It is said that if everyone is your customer then no-one is your customer. If your offering has been moderated so as to appeal to everyone then it becomes bland, ordinary and worse – average.
No-one wants average. Don’t try to appeal to the masses to broaden your market. Having a broader market brings it’s own problem – too much competition. If you don’t have a point of difference then you have nothing to offer that people cant get somewhere else.
If you’re selling dog collars, one google search will return thousands of results – thousands of competitors. However, if you’re selling dog collars made of carbon fibre, so Butch can’t chew it to pieces, the results are less abundant. That second search is specialised because it sits within a niche market.
So what is your niche and how do you find it ? Here are 4 steps to identify your niche:
1. Understand the need and desire for your offering and then you know how to sell it. You can’t execute a strategy for selling high end frying pans if you don’t cook as you don’t understand what makes them work. Understanding the need enables you to appreciate the requirements and expectations of your niche.
2. Have a genuine interest in your niche. If you don’t have that interest then providing for it will be impossible to sustain. A good way to identify your true niche is to focus on what you follow personally or as a business. Whether it is on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, a blog, a website or a Google alert. Use those groups to identify your niche and do your research to see if the perceived need you are working on exists. Facebook and Google+ are full of niche markets groups that can be a great source for research.
3. Assess the competition but never, EVER, be governed by your competition. To be reactive is to abandon all creativity. If you become defined by the masses then you blend in, and again, become average – remember, no-one wants average.
PEOPLE MAY SAY YOUR IDEA IS RIDICULOUS. EXCELLENT, AT LEAST IT INVOKES A STRONG REACTION. TO HAVE A POINT OF DIFFERENCE ALLOWS YOU TO DEFINE YOUR NICHE AND PROVIDE FOR IT.
4. Have a point of difference. The point of difference is a good ‘point’ to finish on. Finding what your competitors consider unimportant can be the edge that leads to success. A coffee shop may have standard coffee and the expected ambiance… BUT, if they have raw and organic sweets this could give them an edge. The edge is the point of difference that ensures continued custom from those who consider raw sweets a vital factor in their choice. Consider that which others find unimportant and promote that as a strength.
Identifying the niche market in which you will operate is a pivotal step in the discovery process that forms part of your digital strategy. Read more about how we approach Digital Strategy her
