If your offering is not a mass market appeal, then your niche marketing strategy needs to position your brand for a specific, narrow and identified buyer. There are brands that appeal to the mass market. GE light bulbs, Xerox copiers, Dell laptops and the New York Times are focused on the masses. If brands like these are not your competitors, then you are a niche. You are part of the long tail. Your strategy is completely different. There needs to be a narrower focus to connect with your market. As an inbound marketing firm, we work heavily with niche marketing strategies. Our customers have a specific offering for a specific market. Here are strategies to keep in mind as a niche player to drive revenue with your niche.
Stay Narrow On Your Buyer Profile
“I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody.” – Bill Cosby
Heed Billy Cosby’s words. A niche, by definition, is exclusivity. There is a select crowd. Everyone is not part of it; only a select or self-selected group are part of it.
Trying to please everyone dilutes your brand and muddies your message. Ensure that your buyer profile is specific and targeted. Your messaging must be tightly communicated to this specific person. The narrower your message is, the better your brand will stick.
The temptation is to appeal to everyone. Stay away from this. Create new brands. But don’t try pleasing everyone. Your marketing strategy needs to focus only on the people that fit your offering in taste, personality and requirements.
One-to-One Marketing
Putting out a broad message only convolutes. Treat each message as if it were to a specific person, namely the one in your buyer profile. Create a personal tone. Use highlights of successful customers. Help your buyer see themselves in the accounts of your success stories.
One-to-one is the strategy to pursue rather than the one-to-many message. If you make spicy sausages for Asian food lovers, use language and stories that connect with this specific buyer. Be personal. Be sensitive and use the language which connects. Make it completely relevant to how this buyer thinks and considers based on what you know from your past customers which are similar.
Lead With Your Offering As The Best
Be the best. If you are not the best for your niche, redefine your niche or enhance your offering. There is nothing more powerful than being positioned as the leader. Go to the grocery store and you will see examples. There are lots of cheeses. Which is the best? Best in what category is the better question. Best cheddar might be different than best aged Swiss. The brands are likely totally different. They are both cheese, however, their differentiation in categories causes us to reconsider brands in our decision making.
Define your offering in a way that allows you to lead. Rally around this and be relentless in your communication to your buyer so that it is without question that you are the leader.
Choice Is Driving Niche Marketing
The internet has opened up the world of choice for all of us. We can consider more options. Your position in a niche and the perception you have in the mind of the buyer requires you to be specific in your approach. Marketing automation which filters your incoming leads into the right conversation are important for presenting the most personal and relevant information.
Using systems which help you qualify your buyer up front are critical in your marketing process. Success comes from being undisputed as the leader in your category. Ensure your niche is well-defined and that you connect with the ones that matter.
How can you get narrower to grow your opportunity?
Some years ago I began to market to sellers in distress via short-sales. This vehicle alone helped to create a niche for me. You are right Don. Keep up the great blogs.
Carlo, thanks for the comment. Moving where the market is pays off. It shows your keen business sense.