A common thought shared among small business owners is if they offer more products/services, they’ll get more customers as the result. While this makes sense, having a business niche can actually boost business more than offering a wide range of products. It may not make sense to everyone, but providing knowledge about a small set of products/services to a defined market will help businesses be known for that “thing.” When people know these businesses for this “thing,” they’ll instantly become the “go-to” for their niche.
Although having a niche has its advantages, there is still the challenge of reaching this small, subset group and marketing them effectively. After all, how many people are there in the world in search of fish-shaped tableware or bathroom décor that smells like bacon? It almost seems like marketing to a niche market is harder than marketing to the general public, but there is a way to do it effectively.
If you’re a small business owner who would like to start marketing your niche, keep these tips in mind for your future marketing efforts.
Know Your Niche Market WELL
This applies to pretty much all areas of marketing, but it’s especially true for reaching your niche market. For example, if you own a bakery that specializes in French desserts, your audience is motivated by very different things than the people who will go to their closest Dunkin Donuts. Get to know their behaviors and find out their concerns, where they go for their information and what drives them to come to you. A great place to start is by talking to your customers directly.
Specialize and Tailor Your Website’s Content
Oh, content marketing; how can you be everyone’s best friend and worst enemy at the same time? It’s essential for any marketer and can make a dramatic impact for websites, but it’s a big challenge to craft the perfect content for a niche market. A blog alone will not suffice for a nice market; your entire website must provide valuable content for this particular audience. This doesn’t mean it all has to be words; you can create infographics and videos to appeal to multiple types of people in your market.
You Can’t Be Everything to Everyone
Seth Godin once said, “Everyone is not your customer,” and this is so true for any business. Remember, your small business is not trying to sell your products/services to every single person; you’re trying to build a loyal customer base from a select group of people. These kinds of customers will tell their friends, who should also fit your demographic, about your business if you work hard to please these people.
Market Selectively
A niche market needs to be reached on particular marketing channels, which means your business doesn’t need to be active on every social media channel. Choose the best two to three channels where your niche audience spends time. If you’re a lawyer, it’s probably a wasted effort to have a Pinterest or Instagram account, but Facebook might lead you to more clients or referrals.
Find Some Niche Keywords
Keyword research will play a big part in finding your niche audience online. These keywords will be used in your website’s content and blog, and these terms need to be as specific as possible. If you are a costume designer specializing in Renaissance-era dresses and accessories, you’ll need more direct keywords than “costume designer,” as this will throw your business in with thousands of other costume designers who will design every kind of costume from cavemen to clowns.
It’s true that targeting a niche market will take a lot of work, but establishing your brand as the “go-to” for your specific audience will pay off in the end. So, go ahead and tell the world about your bacon bathroom candles; we’re sure there’s a niche audience of bacon lovers out there for you!
If you have questions about niche marketing, contact GreenMellen Media today!
