By Brad Shorr on August 13, 2008 11:50 AM
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Online or offline, it is extremely difficult to market effectively to everyone. To appeal to a mass audience, a firm must dilute its message to the point it barely appeals to anyone. A more effective approach, especially for Web-based marketing, is to find a niche (or series of niches), develop products and services that respond to the important needs of that niche, and then market with laser beam focus to the niche.
Reading Recommendations
For an overview of niche marketing on the Web, The Long Tail, by Chris Anderson
To learn why you must develop the offering first, then the marketing, Meatball Sundae, by Seth Godin
So what are some good niches to explore? You may find you have natural segments of the market right in front of you, that already fit into your current offering.
The green market is growing stronger in numbers and enthusiasm by the day. If your products and services have real environmental benefit, people in this group are ready to listen.
Single parents and recently divorced couples are underserved. They need help across a wide range of services - legal, financial, estate planning, real estate, insurance, and perhaps a service you offer.
Seniors are another underserved market, and one that is growing rapidly as the Baby Boomers go gray. Can your product or service be adapted for senior appeal? Something as simple as a smaller serving, larger print, or lighter weight could be enough.
Senior women, a subset of the above group, are not only underserved, they are not necessarily thought of as a niche outside the not-for-profit world. This is surprising, because in the U.S., this group controls an enormous - and growing - amount of purchasing power. If you are in the travel industry, operate a resort, or manufacture a luxury product, do you have special appeal for senior women?
Technophobes, folks who are overwhelmed by the pace and complexity of the Web and technology in general, seem to be growing in number as the pace of innovation accelerates. How do your products and services make life simpler, easier, quieter? These people desperately want to know.
Technophiles are the technophobes' opposite number. They'll take the latest, greatest, coolest, fastest, and loudest, and ask questions later. "New and improved" means something to them - but only if it's really, truly new and improved.
When in Doubt, Ask
One good way to find out if your offering has niche appeal is to get to know your current customers, as well as people who inquired but did not buy. A simple telephone or online survey can reveal unexpected buying motivations. For instance you may assume your product is being purchased because it is inexpensive, whereas in reality people are buying it because it can be recycled.
It's a big search world out there, and if you are in a business with broad market appeal, you may find it hard to stand out from the crowd on Google and other major search engines. You're not alone. Getting on the first page of Google SERPs is exceedingly difficult, and if paid search is your strategy, bring your checkbook - bidding on popular, general search terms can get very expensive.
On the other hand, if you have a niche in the market you can capitalize on it to raise your search profile and make paid search affordable.
Suppose your company provides personal financial services. You will have a hard time standing out in organic or paid search on a term like, "financial services" (107 million returns on Google). "financial services chicago" is better, but still returns more than 25,000 matches.
But by narrowing your focus to a part of the market you especially cater to, you'll see a dramatic difference.
"financial planners chicago" - 4,700 matches
"financial planners divorce" - 428 matches
"financial planners retirement" -5,100 matches
"financial planners generation x" - 2 matches
A careful keyword analysis (which Whoast can provide) may alert you to wonderful marketing opportunities that are there for the taking. Whatever your total search marketing budget is, you may find it more productive to split it up across a few niches, rather than spend it all on one broad campaign.
In an upcoming post I'll offer a few ideas on niches you may find attractive and/or have not fully considered.
