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Are you in the pocket?

Why niche marketing doesn’t work for small businesses.

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By Sulman Husain | March 29, 2021
Approx. read time: 5mins

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/6″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_separator color=”custom” accent_color=”#f2f2f3″][vc_column_text]In this post, you will learn:

How market clutter affects consumers
Why niche marketing doesn’t work
The 5-step strategy to get in the pocket with your audience (just give me the strategy only)

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The Paradox of Choice

How often do you browse Netflix only to watch nothing at all? Because after 20 minutes of unsuccessfully searching for something mindless to enjoy, you grow more agitated than a feminist at an Eminem concert.

This results from The Paradox of Choice. The more choices we have available to us, the less capable we are of choosing wisely. And if we can’t choose wisely, we typically fail to take action altogether.

Therefore, more choices lead to market clutter.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”100px”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/6″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row full_width=”stretch_row_content_no_spaces” css=”.vc_custom_1616818563682{margin-top: -35px !important;margin-bottom: -35px !important;}”][vc_column][vc_single_image source=”external_link” external_img_size=”1920×1200″ alignment=”center” custom_src=”https://miro.medium.com/max/1626/1*fIpNnHiK7pfdTtEt6Tyqpg.gif”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row full_width=”stretch_row”][vc_column width=”1/6″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_empty_space height=”100px”][vc_column_text]

Market Clutter

In his book, “The Zag,” Marty Neumeier reveals how market clutter is at an all-time high. So high that we are exposed to approximately 3000 messages per day. Our brains, however, can only handle less than 100 messages per day. And these cluttered messages come in the following five forms:

Product
Features
Advertising
Messaging
Media

What this tells us is that we are unwittingly living in a constant state of overstimulation, which means we are experiencing psychological & physiological overload.

Our senses have become overburdened from creating excess levels of dopamine, all of which from over time have weakened our response to the natural ebb and flow of our hormones. So now we require significantly more powerful stimuli to release the very dopamine we crave (John Gray, The Science Behind Overstimulation).

As you can guess, the search for this dopamine in a market full of clutter is exhausting. People are now too tired to think, and even more distracted to make a decision. And who can blame them?

Could this then explain our dilemma with Netflix?

Suddenly, the idea of traditional scheduled programming feels so… refreshing.

“Oh look! Seinfeld’s on. I’ll just watch that because…”

Meanwhile, it’s already 12 minutes into the show. But you don’t care that you’ve missed the beginning because you’ve already seen this episode before… seven times.

Therefore, familiarity beats clutter.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”100px”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/6″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row full_width=”stretch_row” css=”.vc_custom_1616887643267{margin-top: -35px !important;margin-bottom: -35px !important;background-color: #020304 !important;}”][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”100px”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”2/3″][vc_single_image image=”1302″ img_size=”full”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/3″][vc_column_text]

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The Road to Familiarity

The world has become too noisy, too shiny, too fast, too busy, too… everything. And if it’s only getting noisier, shinier, faster, busier and every other thingier, how can small businesses:

Compete for their consumer’s attention?
Avoid becoming clutter?
Grow to become familiar?

Seth Godin would tell you to build a Purple Cow – a product so remarkable that the very idea of it would spread like a virus. And he would be right.

Marty Neumeier would tell you to Zag – create a radical point of differentiation from how you position your brand against your competitors. And he would also be right.

And if I may, I’d like to personally add that you STOP! – Stick To One Problem!

It minimizes the clutter
It positions you as an authority
It’s way more profitable

So how do you get a Purple Cow to Zag and STOP!? By going deep, not wide.

Therefore, familiarity is achieved by niching down.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”100px”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/6″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row full_width=”stretch_row_content_no_spaces” css=”.vc_custom_1616879237575{margin-top: -35px !important;margin-bottom: -35px !important;}”][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”1218″ img_size=”full”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row full_width=”stretch_row”][vc_column width=”1/6″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_empty_space height=”100px”][vc_column_text]

Niching Down

Today, niching down is hardly a new concept. Entrepreneurs and small business owners are well aware that they must first create, then serve a hyper-focused market. And they’ve been aware of this since the early 80s. Yet many still fail to successfully implement a strategy that works.

For example, let’s assume there is a new startup with a fantastic product to serve their niche. Below is a potential scenario in which it may find itself:

Niche is targeted

Some sales, but isn’t
enough or steady

Unaccounted for
dry season

Expenses mount & pressure
for cash flow increases

Offer & customer base
gets broadened

Communication becomes
generic & lacks appeal

No one buys

What went wrong? Ignoring the fact that the startup decided to change course and broaden their target market (which obviously was a mistake), why didn’t their initial strategy to serve their niche market work?

