Small Business Marketing Articles...

What Works for Marketing Your Services? Part 2 of 3

If you want to succeed with marketing your small business, you have to start with the basics and build on your efforts. Probably the most basic and fundamental marketing question to ask yourself is, who are you marketing to?

If you don't know exactly who it is you're trying to reach with your marketing, the only one you'll reach is -- no one. The most basic building block of marketing your small business is identifying your target market -- your niche.

But, unfortunately most small businesses never identify who there target market is. Instead they say they can help and work with "Anyone, everyone and someone."

The problem with this is it's too broad and not a target at all. Think about it, no successful small business owner can work with anyone, everyone or someone.

You work with specific clients -- specific real people that have specific pains, problems or predicaments you can help solve. Anyone, everyone and someone is not specific enough.

You've probably heard the saying, "find a niche, and you'll get rich." Take it one step further by finding your niche, specializing in it, and consistently marketing to that niche -- and you'll definitely get rich!

By picking a niche and specializing in that niche, you'll set yourself apart from the competition. You'll know exactly who you are, who you can help and what you can do for them -- and your prospects will know too.

Why is it so important for small businesses to identify their target market and choose a niche? Because people want to work with specialists, not generalists.

When you choose a niche and specialize in that niche, it is 1,000 times easier to market your services...

You'll build a name for yourself as an expert, an authority -- THE one to go to for your service. You'll be able to charge and earn more for your services when you become a specialist. You'll attract bigger and better clients as your reputation as an expert grows. By specializing in your niche, you'll become really, really good at what you do, which will make your work much, much easier and more enjoyable.

How do you get started choosing your niche? A great way is to start by looking at the people you've already worked with - your current and past clients. Look for trends or common traits they share. Are the majority of your clients women? Are they young women, or old women? Are they single, married, or divorced? Do they have a hobby or profession in common? If you can spot a trend, that is something you can choose as a niche and focus on.

For example, a client of mine, who is a Chiropractor, noticed that a lot of patients he worked with suffered from numbness and tingling in their hands and feet. So he decided to make that his focus and niche - with great success.

If you can't find trends in your current and past clients, or if you are brand new in business...simply think about they type of people you enjoy or industries you think would be interesting to work with and just pick one.

The important thing is to make the choice to be specific versus doing what almost everyone else does...continue to settle for generic anyone, everyone and someone.

Some of the most profitable and successful companies specialize and work in a very specific niche. If you choose to do the same, you'll have no problem finding and marketing to clients who will consistently invest in your services.

By Jeanna Pool
©2008 CATALYST creative, inc.
All rights reserved.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jeanna Pool is the author of When Your Small Business is YOU™ Marketing Handbook. Her firm, CATALYST creative, inc. helps small businesses attract more clients on a consistent basis. Visit Jeanna’s web site at http://www.CatalystCreativeInc.com and grab your copy of her Small Business Marketing Mini-Toolkit absolutely FREE!

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