“What is your problem?” asked the Cheshire Cat. Bewildered, Alice replied, “I don’t know which road to take.” “Where are you going?” the Cat asked. “I don’t know,” said Alice. “Then it really doesn’t matter which road you take!” replied the Cheshire Cat.
And he’s right.
Whether you live in Wonderland or Hoboken, if you don’t know where you are going it really doesn’t matter which road you take or what you do along the way.
Every day, all over the world, coaches wake up intending to market their businesses, but they don’t know which road to take. Should they spend their time on Facebook, write a speech, contact a church, start a blog or call the new neighbor who moved in down the street?
If the Cheshire Cat were a master marketer the conversation would sound like this, “What is your problem?” asks the Cat. Confused, the coach replies, “I don’t know how to market.” “Who do you want to reach?” the Cat returns. “I don’t know,” says the coach. “Then it really doesn’t matter how you market!” summarizes the Cat.
And he’s right. Again.
Like choosing the right road, you need to know who your target clients are and where they gather if you have any hope of reaching them. Where are they hanging out? Are they at church luncheons? Board meetings? Stay-at-home mom chat rooms? Or working out at the gym?
Unlike Coke and McDonald’s, you and I can’t target every living human being on the planet with our marketing. Our time and budgets are limited. We have to know who to serve and who not to serve, where to go and where not to go.
Imagine a non-niched coach trying to reach out to 100 prospects a month through public speaking. At best, he would need to speak to ten separate networking groups each month in an attempt to reach the 10% who may be interested in coaching.
When you target everyone, you reach no one!
You don’t have to be lost in the marketing jungle. Choose a niche and you’ll always know which way to go.
Begin defining your niche by asking yourself these questions…
- What type of people do I love being around?
- What are their interests and passions?
- What do they talk about?
- Where do they gather together around their common interests?
- Where do they go to get information about their shared passion?
- Where are 5 places that they gather offline?
- Where are 5 places where they gather online?
Knowing the answers to these questions allows Alice, the Cheshire Cat and you to market effectively and successfully.
Great post. That is one smart CAT! 🙂
Re my niche: I tried a few on for size and this one finally “fits” like a glove! It is so cool to now know my niche: Overwhelmed Moms. I’m The MomCourager(TM).
They need encouragement and direction. They need to hear what they are doing well. They want to be discipled. They want to know how to teach their children about God. THhey want to know they will survive the newborn sleep deprived stage, potty training, teething, sending them off to preschool, and then to high school and beyond. They want to know how to keep their priorities on course. They want to talk to someone that has SURVIVED past the early childhood years. They want to be reminded to laugh. They want to know how to include God in their everyday.
They congregate on Facebook. They share helpful information with each other.
Offline they gather at church and at the local coffee shop (YAY!) and walking around town. They congregate at sports events their kids are in.
Hey, that was cool, Kim. This exercise helped me to get specific in just a few words. Thanks for the “challenge”!! YAY!!! 🙂
Good for you, Pam, for thinking through this whole niche thing so clearly. I know it is a challenge at the beginning but it will make your life sooooo much easier now that you have that nailed down!
Great post. That is one smart CAT! 🙂
Re my niche: I tried a few on for size and this one finally “fits” like a glove! It is so cool to now know my niche: Overwhelmed Moms. I’m The MomCourager(TM).
They need encouragement and direction. They need to hear what they are doing well. They want to be discipled. They want to know how to teach their children about God. THhey want to know they will survive the newborn sleep deprived stage, potty training, teething, sending them off to preschool, and then to high school and beyond. They want to know how to keep their priorities on course. They want to talk to someone that has SURVIVED past the early childhood years. They want to be reminded to laugh. They want to know how to include God in their everyday.
They congregate on Facebook. They share helpful information with each other.
Offline they gather at church and at the local coffee shop (YAY!) and walking around town. They congregate at sports events their kids are in.
Hey, that was cool, Kim. This exercise helped me to get specific in just a few words. Thanks for the “challenge”!! YAY!!! 🙂
Good for you, Pam, for thinking through this whole niche thing so clearly. I know it is a challenge at the beginning but it will make your life sooooo much easier now that you have that nailed down!