Business Owners: How to Create a Niche for Your Business

Having a niche for your business means not having to compete on price. So if you wish to create a business that is as profitable as it can be in the market place you operate in, you must have, maintain and protect a niche for your business.

Creating a niche involves three key steps:

1. Identifying your target market.
2. Clearly articulating what will compel customers to buy from you.
3. Taking the risk out of purchases.

Identifying a target market implies clearly defining a specific group of prospects who you believe to be most willing to purchase your product or service. That doesn't mean you will never sell to anyone else, but that you will focus your marketing message towards that narrowly defined group.

If you are selling to individuals identifying who they are in terms of nationality, or geographical location, gender, age, marital status, income, children, interests, hobbies, reading habits, leisure activities, etc., etc. allows you to start thinking about what to talk to them about, where to place your marketing messages, why they will buy from you, how they will buy from you, how often, how much they may spend, where you will find them, when they are most likely to buy.

With this clearly defined it is much easier to design your marketing strategy, materials, budget and schedule. The more narrowly defined your target market the easier it is to communicate with them.

You may need to have more than one target market to have a large enough customer base, but this is better than spreading your net broadly and generally.

But what is it that will compel your target market(s) to buy from you? You may have a unique product or service, so as long as your potential customers know that they need it, that may not be a problem. However, for most businesses, what you sell can be bought from someone else just as easily. So why you? What is your USP?

Your USP is made up of three elements:

1. what's different about you (your business), your product or service,
2. what you excel at, and
3. what elements of those things are of obvious value to your customers.

To identify what's different about you first look at why you are in the business you're in. Your motivation for being in this business is unique in itself. No-one else has quite the same mix of background, knowledge, beliefs, values and attitudes that you do. So use it.

By the way, this even applies in bigger organisations with marketing teams. The business has its own culture, experience, values and attitudes that can be encapsulated in a USP.

Make a list of all the things that are different, wonderful, exciting, memorable about you or your business. Get to at least ten items on the list.

This is the basis for an incredibly powerful USP because it is unique by definition. But it is not enough, because you then need to take these amazing attributes and turn them into advantages for your target market. Think: why should my customers care?

In fact, ask them! Even if you don't feel comfortable asking "This is what's neat about me (or my business). Why would that make you buy from me?" Then at least ask: "Thanks for your business. Why was it that your chose us to buy from us today?"

You should have a pretty good idea now what's different and excellent about you and your business. But to make sure, take a look at what your competitors are offering. Check out their website, brochures, adverts. Even mystery shop them.

Can you offer something substantially different that's of value to your customers based on what you've done so far?

It may help you here to get specific. In a classic case of creating a USP, a shaving foam manufacturer took the generic statements used by other companies: "Abundant lather," "Does not dry on the face," "Acts quickly," and used specific facts in their marketing. They said, "Multiplies itself in lather 250 times; softens the beard in one minute; maintains its creamy fullness for ten minutes on the face; the final result of testing and comparing 130 formulas." These facts were probably true of the other players in the field, but this company said it first, so these facts belonged to them and their product.

So get specific in your claims for difference, excellence and benefit to your specific target market.

A specific type of USP can be your guarantee. Your guarantee is also one way to take the risk out of buying from you. A guarantee is a promise backed up by a process. Take a look at how you do things and work out what it is you can promise as a result that your competitors either don't, won't or can't offer. Again, be specific, as in: "Delivered in 30 minutes or you get it free". Do you remember who that guarantee belongs to? Of course you do, and that's why a USP and guarantee are so powerful...

Other ways to take the risk out of purchases include customer testimonials, case studies, educational materials (articles, videos, workshops, webinars, etc.).

It takes time and thought to create your USP. Don't try to do it all in one go. Capture information, ideas, comments in a journal and start to develop them gradually. Test different versions in your marketing materials and measure the results, until eventually you have a USP that really talks to your target market(s). Then jealously guard it, because if it works well, you know your competitors are going to try to muscle in somehow.

Be vigilante and keep adapting to modify your niche proactively rather than being reactive to competition, changing technology or economic fluctuations.

This news article is brought to you by MOTORCYCLES - where latest news are our top priority.

