A common theme you’ll hear regarding home-business success is the niche. And whether you pronounce it neesh or nich, it can be one of the most powerful words in the lexicon of the home-based business. From targeting your message, to clarifying who your customers are, defining your niche is essential to many aspects of a successful home-based venture. I hear the common arguments all the time with folks I work with – “I don’t want to pigeon-hole myself,” “my product really works well in several target markets,” “my niche is everyone with a [fill in the blank].” But by not defining a niche you can really hamstring your business – particularly when it comes to marketing.
Wendy Maynard, the Marketing Maven, has an excellent post from yesterday that really captures this idea well:
Positioning yourself in a niche is powerful.
It is a strategic process to match your expertise and passions with the people you are targeting. And it sets you apart. You are competing with a lot of noise in the marketplace to get your potential customers’ attention – and their business. If you can stand out with a unique benefit (your niche specialization), you are a lot more likely to get noticed because you are unique from your competition.
The real power comes from truly understanding your customers, as well as what you bring to the marketplace. What makes your business special, and a magnet for success, is your unique mix of talents and how you view the world. In order to truly capitalize on those gifts, you have to zero-in on those that can best benefit from what you’re offering – and provide them with the best possible product, service, or experience that you can.