Small Business Marketing Tip - Focus on a Niche or Target Market

I think selling and marketing today often feels a bit like talking to a brick wall and that in interesting metaphor to help grasp the importance of niche marketing especially when it comes to small business marketing. Imagine for a moment that you are attacking that brick wall with a hammer, randomly hitting it everywhere. What would be the effect? Practically no effect at all. You might knock off a few chips but come back a day or so later, there will be no evidence you were even there.

And that's the effect of any broad marketing and advertising campaign. You may make the odd sale, but overall nothing will happen and a day or so later people will not even remember your name. But back to that wall again, imagine you took a different strategy. Instead of hitting all over the wall, you concentrated on just one brick, or you searched the wall to find a brick that was already weak. Now you are going to have a much better result.

And that's really the secret to small business marketing. Without the resources to reach millions of people, you have to concentrate your efforts on a small tightly defined market or research the market carefully and identify a small group with a similar urgent problem you can solve. Lets face it few small businesses are going to become global household names and even if they did, most simply don't have the capacity or the desire to support a huge market. Amazon.com may have been built in a garage but it was backed by a $300,000 investment and plans to build an international distribution business.

I have friends in the speaking business who deal only with dentists, yet their business turns over millions of dollars a year. In their market they have a huge presence and high reputation. They know everyone and everyone knows them.

The strategy is simple - Define a clear niche for yourself and set out to OWN it.

  • A niche you have a passion for, that you love being part of
  • A market of people you want to do business with
  • Only do business with people you like
  • Find businesses or people who have common problem's you can solve
  • Look for people who are likely to know each other
  • Seek networks of people who regularly meet each other
    • A niche doesn't have to be local to you. It can be global as long as it meets most of the criteria above. Once you have selected your niche its much easier to identity the magazines people read, the trade shows they visit, the conferences and networking meetings they attend, the places they meet, directories they are listed in, the online forums they are members of etc., and become a part of that community yourself.

    By working in a niche market you will quickly become an expert in solving their unique problems. You will understand their jargon. You will be talked about and recommended by people when they get together. You can establish relationships with editors and webmasters in the market and built a guru status.

    More importantly you will be much more able to customise your products and services to the specific needs of your niche market and demonstrate not only that you understand them, but that you care. All business marketing is ultimately about relationship building but that is so much easier for a niched small business because you can be much closer to the issues and you are able to adapt to changes more easily.

    About the Author:

    Founder and First President of the Professional Speakers Association (PSA), Rikki Arundel is a truly unique International Keynote Speaker, Trainer and Writer. She is openly and proudly transgender and an expert in sales and marketing communications with an impressive track record, and being transgender has provided her with a unique understanding of the differences in the way men and women communicate in business. http://www.RikkiArundel.com

    Get your free copy of How to Get Customers Queuing up to Buy at http://www.SpeakingandMarketingTips.com

    In The News:

    pen paper and inkwell


    cat break through


    How Testimonials Can Put You in the Spotlight

    If you need evidence that a testimonial or referral can... Read More

    Getting the Maximum Marketing Mileage Out of Your Nametag

    As a small business owner, you must always explore creative... Read More

    Making Your Mark With The Millennials

    Generation Y--The second-largest crop of young people in America's history,... Read More

    A Business In One Sentence

    Marketing expert and author, Geoffrey Moore, has a useful fill-in-the-blank... Read More

    Future of Marketing Part 2

    In Part 1, I discussed how traditional marketing is no... Read More

    Corporate Branding and Trade Shows - 8 Tips for Marketing Managers

    Trade shows are part of the marketing mix and the... Read More

    How Price Gouging Can Hurt Your Business

    "Price gouging" is an emotional, inflammatory term. Everyone is against... Read More

    21 Ways To Expand Your Subscriber List

    Expanding your subscriber list, whether it be for your ezine,... Read More

    Loan Officer Marketing ? How to Target the Right Agents

    Once there was a loan officer, who marketed his services... Read More

    Top Ten Blunders Exhibitors Make in Expos/Tradeshows

    Triple your response from expos by avoiding the top ten... Read More

    Online Magazine Subscription Services Make Shopping Online Fun For Magazines

    If recreating the old experience of subscribing to magazines by... Read More

    Psychology of Setting Prices

    Pricing is one of the four major components of marketing.... Read More

    The Easiest Marketing Plan Youll Ever Find

    When it comes to marketing there's simply too many choices.... Read More

    Marketing Tips: Free First

    When people think about promoting their business, the first thought... Read More

    Costly Web Copy Pitfalls

    One secret to a site that sells: Look at your... Read More

    A Jack Of All Trades Is Often The Master of None

    You've heard variations of that saying your entire life. Consider:... Read More

    Common Exhibit Marketing Mistakes: Ten Tips on How to Avoid Them

    The key to great exhibiting is marketing. But marketing is... Read More

    Take the Test: Do Your Marketing Materials Really Grab Attention?

    Today's constant bombardment of marketing messages means your materials must... Read More

    Trade Show Promotions That Are Memorable

    If you have been to expos and trade shows as... Read More

    Getting Paid to Promote Yourself

    We all know we can pay a magazine or a... Read More

    The Newest Marketing Course

    Certainly the newest earth quaking event in Internet Marketing insider... Read More

    How to Pick a Winning Business Name

    What's in a name?Think of your business name as an... Read More

    Building Credibility for Your Business

    Small companies that rely on business-to-business sales often find it... Read More

    Mail Orders Most Common Mistakes

    THE GREAT MAIL ORDER MYTH There are a number of... Read More

    Profitable Marketing Programs Part 2: Figuring Break Even Point

    In Part 1 -- I discussed how to consider both... Read More

    My Product is Obviously Better ? Why isn?t it Selling?

    The movie, "Field of Dreams" opens with a farmer standing... Read More

    Marketing Through Associations

    ©2004 Jeffrey DobkinIf you're in direct marketing, you're continually looking... Read More

    How to Turn a Marketing Calendar into Marketing Success!

    Do you have a list of marketing ideas that you'd... Read More

    Promotional Freebies

    What's a promotional freebie? A promotional freebie is something you... Read More

    Small Business Bonzai Marketing

    Do you own a small business? Do you wish to... Read More

    The Value of a Customer

    The Driver of All Marketing EffortsYou need to determine what... Read More

    Motivate Your Market Force

    IntroWant me to tell you something on how you can... Read More

    Another Commercial? Dont Touch That Dial! Watch & Learn

    When commercials come on the television do you get up... Read More