Imaginative Brand Alignment Attracts Attention

The product and service market is full of all manner of offerings from different companies. As such, to get your products to stand out from the rest requires inspired brand alignment so that your product meets consumers' expectations of your brand is what prospective customers think it is. However, alignment simply does not happen overnight. It requires dogged determination to make it happen. It is important to start with a clear assessment of your current brand image. According to a study carried out by a market research company, several factors affect a consumer's brand perception. These factors include how a business handles complaints, product packaging, and professionalism. You can leverage your visibility by using proven marketing strategies to create winning brand positioning. The following are some of the alignment strategies you should consider.

Multiple Media Channel Alignment

There are many media channels available to consumers. Your strategy should encompass using all of these channels. Start by covering digital channels. These always give the highest return on investment and market penetration. Your next step should be the social media network landscape. You cannot ignore this huge market. A survey carried out by one of the largest computer component companies found that 85% of adults in America visit social networking sites. This means there is a huge market available to interact with your brand.

Do Not Forget Employee Integration

The success of your brand hinges on how well you integrate employee participation into the campaign. You can do this by making sure you communicate the brand campaign details to your employees. This can be done using brand posters in the hallways, on mouse pads, and as screen savers. Stimulate employee interest by putting a reward system in place. The idea is to reward employees who make an effort to publicize the brand message. The support should not be confined to the ordinary employees alone. Senior management should start by pulling out all of the stops to ensure the brand alignment campaign is a success. You can use employee marketing surveys to gauge how well the brand message resonates with people.

Base Brand Building on Research

All your brand-building steps should be guided by sound qualitative and quantitative research. This is the only way to assess your core competencies and weaknesses. Statistical analysis should be an ongoing effort and not a "one-of" affair. Important research parameters include product cost, delivery, customer service, product reputation, as well as sales and marketing efficiency. After the initial brand alignment, a benchmark study should be conducted. The rule of thumb is to carry out this kind of study every 2 years. These studies measure the success of previous brand alignment campaigns. Businesses should be well prepared to handle negative press coverage. Failure to have a plan in place for doing so may result in consumers' shifting allegiance.

3 Quick Tips to Build Your List Bigger, Better and Faster

List building is a huge topic and I can think of upwards of fifty different tactics and activities you can use to get more people to join your list. And this is part of the problem. There are so many tactics to employ that many entrepreneurs dive into this marketing activity without an overall strategy.

This can result in two undesirable outcomes. First of all, your list will be full of all the wrong people and therefore not responsive to your communications and sales messages. And second, the growth will be in fits and starts as you swing from one tactic to another which is bound to slow down your progress.

Here's my 3 quick tips to help you build your list bigger, better and faster.

1. Set a goal

Because list building is vital to the success of your business it's essential that you set a goal. It's amazing how many people lament the fact that their list isn't growing - or worse still it's getting smaller as people drop off - yet they are vague about what they want to achieve because they have no clear goal.

Like all clear goals it must be stated specifically, be measurable and have an end date. First step is to write down how many people are on your list, decide on the increase you want in percentage terms and what number that represents and choose the date you want to have reached this number.

My tip is not to make it too big an increase or too long a timeframe. You can always set a new goal as soon as you achieve it and of course you will!

2. Have a plan

Once again, because list building is vital to the success of your business you must have a plan. You simply cannot leave this to chance or rely on random or ad-hoc activities and expect to get the results you want.

Choose the activities with the highest payoff for effort and the ones you enjoy to do. Or that can be easily delegated where possible. Schedule each one into your calendar to make sure they get implemented.

Chunk down your goal and estimate how many new people will join your list from each activity and do your best to measure those results. The main point is that you keep increasing your list to reach your goal, but if you identify which activities are most successful it means you can do more of the same.

3. Accept that List Building is a not a sprint but a marathon

The sooner you realise that List Building is an ongoing activity necessary for the duration of your business the sooner you'll understand the need to pace yourself.

That's not to say you can't or won't have a big push now and then to accelerate the process but you can't keep that up all the time. For the rest of the time you need to consistently and persistently follow your plan.

Using these 3 tips means that over time you will build your list bigger, better and faster with increasing numbers of qualified prospective clients. You will also continue to reap the rewards in increased sales of your programs and services when you have a bigger, qualified, more responsive audience to share them with.

This news article is brought to you by GLAMOROUS FASHION NEWS - where latest news are our top priority.

Custom Promotional Products Designed to Be Worn

Custom Promotional Products are not limited to things that people use. They also include items that people wear. Marketing professionals must discard their traditional way of thinking when determining how to best reach a target audience. Pens and key chains are still available but apparel and accessories are now offered to complement these. People receiving wearable promos recognize how much a company wants their business.

