Caroline Jordan MBA
I am a great admirer of businesses that serve and market to one
or a small number of niches. It's such a great business model
and one of the fastest ways to grow a business. I know one
marketer who develops websites exclusively for life coaches,
another business that develops marketing programs for the spa
and pool industry, and another business that specializes in
providing tax services for clergy. And they're all busy!
When they develop their marketing materials, services, and
products, they are able to speak to a very specific segment of
the population. Niching allows them to "go deep" into the needs
and problems of one particular profession or demographic. For
example, clergy have very specific tax situations with their
pay, housing allowances, and Social Security taxes. A tax
preparer specializing in this market can market to a very
specific segment of the population (members of the clergy) with
a specific set of challenges (specialized tax rules applying
only to clergy). I have also seen a similar service for truck
drivers who have specialized tax rules, too.
Recently, I have discovered a new medium aimed at one of my
favorite niches--quilters. I have a confession to make...When
I'm not helping my customers grow their businesses, I can
usually be found stitching away on my sewing machine. (Hi, my
name is Caroline and I'm a quilt-a-holic.)
The new medium is an online Quilters News Network. A 24/7
internet based television network of quilting shows, tips, and,
of course, advertisements for all the things quilters love. I
heard about it from another quilter and as soon as I discovered
it, my productivity dropped like a rock off the top of the
Empire State Building. Did I mention it's all quilting all day,
right on my computer screen? What's a quilter to do?
The quilting community is a great example of a profitable niche.
Whenever I go to my quilting group or participate in a quilting
event, I pick up a new tip, learn about a new tool or pattern,
or meet a new quilter. And we talk. A lot. "Have you been to the
new quilt store?" "Have you seen this new tool?" "Have you tried
this pattern?" Word spreads like a wild fire through the
quilting community when we find something new that we like.
The quilting niche is made up of 22 million happy quilters. It's
subdivided into any number of smaller niches--traditional
appliqué, machine quilting, hand quilting, trapunto, redwork,
etc. It is a hungry market--we can't get enough fabric, tools,
and patterns.
What hungry markets can you tap into to build your business to
the next level? Serving a niche is the difference between trying
to find a needle in a haystack or walking into a room full of
quilters and offering them a good deal on sewing machine
needles. Which one will give the greatest return on your
investment?
About the author:
Caroline Jordan, MBA would like to find more time for quilting,
if only she wasn't so busy serving her niche, self employed
professionals who struggle to attract clients they enjoy,
improve cash flow, develop additional streams of revenue, and
create a more successful business visit
http://www.TheJordanResult.com for more tips and strategies.
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