| |
| |
|
Marketing Resource Center |
|
|
|
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. 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
MORE RESOURCES:
Marketing - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Customers Are Like Vampires No, customers aren't bloodsuckers (well, maybe a few are!) and they don't come out only at night. According to legend, vampires don't come in until they are invited. Loyalty Cards Systems - Beware, Some Should Be Avoided Recently, I discussed a loyalty card system with a vendor who was selling quite a number of his systems to restaurants. I was shocked to discover the lack of detailed information that this vendor catered for, and the opportunities the system he provided squandered. Using Flyers In Your Business If you are not using flyers in your business you are missing out. Flyers can be used to sell your product, promote your product, promote your services, and in a number of other areas. Basic Marketing Dope Sometimes the simplest data is the best. Marketing is not complex if you know the basics - that's true with anything by the way. Loan Officer Websites: Your Marketing Hub to Magnetize Realtors Too many loan officer websites look like congested intersections, information running every which way. Fancy gadgets, like calculators, online application submission forms and loan programs filled with jargon that customers don't understand. Business Promotional Items - How to Stimulate Word of Mouth Advertising If the promotional items you give out end up in the attic or shoved in the back of a desk drawer, they are probably not doing what they are supposed to be doing. However, if items you passed out to clients and customers are being seen again and again, chances are, word-of-mouth advertising is stimulating your business. Networking Magic YES-- it is true that Networking is an art that must be mastered. However, for those of you that are new to the networking game and the art of mastering it, please READ ON. Discount Promotional Items - How to Save Money It takes money to make money is an adage we hear everyday in the business world. So, when it comes to getting promotional items, you've got to budget for it. Newsletters - A Great Way to Build Business Relationships This is an excellent way to grow your business using yourmailing list (which I trust you are constantly building).However, you have to accept that there are people who'llread your newsletter and there are those who won't. There's More to Marketing ROI (return on investment) Than Meets the Eye All too often people look at marketing ROI in terms of response rate: in other words, "I sent out 10,000 pieces of direct mail and only got 39 responses which is terrible." This is wrong think. The Marketing Plan and the Four P's The Marketing Plan section of the business plan demonstrates how a company will penetrate the market with its products and services. The Marketing Plan should include "the four P's" - Product, Promotions, Price, and Place. Effective Tips For Telemarketers I had a telemarketer call me recently. Here's a rough transcript of the conversation. Quick and Instant Marketing Soup Everything happens Quickly and Instantly on the Internet. In the blink of an eye your easily transported around a whole planet. Niche And Grow Rich Unless you've been living under an Internet rock, you'veprobably heard the buzz about Niche Marketing. Right nowit's the hottest marketing topic online. Four Essential Marketing Plan Components Preparing a Marketing Plan for your product or service is a real eye-opening experience. While we all hope that our product or service will appeal to the masses, the truth is, that may not happen. Distinguish Your Business From The Competition You followed time-honored online marketing techniques to the letter: you have a great web site, the site has a high search engine rank, and you created a compelling marketing message that showcases your unique selling proposition. Unfortunately, your competitors are reading the same playbook and are implementing the same marketing strategies. How To Create Urgency So People Buy Now .. What Is Multi-Level And How Should It Be Worked Multi-level marketing is really a partnership. You go into business with someone that has the same interests and goals you have. Supply And Demand And Marketing According to Dough McCormick, Chariman and CEO of iVillage, Inc, "Technologists focus on supply but they don't understand advertising is focused on demand. Just because we have an available ad doesn't mean we have to sell it. Tooting Your Own Horn "If he who has a thing to sell Goes and whispers in a well, He won't be so apt to make the dollars As he who climbs a tree and hollers!" -- AnonymousEvery day in your business, something happens that others should know about. You give exceptional service to a client; you reach out to a new type of customer; you demonstrate your expertise on an important topic.
|
| home | site map | Advertising Articles |
| © 2006 |
