Carving Out Your Niche

Carving Out Your Niche

Who is your buyer? When I ask business people that question, I often get the response, "Everyone!" But once they start to think about it a little more, they realize their business does in fact cater to a specific audience, or a niche market. Niche markets often serve one or more of the following categories:

Age
Gender
Income level
Life stages (brides, parents, senior citizens)
Professions

Knowing your niche market is important from a business standpoint because it can help you distinguish your business from your competitors and allow you to focus on how to best serve your particular niche. When it comes to your marketing plan, knowing your niche will help you choose the best weapons for reaching your niche market. For instance, if you are selling yachts, you will likely advertise in an upscale magazine. If you are selling wedding invitations, you might try to advertise on a website for brides or have a booth at a bridal expo.

Just as it is important for you to finding your niche market, your niche market must be able to find you. There are many ways you can position your business so it can be found. Make sure your business is properly categorized in your local telephone book and you are listed in pertinent trade directories. And in this day and age, make sure your niche market can find you through a search engine, which can be accomplished through Search Engine Optimization and keywords. For example, if you own a plumbing service specializing in new construction, make sure your site can be pulled up with the words "new construction plumbing in [your city]."

I have merely touched the surface on the subject of niche marketing but I would be happy to discuss this issue with you at greater length. Please Contact Me, Tom Long, for more information at SolidOakConsulting.com or 708-524-0886.