Strategic Fit 101: Matching Your Offering with the Right Market

Before we dive into tactics, let’s come back to the foundation.

What is strategy, really?

Strategy is not about grand plans written once a year. It’s the initial AND ongoing practice of making intentional decisions – and trade-offs -  to align your business direction with your resources, goals, and market realities. It’s about ensuring your limited resources (time, money, energy, experiential knowledge, and tangible & intangible assets) are used in the smartest, most impactful and profitable way possible.

Without strategy, even great products and services can miss the mark.

With it, you create alignment, efficiency, and sustainable momentum even in a crowded market.

And at the heart of a solid business strategy lies one critical element:

Strategic Fit

The alignment between what you offer, and what a clearly defined market segment deeply needs — and is ready to act on.

Why Strategic Fit Matters (Especially for SMEs)

Many businesses don’t fail because the product or service is weak.

They fail because they missed the fit:

• Solving the right problem for the wrong market

• Solving a nice-to-have instead of a must-have

• Offering something great — to an audience that’s not ready, aware, or willing to buy

I’ve experienced this firsthand — pushing offerings I knew were valuable, but the market wasn’t in the right state to receive them. It wasn’t until I re-evaluated fit that traction followed.

3 Steps to Nail Strategic Fit (with AI-Enhanced Support)

Step 1: Profile the Market (not just the “customer”)

Go beyond demographic and psychographic profiling:

·       What’s happening in their environment? (Trends, pressure points, external forces)

·       What are they navigating — growth, survival, transition?

·       What beliefs or constraints shape their decisions – especially those about offerings like yours?

AI empowerment tip: Use AI tools to explore buyer sentiment, map competitor messaging, and surface current concerns or unmet needs through online data.

• ChatGPT / Claude.ai: Generate buyer personas or segment-specific FAQs

• Google Trends + AnswerThePublic: Spot what your audience is currently searching for

• Exploding Topics: Discover emerging needs or pain points across industries

Step 2: Align the Offer Format with the Segment

Even if the core value is clear, how it’s delivered matters:

·       Do they need fast access, or deep customization? Time-poor clients might want done-for-you or fast-access solutions. Others may seek community or self-paced tools

·       Are they early adopters or risk-averse?

·       Do they value support, autonomy, exclusivity, or affordability? Early-stage businesses might want low-risk pilots or payment plans

Whether you're selling a physical product, tech tool, or consulting offer — tailor the structure to how they buy, not just what they need.

AI tools you can use:

• Notion AI / Copy.ai: Draft offer versions, outlines, and descriptions to test variations

• Typeform with AI logic or Tally.so + ChatGPT: Build smart surveys that adjust based on responses to qualify leads and spot fit

• Midjourney / Canva Magic Write: Visualize your offer quickly and test different positioning angles

Step 3: Validate Fit Before You Scale

Don’t assume it’ll work.

Test, adjust, then scale.

Ask:

• Is this solving an urgent, emotional, or expensive problem?

·       Talk to your market

·       Test their reaction to the offer format and price

• Understand their readiness to act

• Does your offering match their language, not just yours?

AI empowerment tip: Use AI to simulate buyer personas, create test messaging, and gauge interest through lean campaigns before fully committing.

AI tools you can use:

• ChatGPT: Simulate sales calls or objections for different segments

• Uizard or Framer AI: Build and test a mini landing page in an hour

• Looka / Brandmark: Mock up a branded version of your offer to test perceptions

Strategy is the Foundation

Whether you're selling SaaS, skincare, strategy, or stationery, your success doesn’t come from just building great things — it comes from aligning them with the right market, at the right time, in the right way. That is strategic thinking and alignment.

Strategy isn’t optional. Strategic fit is foundational.

So let me ask you: Is your current offer aligned with the segment most likely to say yes right now?

Let me know your thoughts/experiences — or book a 1:1 session and let’s explore it together.