Niche Marketing Begins with YOU

In order to succeed online, you have to differentiate yourself. But it's hard to stand out when you market your business without a distinctive set of prospects in mind. Differentiation is only one of the many benefits of niche marketing. This article will share the advantages of niche marketing and provide a game plan on how to get started.

Benefits of Niche Marketing

There are many benefits of niche marketing, including the following:

•  Easier to become an expert. By focusing on a niche, you become an expert at providing your service or product.
• Focus your marketing resources. In knowing your niche, you understand their buying habits and how to reach them.
• Tailor your services. When you serve a particular niche, you can offer products and services that meet their specific needs and what they are motivated to buy.
• Speak their language. When you understand the needs and the language of your niche, the better you can communicate the value of what you offer, and the more you can speak directly to their unique situation.
• Differentiate yourself. In targeting a niche, you can significantly reduce your competition and create a distinctive personal brand.
• Earn more money. As an expert, you can command higher fees, and leverage your efforts into multiple income streams.

Niche Market Versus Target Market

While "niche market" and "target market" are often used interchangeably, there is an important distinction.

 A target market is the group of people most likely to buy your product or service. They are the people to whom your product is being marketed   A niche adds another dimension. A niche combines your target market with what you are helping them with.  

Niche = target market (who) combined with the problem you are solving/need you are fulfilling (what)


Your “who” is your target market. When you combine your “what” with your “who”, you have your niche.

For instance, say you are a network marketer and you sell non-toxic cleaning products. Your target market could be people with asthma, while your niche is people with asthma who are looking for natural solutions to improve their health.  

The key to understanding niche marketing is realizing that people don’t buy a service or product, they buy a solution. That solution can help them solve a problem or achieve a goal. When you become the solution provider for your target market, you are a winner.  

Where Do You Start?

So where do you start first? With your “who” or your “what”?  

You might start by looking at yourself. What are you great at? What do you enjoy doing? What kind of experiences have you had that you’re most proud of? Then do some research to figure out what target market needs you can meet.  

Or you can go the other way.   Who do you like to work with? Who is your ideal client? Now what can you offer that ideal client that is special and different?  

Both approaches work but I think it is best to start with YOU.   You can’t be great at everything, but there is an area in which you have something special to offer -- a unique skill or perspective or approach. Now, you just have to figure out who wants what you have to offer.   And are they willing to pay for it? There is no sense in going after a niche if they aren’t willing to pay money for what you have to offer.  

Keep in mind that you can’t be all things to all people. In fact, you don't want to.   What is unique about you and what you have to offer? Before you get intimidated, remember two key things:  

1. What you have to offer doesn’t have to be revolutionary, but it has to be compelling.
2. Your unique offering doesn’t have to be compelling to everyone, it just has to be compelling to your target market.

There has to be synchronicity between what you have to offer and what your target market wants. When you find that connection, you can identify your niche.  

Remember, there is only one YOU, and you will ultimately attract those who find you compelling. Be true to yourself and you have the ability to help other people in ways that nobody else can.   

C indy Schulson is a small business and attraction marketing coach. She helps entrepreneurs identify their niche so they can differentiate themselves and focus on more effective marketing. As a result, they can leverage their business and create multiple streams of income.

As a member of the International Coach Academy and Coaching Cognition, Cindy Schulson brings both coaching experience and over 20 years of business experience to help you build a successful business. Contact her to schedule a free 45 minute coaching session.

The Difference Between Sales and Marketing and How to Be Good at Both

What is the difference between sales and marketing?

People often confuse the two or assume they are one and the same.

You use marketing to bring you qualified prospects and use sales to close the deal and build relationships with people.

In other words, the definition of marketing is everything you do to reach and persuade prospects to give you a chance to sell them. Sales is what you do to close the sale and get a signed agreement or contract.

In the world of internet marketing, the marketer drives people to the website, and the sales person is the one who forms a relationship with the prospects and closes the deal.

Good marketers and sales people have one thing in common: they both begin by putting their customers first and developing solid customer relationships.

To be effective at both marketing and sales, you need to identify your target market and understand their needs.

What are their hot buttons and core emotional desires? People buy with their emotions and justify with logic. So before you start rattling off a bunch of features, ask yourself, ""what does it mean to them specifically and how will it benefit them?"
 

Seven Reasons People Buy 

Good marketing and sales start with understanding what your customer wants.

If you know what people want, then you're 90 percent of the way there.

So how do you find out what people want?

Talk to people one-on-one. Listen to the requests they make, the questions they ask and their complaints. Also, look at the information they make public on forums, blogs and other social media. These are a goldmine of information about what people want.

 

Supplement your research with an understanding of the 7 reasons people buy:

1. Make money
2. Save money
3. Save time
4. Save effort
5. Improve health
6. Increase pleasure
7. Elminate pain

 

Why Don't People Buy from You? 

In most cases, negative emotions are a lot more powerful than positive emotions. Too often, sales focuses on why people should buy from you vs. why people don't buy from you.

There are typically four reasons people won't buy from you.

1. They don't know you
2. They don't want what you're selling
3. They don't want what you're selling more than what they would have to give up to get it
4. They don't believe you

Make their concerns and doubts the focus of your attention first.

This is especially important in network marketing, given how skeptical most people are about this industry.

Its funny that most network marketing companies say "we don't sell products we just share information". That helps people who are afraid of sales feel less intimidated by the process. But the truth is that network marketing does involve sales. It also requires marketing.

Be honest, upfront and straightforward with people. Not only will this earn trust, but it will allow you to differentiate yourself. The bigger you make your claims (about your business or product), the more you blend in with everyone else. Tone down your claims and show genuine concern for people's interests. Its a win-win solution.

About the Author

 Cindy Schulson is a small business and attraction marketing coach. She helps entrepreneurs get results faster by leveraging their strengths and building a solid foundation for success.  

In particular, she helps you identify who you want to attract (target market), how to attract them (attraction marketing) and what makes you different so that people will want to work with YOU (Unique Selling Prosposition).

 

As a member of the International Coach Academy and Coaching Cognition, Cindy Schulson brings both coaching experience and over 20 years of business experience. Contact her for a free 45 minute coaching session.

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