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Niche Marketing - Specialize for Entrepreneur Success!By Tammy Ames
Niche marketing is the buzz word of internet marketing with good reason. It makes good business sense. Entrepreneur success comes with specialized knowledge and your focused efforts to meet the needs of a specific market. Remember this specific market will only be profitable if you offer something unique and enough people are willing to spend actual money to solve their problems or meet their needs. Niche marketing is based on two things. Your special offer AND enough people looking for what you have to offer them. Notice this is about you. Your own specialized effort. Your own sense of style and service could be enough to help you edge out the competition but the more competition - the more unique you will have to be to succeed. Already have a business but not making enough money to really call it a "business"... yet? Take stock of what you are doing right now and see where you can whip up your own sense of style. Become an expert. Start with your product or service. Know everything there is to know about it. This product - who needs it, what do they use it for, where are they buying it now or where are they looking for it, why they want it, how your item will meet your clients need. Create an ideal client profile for each product or service you offer. Who needs or want it - general then look at "who needs it most now!" Do you see how your list changes when it make the “want” urgent... based on NEED first? Who is able to pay for "it" and who is willing to pay the price you've set. Become an expert of this person. Write down everything you can possibly think of in regards to this ideal "customer." This image you create will guide you through the remaining steps of this exercise. This ideal client you want to reach... What EXACTLY does he or she want? What problems or desires will it address? Do they want to buy it? Are they looking for a free or cheap way to get their hands on what they want? Do they worry about price? Does quality outweigh quantity for this perfect customer? By knowing exactly what type of solutions or desires your ideal customer is looking for, you will be better prepared to meet their need. Where are they currently getting this service or product? If you offer is a new or unique product or service, look closely at similar items and how readily available they are to your target market. Where would they "shop" to find what you now want to offer? Why are they looking for it? Why is it important to them? Why should they look to YOU for a solution? How effective will your item be? How soon do they need it? How badly do they want it? How will they expect to pay for it? How much are they willing to pay? How fast will they expect delivery? How will they hear about it? How will you convince them that you offer precisely what they are looking for? At first glance, this exercise seems overwhelming but you will quickly see that knowing your product and the people who will buy it is the ONLY way to design your own niche marketing plan. Work your way through all of your products or services and write out the answer to the questions in all 5 areas above. Only then will you KNOW how to build your business. Armed with this information you can plan your website, your blog, your sales pages and your content. You will know how to relate to your readers and visitors. You will use your "expertise" to match up the right products and customers. As a specialist in your "field" you will learn how to meet the needs of your clients. Become an expert on your customers. Too often, I watch home business owners struggle online because they don't understand that the key to having a successful home business is being an avid student of both your product and the people who buy what you offer. Your niche? This specialized knowledge and strong passion that compels you to be always learning in this one chosen area. The more specialized, the easier it is to stay focused AND be effective. Think of it like MEDICINE. A general practitioner needs to know a little about everything. A pediatrician needs to know all about children. A pediatric specialist focuses all their reading, conferences and training on ONE main area of children's medicine. It is the same with auto repair...from a general mechanic to an expert in the maintenance and repair of British imports. Spend some time thinking about how YOU can grow yourself into the role of EXPERT. Then start - reading books, attending seminars, writing articles and networking. Your specialty is your niche. Your ideal clients will become your niche market. Your plan to reach these clients is your niche marketing plan. Find a market with a profitable niche that matches one of your passions (yes, you are allowed more than one!) then develop your specialty. Market your specialized knowledge to your (soon to be) customers and start solving their problems, meet their needs or fulfill their wishes. Start a customer loyalty program AND a referral system. This will help you keep your hard earned customers AND create a steady stream of customers. THIS is niche marketing. This is when you will find you are no longer a struggling home business owner but an entrepreneur that is finally reaching your target market. That is Success. To Your Success!
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