NB BLOG

“I want to be Amazon”, claimed one of my prior marketing clients. While not a bad goal, setting out to become the biggest online marketplace in the world is most likely unattainable, and surely business suicide.

You can’t be all things to everyone.

We all have our limitations, but more importantly, we all have our uniqueness…and a much better goal when starting out is to find your Niche or uniqueness. Then you can use that uniqueness to serve an audience like you.

Niche: the situation in which a business’s products or services can succeed by being sold to a particular kind or group of people.

-Mirriam-Webster Definition

So, Niche marketing helps find your base, or a particular group of people that you can serve best.

Now, that’s not an easy task…and you may be wondering where to start. Here are some basic concepts along with some very successful examples of how those niche marketing concepts have been leveraged to grow successful businesses.

Learn Your Niche’s Problems

Contrary to some Niche Guru advice,  you’ll actually need to listen to your audience and care about their problems.

I know, I know you have your own problems right?  One of them may be not having enough money…but you won’t be able to provide value to a a niche audience if you first don’t understand them.People go online for answers. If you can provide them answers in advance of having to call you or purchase something, you will create value in your niche.

And people do ask questions all of the time, and they also go online for answers. If you can provide them answers in advance of having to call you or purchase something, you will create value in your niche.

To find what questions a niche has, research, document and address common questions and concerns of a segment of people online.

You can do this by looking at industry social media pages, perusing the comment section and noting recurring themes of questions, concerns or desires.

Who do you identify with? What problems can you solve?

Jay Baer, author of NYT best selling book, Youtility, revolutionized the swimming pool business by addressing his market’s problems, and answering his customer’s questions in advance.  A common problem a niche has is finding the information they need in order to even start the purchasing process of a pool.

Jay was one of the first to put this FAQ online, creating a resource that not only helped people, but moved potential leads closer to a purchase more efficiently than any of the competition.

Solve Your Niches Problems and Build Massive Value

Hey guys…ever have a problem buying disposable razors? One trip to target, you’ll be more inclined to grow a beard. If you make it to the Razors after being distracted by the women in the makeup Aisle, you’ll be met by a litany of high priced, sleek designed razors that leave you with inkling to let your beard grow.

Shopping at the convenient store isn’t much better, as you’ll need to ask a clerk to unlock a glass case, which is worse than having to stop and ask for directions.

Certain Guys don’t break the bank on beauty items. $10 buzz cuts at the barber, or Supercuts is all many guys are willing to spend on grooming for the month.

So, along comes the Dollar Shave Club, which fulfills the needs for a niche of men and have been greatly rewarded. The company addressed two needs, one being the desire for a palatable price for shaving, and the other need was convenience, and never having to go into the beauty section at target.

Take a Stand and Get Noticed

What do you identify with? Republicans or Democrat? Religious or Athiest?

People feel better about themselves when they identify with a group, and different than another.

Taking a stand online is like posting a racey photo, people will notice and react.

Donald Trump did not try to appeal to everyone; he isolated and took a radical stance on many issues.  Why? Because that is how you build a base.
When a politician tries to be everything to everyone, they sound weak and watered down, people see through it more easily and it’s hard to identify.

So, stand up, stand out and make some waves.

Start with yourself, what are your likes, ambitions, needs, problems in your life.   Then identify an audience with similar views.

You’ll then be more successful if you bring value to a particular group of people’s lives, you can’t help everyone.

And above all, Niche down…Don’t aim become Amazon. Better would be to aim for the Amazon of teeth whitening, or better yet the Amazon of teeth whitening for espresso drinkers.