Different Types of Wearable Custom Promotional Products

Shirts are arguably the most commonly requested promotional items because everyone can wear them. Businesses order imprinted t-shirts designed for leisure wear, performance shirts for athletic use, and sweatshirts designed for cool weather conditions. Consumers wear these shirts in public, promoting the business at no charge. Some companies select imprints that are designed to spark a conversation, hoping the mere act of discussing the business will imprint it in prospect minds.

Hats are other promotional favorites and they are available for men, women, and even children. Styles range from baseball caps, to knit hats, to wide-brimmed hats designed for sun protection. Marketers rest assured that everyone will see the company logo or name on the front or back of the hat. Many a new customer has been gained from marketing the company via a logoed cap. Even company representatives wear these when they are on the golf course or on a business flight.

Rain gear like jackets and ponchos may be more expensive than pens but it is also more visible. People wear this gear to public gatherings like sporting events, advertising the company via an imprinted logo or name in the chest area. This imprint is strategically placed at eye level so it will be seen. Weather conditions may be unfavorable, but this gear will continue to advertise.

Deciding Which Wearable Custom Promotional Products Are Best

Individuals in charge of corporate promotions should review the complete line of wearable custom promo items before deciding on any. They may miss a great opportunity to advertise the business simply due to being unaware. For example, some marketers do not realize that umbrellas can be customized. If the target audience resides in a rainy climate, this is a missed opportunity. It is important to consider all aspects of the target group when selecting promos.

Other items are overlooked simply because they are small. An imprinted lanyard may seem too small to be effective but when you consider that people wear these every day to hold company access badges, the chance of them being noticed increases dramatically. Not only will the person wearing it internalize the name of the company, but others will also take notice and make a mental note.

When deciding on promo apparel, it is also important to consider the age and gender of the targeted customer base. If the company sells equipment or products designed for the elderly, a bandanna may not be the best choice. Along the same vein, businesses catering to men should not use makeup cases as promotional items. Understanding characteristics of the audience enables marketers to select the best wearable promos.

Expert Advice on Email Marketing Strategies for Anyone Who Owns a Business

The advantages of email marketing to your organisation are numerous. Compared to traditional methods of marketing, it is more time and cost effective. Working with a leading email marketing company from the UK, increased profits are celebrated by their customers.

Communicating with a large amount of clients in one action is easily done with email marketing. Numerous Hours are wasted sending out marketing campaigns through the post. Marketing through email allows you to set up mailing lists based on different marketing categories. On a second note a huge amount of money is saved not creating and printing marketing leaflets from paper and sending them through the post. Costs are also kept down because less man hours are needed to send campaigns over the internet than when they are sent through the post. Postage methods of marketing is also damaging to the environment due to the overuse of paper and fossil fuels. For this reason email marketing is also great for your businesses reputation as you can highlight the fact that you are an environmentally friendly company and you are doing your part for the environment by reducing your carbon footprint.

Email marketing allows a company to be aware of who is reading their campaigns, which allows for future more effective business choices being made. Feedback is easily collected through email also. Online feedback questionnaires can be linked to in emails. This is an easier and more convenient way to receive feedback than getting the customer to post back a questionnaire and also doesn't cost the customer anything.

Paper campaigns also can't be as fun as their email counterparts. Flash animations and interactive buttons can be put in the email to make it more appealing to a customer. By saving money through email marketing, some money can be spent on incentives for people to open emails or respond to questionnaires. To help with the success of your campaign, a competition could be held for all the customers who answered the email. Marketing through email gives extra benefit to companies who sell goods from a website, allowing for 24 hour sales. People access emails at all hours of the day so if they see a product on sale at 6 in the morning, they can buy it there at then. They don't have to wait for the shop or a phone line to open. Increased sales are enjoyed by businesses due to this.

Text Message Marketing For Independent Artist And Bands

It is irrelevant how talented you are, or how great your family and friends think you may be. If do not have any marketing to help you get exposure you will always be a talented person that only your family and friends enjoy. Without some form of marketing your career is nothing more than a billboard in the middle of the rain forest - nobody knows about it. Traditional forms of marketing are often expensive and rarely has a good return on investment. That is why many artist, bands and DJ's are turning towards SMS text message marketing as their primary platform of marketing to take their careers to the next level.

Most artist are convinced that their succeeding or failing depends on their talents. That is one of the largest misconceptions in the entertainment industry. Please do not misunderstand my intention here. I am really not saying that talent does not matter at all. Naturally you do need to at least have a little talent in order to succeed in this industry. However the major roll of any entertainers career boils down to one thing - marketing.

