Your marketing needs to focus with laser-like clarity, not on why your product or service is the best, but rather, what’s best about your product or service. Let me repeat that because this is so important and I don’t want you to misunderstand.

Your marketing should be concentrated on what is best about your product or service instead of why your product or service is perfect.

I see this kind of marketing in small to mid-size businesses all the time. And I’ve ranted on this subject before. Trying to be everything to everyone rather than figuring out your greatest strength and working to dominate that niche. It’s why so many small businesses go belly-up.

For a quick example, I’ll use Lin Colms of Eye 4 Image marketing firm. Lin used to do marketing for pretty much any small to mid-size business. However, he realized that he really wanted to focus on “green” businesses. He felt it was where his greatest strengths lay and his greatest passion.

Before that, I knew Lin was a good marketer but I know a lot of quality marketing firms and if someone asked me to recommend a marketing firm, there was no reason for me to recommend one over another. However, now every time a company with a green product or service asks me for a recommendation, I just give them Lin’s contact information.

Is Lin struggling because he’s decided to narrow his focus to just green products and services? Not on your life. He’s the only marketing firm I know of that exclusively focuses on “green.” People in “green” businesses know each other and word gets around fast…

So, what are the benefits of picking on strong niche and exclusively going after it?

1. More bang for your marketing buck – you can target all your marketing spends on the people and companies in that niche instead of trying to scatter your money all over the place to reach as many as you can.
2. It’s easier – once you’ve picked a target market, it’s pretty easy to figure out what websites, blogs and forums they visit, what magazines they read, what organizations they belong to, what trade shows they visit, what similar product or service companies you could do joint ventures or joint marketing with.
3. Other people become your marketing team – right now, especially if you’re in a BNI group and trying to get others to sell you, most people don’t know how to sell you or recommend you except in the most general terms. However, just like in Lin Colm’s case, once you narrow your focus to a particular, easily indentifiable group, it will be much easier for people to know who to recommend you to and why. You may get less referrals but the quality will go way up!

HackingEthics

Originally posted 2009-04-19 18:59:36. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

• Learn From Your Customers and Clients Are you learning from your customers and clients? If not, you aren't paying attention to...
• Small Business Can't Afford Exploratory Marketing Research Exploratory marketing research is often used by large companies to stay ahead of consumer thinking,...
• Wall Street Journal Article "How To Create A Successful Web Site For Nothing" Missing Vital Information The Wall Street Journal article on the front page of the Monday 8-11 Small Business...

• In Network Marketing Master The Art Of Preselling Image by TURCOLIVE via Flickr I don't think this topic...
• What To Know When Affiliate Marketing Key points to look at when finding an affiliate program...
• Ideas for Blogging Content Pt 1 Business blogging is rife with benefits for those who utilize...