This is an opinion editorial by Fernando Nikolic, the director of marketing and communications for Blockstream.
“Bitcoin is not for everyone.” It’s a bold statement that may seem counterintuitive when the goal is mass adoption. After all, shouldn’t we aim to convince everyone about the benefits of Bitcoin? Well, the truth is, we can’t. And that’s okay.
In our world, it’s easy to live within a filter bubble, surrounded by like-minded plebs who reinforce our beliefs. But when we attempt to market Bitcoin to the masses, we quickly realize that not everyone shares our enthusiasm. The resounding chorus of “no” can be disheartening, and there are many examples of people claiming to “give up” on orange-pilling normies.
That’s not the way forward. We just need to resist the temptation to use the same message on the ocean of regular people who we want to bring to our side.
Finding Our Swimming Pool
Instead, we need to find our swimming pool, a smaller audience that gives us the chance to make a real impact. It’s unrealistic to expect every person to embrace Bitcoin, even with the most compelling pitch. By accepting this reality, we can laser-focus our efforts on those who are open to change and receptive to the message.
An example of someone who has understood this is Hermann Vivier from Bitcoin Ekasi. He is laser-focused on building a circular economy in a very specific place: the township of JCC Camp in South Africa — and knows everything about the people in that community: their pain, beliefs, needs, doubts — and educates his local community about Bitcoin based on this information.
Vivier knows certain things that we might value will not be seen in the same regard among his community members, so he adopts their language, sprinkles it in with Bitcoin truth and makes the case for Bitcoin in a way that only they can truly understand.
To me, that is the spirit of respect. We must acknowledge that Bitcoin is not for everyone. This doesn’t mean we are excluding or dismissing individuals; it’s about recognizing that our offering is tailored to different, specific groups.
By saying, “It’s not for you,” we show respect for everyone’s time, beliefs and desires. We can proudly declare, “This for you. Not for the other folks, but for you.”
To create something meaningful for the people who are willing to listen and study Bitcoin, we must embrace the freedom to ignore the critics who will never understand it. Our focus should be on polishing our stories for those who truly need to hear it, and want to hear it.
Success lies in changing the lives of the people who trust us, the ones who have connected with our vision. What others outside our target audience think becomes completely irrelevant!
Because there’s one thing about normies that applies everywhere: They truly struggle to articulate their desires explicitly. But they do know what they want. As Bitcoiners, we understand this too well, but the complexity of our knowledge often makes it challenging to express in a way that resonates with them.
Simplifying our message and accepting that Bitcoin is not for everyone allows us to focus on those who are ready to listen.
Like Neil Woodfine just wrote:
“Every minute spent ‘spreading the word’ or ‘promoting awareness’ would be better spent coding, designing, PMing, documenting, selling, or marketing a product.”
Standing For Something
In conclusion, Bitcoiners have the opportunity to stand for something. Rather than claiming “Bitcoin is for everyone,” we should start by identifying an audience worth serving.
By understanding their needs, wants and dreams, we can build something tailored for them. This requires sometimes going to extremes to make a solid point, finding our edge and standing for something specific, rather than trying to cater to everyone.
In doing so, we can create powerful narratives that resonate and drive meaningful adoption.
This is a guest post by Fernando Nikolic. Opinions expressed are entirely their own and do not necessarily reflect those of BTC Inc or Bitcoin Magazine.
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