Here’s what we know about consumers today:

They tune out ads
They do not like to be sold
Their buying behaviour reflects the tribe in which they belong

Here’s what else we know:

The above bell curve is known as Crossing The Chasm by Geoffrey Moore. In it, he illustrates how new brands, products or services must cross the chasm in order to be successful in the marketplace. Below is a breakdown of each segment.

The Innovators & Early Adopters

They represent the early market, which accounts for 15% of the overall market
They are visionaries who are eager to hear what you have to say
They will pay premium prices
They thrive on being the first to know or experience new things (e.g., will camp outside Apple just to buy the new iPhone)
They directly influence the early & late majority

The Early & Late Majority

They represent the mainstream market, which accounts for 68% of the overall market
They are a mix of pragmatists & conservatives
They ignore ads; prefer tried & true
They have problems more significant than the ones your product/service solves
They will wait for the price to come down
They don’t always listen to friends about new ideas, but eventually act on them if there is enough buzz (e.g., Bitcoin)
They directly influence the laggards

Laggards

They represent 16% of the overall market
They are skeptics
They are most resistant to change
They hate to spend money
They only adopt new ideas when clinging to their old ways have become obsolete (e.g., upgrading to a DVD player because no one sells VHS anymore)

What does this tell us?

Niching down doesn’t work unless you target the micro-niche of early adopters.

Or as I like to call it, being “in the pocket.”[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”100px”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/6″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row full_width=”stretch_row_content_no_spaces” css=”.vc_custom_1616879237575{margin-top: -35px !important;margin-bottom: -35px !important;}”][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”1215″ img_size=”full”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row full_width=”stretch_row” css=”.vc_custom_1616720412049{background-color: #f2f2f3 !important;}”][vc_column width=”1/6″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_empty_space height=”100px”][vc_column_text]

Being In The Pocket

In the music biz, being “in the pocket” refers to being on beat. Using a combination of technical skill & emotion, it’s a special groove that the artist finds when performing to the music that gives the song its magic. And its nuances cannot be replicated by anyone else.

In following this principle, you must also find that same groove (in your niche) and get in the pocket with your early adopters. In doing so (provided they love what you have to offer), they will end up back in your pocket… with cash.

This idea, however, makes some entrepreneurs nervous. They fear that by getting too niche, it may result in missed opportunities and leave huge sums of money on the table.

If that’s also your concern, just remember:

The mainstream market rejects over 97% of messages per day (including ones from their friends and family); what makes your message the exception?
Early adopters are open-minded and our only chance at influencing the mainstream market; why make it harder for them to advocate for your brand?

Plus, even if your offer only appeals to one out of a million people, you still have seven million customers left. So what are you worried about?

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The 5-Step Strategy

Step 1: Identify The Key Players

Which major & micro influencers can you see using your product?
Which platforms are they on?

Step 2: Study Their Psychographics

What are their beliefs?
What are their values?
What are their goals or desires?
What is their communication style?
What is their tone?
What are their hobbies or interests?
How do they live?
Who or what is most important to them?

Step 3: Repeat Step 2 For Members In Their Audience

Step 4: Examine Your Findings

What are the commonalities & differences?
Use a spreadsheet to track & compare your results

Step 5: Design & Position Your Product

Incorporate the findings of your prospects into how you design, package and present your offer
Use the way they talk in your communication strategy (e.g., if they use slang, find a way to strategically use it as well)

In doing this, you increase your odds of being in the pocket with your early adopters, and your chance for succeeding in your niche.

This process is no different from the way Hollywood screenwriters pitch scripts to big studios that are written with specific lead actors in mind.

It’s also the same for songwriters who pitch music to established recording artists. And having engineered recording sessions in LA for Grammy-Winning Producers & Platinum Hitmakers myself, this is something I know about firsthand.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”100px”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/6″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row full_width=”stretch_row” css=”.vc_custom_1616816922070{background-color: #f2f2f3 !important;}”][vc_column width=”1/6″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_empty_space height=”100px”][vc_column_text]

Conclusion

Why is this method your best bet?

Because building a successful brand is about owning a position in your prospect’s mind. And just about every position, both broad and niche, are taken. Therefore, getting in the pocket is your best chance at connecting with the people that hold the most power for influencing your brand’s success.

In tight knit groups, people share similar values, behaviours and beliefs. They also share the same desires. And these commonalities encourage conversation amongst the members. If your brand impresses the early adopters, you enter the conversation. If the conversation is interesting enough, it will spread to everyone else.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”100px”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/6″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_empty_space height=”100px”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/4″][vc_single_image image=”865″ alignment=”center” style=”vc_box_circle_2″][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”3/4″][vc_column_text]

Sulman Husain, Founder
Big Day | Brand Consultancy

Book your free strategy session with me here.

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