills can become income.
