Unveiling Unexpected Customer Segments with WP Engine
Updated on
Jason Cohen
@asmartbear·Sep 8
When we launched WP Engine, we thought we were selling to SMBs.
Then Google started buying.
Not because we were suddenly “Enterprise” but because individual teams at large companies have the same needs as small businesses.
Jason Cohen tweeted that WP Engine started out selling to small businesses… then Google became a customer. Turns out, big company teams often have the same problems (and buying behavior) as small ones.
Marketing lesson: Don’t assume your market is who you think it is
Your “ideal customer” might live inside companies way larger than you imagined.
Why it works
- Needs are defined by the job-to-be-done, not company size
- Product-market fit can spread laterally inside enterprises
- Flexibility in messaging keeps your funnel wide open
- Big buyers move fast when they can swipe a credit card
Real-world examples
- Slack started with small teams, now powers enterprise comms at IBM
- Figma built for designers, now used org-wide at Microsoft
- Notion spread from startups to global enterprises like Verizon
- Canva’s self-serve design tools landed clients like Zoom and Salesforce
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