If you missed my article on Small Business Owner Learning #1 from last week check it out here! Here are a few more thoughts and tips for small business owners wanting to create a niche for themselves. Please note I’ve no formal marketing or branding experience. This has been a journey based entirely on intuition.
1) List the value-adds your brand provides that others don’t. How do you excel? What’s your “IT” factor?
Maybe, it’s your ability to serve them beyond a specific niche service, or your valuable 1-1 touch and time spent with your clients. What’s your true value proposition?
2) Create content to highlight and emphasize those advantages on a regular basis.
Make sure the content reflects you and your personality in an authentic manner. What works for one might not work for another. Stay true to yourself and your skills as a person.
3) Add value regularly through your marketing and don’t simply focus on selling yourself.
Make sure you’re not only marketing your services or products but also sharing knowledge freely.
4) Don’t hesitate to share something personal about yourself
Many people just focus on the business and forget that we don’t do business with an entity. We do business with people we like, know and trust. That trust is not built with just knowledge sharing but sharing our vulnerabilities, our failings and our hardships as well.
Bottomline:
Prospects turn into clients when they like, respect and trust you,
Clients turn into raving fans when they LOVE, respect and follow you!
Raving fans should be your GOAL! Ravings fans will bring you more clients, more referrals, and be your staunch supporters.
Experts say it takes 6-8 touches to make a lead into a potential sale. To be honest, when you come from a place of adding value you don’t really care about the touches it takes because you’re just focused on how you can help. The conversions happen organically and that is the best way! My 2 cents for anyone out there just starting out!
Stay tuned for Small Business Owner Learning #3 next Monday! Same place, same time!
