Helpful Questions and Tips on Niche Marketing
My clients and students are surprised and delighted to discover
that a refined niche marketing strategy not only attracts
significantly more business but also provides richer
opportunities for self expression. To help you discern your own
market niche, try using "where" and "who" questions like the
following:
"WHERE" QUESTIONS
Where do you consistently find kindred spirits? Where are you
most credible? Where is there the greatest need coupled with the
greatest appreciation for your work? Where do the people who
need your work most often have breakdowns that would cause them
to hire you?
"WHO" QUESTIONS
Who is naturally drawn to you and to your work? To whom are the
things that seem obvious to you a revelation? Who is traveling a
path that you have successfully walked yourself? Whose language
do you speak? Whose concerns can you reliably anticipate and
address? Whom is it easy for you to serve?
KNOWING AND WORKING FROM YOUR STRENGTHS ARE ESSENTIAL PARTS OF
DEVELOPING YOUR NICHE MARKETING STRATEGY
There are probably several ways in which your strengths can add
value in the marketplace. Therefore, developing a niche is a
process of exploring several possibilities and gradually
refining them.
You might think about developing a market niche as akin to
planting a garden. You start by planting lots of seeds rather
close together. As these germinate, you keep the strongest
sprouts and remove the others. As your garden grows, you will
continue to thin and prune until only the strongest and
healthiest plants remain. Along the way you give away or compost
the seedlings and trimmings; nothing is lost.
As you refine your niche marketing strategy, you'll grow in
integrity and confidence. With time, you'll know with certainty
which customers are right for you, and you'll attract more of
them.
ARE YOU AFRAID OF USING NICHE MARKETING BECAUSE IT MAY TURN AWAY
BUSINESS?
As you refine your market niche, you may experience some anxiety
that focusing on your niche will deprive you of needed business.
What do you do if someone outside of your niche wants to hire
you?
Talk to them. See how well you fit. There is nothing about a
focused niche that says you cannot work with a variety of
clients. The point of a niche is not to confine you, but to
create the healthiest ecosystem for your business. Focusing your
market niche is like focusing a great searchlight that can be
seen for miles around. Your searchlight may attract people from
beyond your niche precisely because you have defined that niche.
While you always have the option of working with anyone who is
attracted by your focused niche, do beware of trying to be all
things to all people. Not only are you likely to fail at this,
but you run an increased risk of coming across as inauthentic
and insincere. The cost of not applying a niche marketing strategy is not being recognized for the
offer that you are and not having a fulcrum from which to
leverage that offer for increased effectiveness, service, and
prosperity. The longer you persist in marketing to everyone and
anyone who could conceivably hire you, the more certain it is
that you will burn out, leaving yourself and your clients or
customers dissatisfied. In order to make a compelling
declaration of what you are up to, you must be willing to say
"no" to those clients, projects, and possibilities that are not
well within the scope of your passion and your expertise.
It is important to look to the market to see what your
prospective customers and clients want. But look with a keen eye
for how the needs and desires of the market match your
strengths, talents, and passions. Say "no" to the opportunities
that are a poor match, so that your vision and resources can be
focused on the projects and relationships that are most likely
to succeed.