The conventional forms of marketing such as magazines, television, and radio cost way to much in comparison to your return on investment. More importantly with traditional forms of marketing it is not possible to build a personal connection with your fan base. This is yet another reason so many people in the entertainment business are beginning to turn to SMS message marketing as their chosen method of promoting themselves.

Before you continue reading this article I would like to make sure that you and I are on the same page when it comes to what makes an artist, band or DJ successful. To do that I have created what I like to call my simple success formula:

Talent + Targeted Marketing = Targeted Fans

Targeted Fans = Successful Career

I cannot emphasize this enough... Everything you do comes down to marketing, marketing marketing... Marketing is the only way to introduce your talents to a larger platform. The larger your platform the larger your fan base. The larger your fan base the more products you will sell, and a successful career is determined your bottom line at the end of the day.

By this time we should both be on the same page, and we mutually agree on the success formula that I shared with you. Now let me show you some more of the advantages you get when you leverage the power of SMS text marketing to promote your career.

1. Instantly announce current and future sales promotions.
2. Update your fan base on your latest career activities.
3. Easily build your fan base by holding contest for users to opt-in to your list.
4. Inform fans of your new video releases.
5. Make instant sales by allowing your fan base to purchase your product immediately from their phone.
6. Run multiple campaigns (depending on which package you signed up for).
7. Let your fans know where your next gig is.

The possibilities are limitless, you are only held back by your own imagination.

This news article is brought to you by DANCING - where latest news are our top priority.

How To Differentiate Your Business From Your Competitors

We all know the expression "Unique Selling Point" or USP and how important it is that our business is differentiated from the competition.

Personally I believe that while being unique is the ultimate objective, with so much competition, being genuinely unique is incredibly difficult. So I focus on developing propositions which give my customers "stand out" - points that make them stand out head and shoulders above the crowd and make them the obvious choice for customers.

There are many ways to give your business stand out. Below I've listed 10 of the most popular ways.

1. Low Price

Guaranteeing the lowest price is a common way to provide stand out.

Primark have built their business on their low prices.

However, cutting margins is a dangerous strategy. Larger players, with their larger buying power could undercut you and potentially force you out of the market. So think twice before focusing on price.

2. High Quality

Outstanding quality is an excellent way to give your business stand out. While the low price positioning relies on large volumes, high quality normally works on a high margin, low volume model

Almost all designer brands work on this model.

3. Superior Service

Excellent service adds value and develops long-term customer loyalty and sets your business apart. What we're talking about here is going above and beyond what customers expect so that you delight and amaze them.

However it is very difficult to quantify service as everyone claims to provide fantastic service but we all know that only very few actually do so.

4. The Largest Range

Providing the largest product range can provide stand out. A classic example of this is Amazon. For years Amazon could claim the genuine USP of being "Earth's Biggest Bookstore"

Of course several competitors have caught up with Amazon, but they manage to stay ahead because right from the start they clearly differentiated themselves as being the biggest.

5. Convenience

We all like things to be as simple and easy as possible. By removing as many obstacles to ordering or using your product as possible you are focusing your business squarely on your customers' needs which is absolutely as it should be..

6. Knowledgeable and Authoritative

By positioning your business as the most authoritative and expert in your field, you can powerfully differentiate your business from your competitors.

This approach has most relevance for professionals and other skill-based organisations.

7. Customisation and Personalisation

If you can personalise your product to your customer's individual requirements, that can become very attractive in our mass market world. Again this is a very customer focused way to give your business stand out.

8. Speed

Speed of service has become a major differentiator in our modern fast paced world. We've all become so impatient and demand things immediately.

Domino's Pizza became famous, when they cut delivery times from 1 hour to 30 minutes. At that time this provided a genuinely game changing USP.

9. New and Unique

Sometimes your product is so new and unique that the product itself is the USP. While other companies may rapidly copy the product, the originator still retains the USP of being the first mover in the market. Just think of the competitive advantage that Apple have gained through their incredible creativity.

10. Guarantees

Guarantees are a great way to differentiate your company. A few years ago, a client of mine, a servicing garage, offered a money back guarantee if their customers weren't happy with their car's service. This differentiated them massively from their competitors and led to a huge increase in business.

So how are you going to differentiate your business and give it the stand out it needs to be successful?

This news article is brought to you by ANIMALS AND PETS - where latest news are our top priority.