Be THE Resource for Your Niche

One way to gain significant ground in your industry is through targeting a niche.

Instead of trying to cover a broad spectrum of a demographic, try focusing in on a narrow slice of the pie. Chances are you will be able to excel in that niche because you will be dedicating more time to it.

If you build yourself a reputation for being knowledgeable in a certain market and dedicate your business to said market, through proper marketing, people will start thinking of your business as the place to go for what you are selling.

Karl Long points to a basic, yet interesting analysis of niche marketing through the marketing of poorly lit taco photos and a Venn diagram.

Staying within a niche can be a good way to build world-of-mouth.

"Think about it, it really doesn’t require much more that 40 people to Digg something until the rest of the site gets on it, so initially you just have to get 40 or 50 people excited enough about it to get on the front page of Digg," says Long.

The narrower you make your niche, the less competition you are likely to have to contend with. That’s not to say there won’t be any competition. Even if you are a pioneer in your niche, if you achieve great success, the competitors will likely start coming out of the woodwork.

Your business does not have to stick to one specific niche to be successful, but if you do stick to one, building a solid brand may come easier. Just be sure to choose a niche that there is a market for. I’m not sure the world is overflowing with people looking for Taco prints.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this strategy.