Tom Monaghan knew the demographics of the pizza business in his area. When his company first began delivering 30-or-free pizzas, he knew he was going to have to give away some of this product. However, he had done his research. Monaghan crunched the numbers, and knew the financial and time-related aspects of getting hot pizzas to the customers in his delivery zones.
He probably didn’t care how many free pizzas he had to give away at first, since he knew that he could literally corner the pizza delivery market anywhere he opened a store. He found a niche approach that his audience responded exceptionally well to. He also made sure that this niche positioning inside his larger target market appealed to him. He has said in many interviews over the years that the challenge to take an order, make the pizza, cook the pizza and get it to his customers in 30 minutes or less was something he personally enjoyed.
This is why you need to think long and hard about the niche you are going to carve out in your marketplace.
Certainly, you should solve a big problem or fill a big need. That goes without saying. However, you should also make sure your efforts in creating that niche involves something you’re passionate about. You you can tell a personal story, or approach the same old tired, worn-out marketing methods with your own unique style and personality.
In other words, weave “you” into your niche development.
A lot of bloggers chose their target market because of some major problem they solved in their own life. Everyone can relate to personal struggles. If you can show how your blog or info marketing business can solve similar problems, while relating how you overcame yours, those members of your audience that can identify with your struggle will connect with you.
Anyone can slap up a blog or write an e-book on a subject they are interested in or know a lot about. You have to go one step further, and make your blog, e-book, products and services unique or different in some way.
A recent Google search for the term “German Shepherd training e-book” produced more than 1 million results! The term “dog training e-book for blind German shepherds” delivered just 99,600 results. That second search term has a much smaller audience, but it represents a very passionate section of the German Shepherd training target market.
When someone is searching for a manual, e-book or course to help them train their blind German Shepherd, what do you think happens when they find your website or blog? They are instantly much more engaged than someone who is searching for the broader search term. When you explain your personal situation trying to train your blind German Shepherd that you adopted from the local pound, you have simply and quickly made a deep connection with that person.
When you find that “sweet spot” between niche creation and some personal interest or story, you create an unforgettable brand. The reasons why you want to do this are many. You appeal to your audience in a very unique way that sets you apart from your competition. It also makes marketing more fun for you, since your personal interests, stories, experiences and personality are a vital part of your business.
This means making money is enjoyable, instead of a task, and though you will appeal to a much smaller slice of your larger target market, you can become the blind German Shepherd training expert literally overnight. Share with your audience the “why” that you do what you do. Your one-of-a-kind, personal story and approach will help you appeal to an audience that you enjoy dealing with, and those people will reward you with business success.
Creating an Audience Profile
If you expect to be more successful than the average business owner, in any market, you need take the time to create an audience profile. Earlier, we discussed the importance of knowing your target audience. This helps you create a unique approach in that larger marketplace, so you can discover your niche.
You have probably heard that “the money is in the list”. This refers to the fact that when you build a list of email subscribers, marketing to that list can be extremely profitable.
However, that saying really should be “There is a lot of money to be made when you market to the individuals on your email list, and you do so by communicating to a single person”. When you read any form of marketing material, don’t you prefer a personal approach? When you feel like someone is talking to you as a single person, in a one on one conversation, your interest is engaged.
Advertisements, both visual and audible, online and off, which market to large groups of people are not as effective. This is because no matter how many people are in your target market, each one is an individual. You may reach 10,000 people each month through your blog. Those 10,000 people are not reading your blog together, so why should you address them as a group?
This explains the importance of developing an Audience Profile.
Think about what your “perfect prospect” looks like. What is she thinking, as relates to your market? What are her needs, what problems does she have which are currently not being taken care of? Aside from feelings and needs, you should also know demographics like how old she is, where she lives, how much money she makes, her level of education and other important personal metrics.
Notice that you are focusing on one person, not a group.
Understanding the hobbies, personality, desires, problems and needs of this perfect prospect means you’re getting a very clear picture of your audience profile. When you can clearly describe this individual, you have created the avatar you will be marketing to. The word avatar is defined as “the embodiment of a person or idea.” The avatar you have discovered when you are creating your audience profile is the embodiment of the person that can best benefit from what you have to offer.
The largest and most successful companies in the world go as far as to create a physical picture of their audience profile. They print out copies of this avatar’s picture and share it with everyone in their business. This picture is accompanied by a list of the attributes, personality and needs and desires of that “perfect prospect”. This should illustrate the importance of creating an audience profile avatar, and marketing to this one individual, rather than with a group approach.
