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Niche Marketing – How Thinking Small Can Payoff BIG!

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What is a Niche, really?  And why is everybody talking about Niche Marketing?  According to About.com a Niche Market is a narrowly defined group of potential customers.  Let me be really clear about this – Niche is not about you.  It’s not about your product or your genre.  It’s about them, your customers/clients/fans.  It’s about the folks you want to draw into your circle of influence.

In today’s world, we have available to us literally thousands of marketing tools, marketing avenues and technologies that were not available to us 10 years ago (even 5 years ago).  Just watch a rerun of the X-Files and you’ll realize how far we’ve come in the first decade of this century.

But these technologies are both a blessing AND a curse.  They’re a blessing because you can market very effectively without a lot of money.  They’re a curse, because everyone has access to them.  So, you can build a website – but so can billions of other folks (including your competition).  You can participate in social media like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube – but so can everyone else.  From your customer’s perspective – it’s like watching a raging river – no single drop of water stands out.  How could it?

How You Stand Out in the Crowd

Many business owners are afraid to define their niche on the mistaken premise that they will lose business as a result.  The truth is just the opposite.  There’s just no way that you, as a small business owner, with a limited marketing budget can effectively market to everyone.

Because what you can afford to do is just a drop in the bucket of all the information each one of us is exposed to on a daily basis.  And so, in order to make an impact – you need to be exposed to your market multiple times, in order to even be noticed.  The old marketing adage was the Rule of Seven – seven exposures to your product before they buy.  But I believe the rule should be more like 15 because of the sheer quantity of marketing messages we are exposed to every minute of every day.

In Marketing Shortcuts for the Self-Employed: Leverage Resources, Establish Online Credibility and Crush Your Competition, my friend Patrick Schwerdtfeger says, “go an inch wide and a mile deep.”  What this means is to narrow your market down to a very specific group of people who are uniquely defined.  And while you don’t want to define them by your product or service, you can define them by the problem (pain/need) your product or service solves.  Designing your marketing around a Niche can enable you to have a major impact on a small budget.  Since most business owners are working with a limited to non-existent marketing budget – Niche Marketing can give you a tremendous advantage over your competition.

Switching from Push to Pull

Once you’ve defined your niche, what their problems/needs/desires are and how you uniquely solve them, you can set about getting in front of them.   And that’s a lot easier to do if you know specifically who they are and where they’re hanging out.  Because then you are pretty much guaranteed that the people you’re getting in front of actually want and need what you provide.  Instead of what most small business owners do – throw lots of spaghetti against the wall and hope some of it sticks.

And here’s where the magic comes in – if you design your message on their terms, in their language and in a way that gives them an experience of the benefits, then they will have the “Oh, that’s just what I need!” response.  If your market recognizes you as exactly what they’re looking for, they will flock to you, easily and effortlessly.  And isn’t that what you want?

Want to learn more about Niche Marketing and how to apply it to your unique business or career?

Listen to Niche Marketing

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Venues and Artists – A Complex Relationship

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Last week, an interesting conversation erupted on a music list-serve that I participate in.  I think there is much to be learned from this both by the Venue Owners/Bookers and the Performing Artists who depend on those bookers for their gigs.  I have removed all of the names/locations because the real issues here are applicable across locations, genre and venue size.  If you are a performing artist looking to book gigs – I strongly recommend you read on – don’t make these mistakes yourself!  And if you are a venue owner or booker – you may also find this informative.

First an edited excerpt of the initial post from the booker:

I need some guidance or at least some constructive feedback.  The email text listed below was forwarded to us by multiple attendees of our [events].  This message was sent as an email to everyone who signed up for this artist’s email list when they performed at our [venue] about 18 months ago.

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If You Build It, They Will Come

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Or Will They?

Many artists in the music industry believe that all they have to do is record a CD and their audience is sure to show up.  I believe that this mythology has had a detrimental impact on the DIY musicians’ success promoting their music.

So, let’s deconstruct this idea and really take a look at it.  One thing I think we can all agree on:

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How to Maintain Consistent Growth and Development

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Have you ever pushed yourself out of your comfort zone?  You know, created something really different, taken a risk that felt scary and hard, pushed through a tough learning curve, talked to someone who totally intimidated you?

And after that push – did you feel the almost irresistible urge to pull back to your safety zone – even if your push out was really successful?  You know the two steps forward and one step back?  Why do we feel the need for that one step back?

I call it:

The Stretch Reflex

In physiology, the stretch reflex (also called the myotatic reflex) occurs when you stretch a muscle to the point of pain and hold it for longer than about 10 seconds.  The muscle contracts against the stretch.  This contraction is an autonomic (involuntary) reaction which attempts to resist the change in muscle length by causing the stretched muscle to contract. The more sudden the change in muscle length, the stronger the muscle contractions against the stretch will be. This basic function of the muscle spindle helps to maintain muscle tone and to protect the body from injury.

In physical therapy, I learned that if you hold the stretch and breath through the muscle’s desire to contract, consciously relaxing that muscle, the contraction will stop and you will actually be able to go even deeper into the stretch.  The trick is not to give in to that contraction, and just breathe while maintaining your position and consciously relaxing the muscle.

I believe that in behavior we also have an autonomic (involuntary) stretch reflex.  When you’ve pushed yourself beyond your comfort zone, your unconscious wants you to contract in order to protect yourself from being hurt.  That contraction could look like getting sick, like wanting to curl up in bed for several days or even just procrastinating about getting back to a normal schedule after a big push.

But if we give in to that contraction, then growth (both personal and professional) becomes sporadic and difficult to maintain.  So, how do we maintain that stretch through the contraction so that we can increase and expand our comfort zone?

Awareness – Always the First Step

One of the key tools in any growth is awareness.  If you’re not aware that you’re in the middle of a stretch reflex, you will likely surrender to it and allow it to pull you back into your comfort zone.

You also need to use your awareness to differentiate between the stretch reflex and your need to rest after a big energetic push.   I’m talking about consistent growth, NOT constant growth.  You need to pace your energy so that you are not constantly pushing yourself to and beyond your limits.

“Balancing stress and recovery is critical not just in competitive sports, but also in managing energy in all facets of our lives.  When we expand energy, we draw down our reservoir.  When we recover energy, we fill it back up.  Too much energy expenditure without sufficient recovery eventually leads to burnout and breakdown.  (Overuse it and lose it.)  Too much recovery without sufficient stress leads to atrophy and weakness.  (Use it or lose it.)”
The Power of Full Engagement

In the last month, I spent about 3 weeks putting in 11 hour days to complete the website and Membership revamp before leaving for SXSW and then 11 days of conference intensity in Austin.

When I returned, I needed to take several days to recuperate.  That’s not the stretch reflex.  That’s simply refilling my reservoir.  But once I recovered, I could feel the urge to procrastinate rather than getting back to a productive schedule.

No coincidence that I had already planned on this topic for my next newsletter!

So use the power of your awareness to identify if what you’re experiencing is recuperation or the stretch reflex.  If you find yourself pulling inward, ask yourself:

Is this fatigue or fear?

If it’s fatigue – rest!  If it’s fear – what are you afraid of?  Sometimes our fear kicks in AFTER we’ve taken a risk.  So, if you can name the fear and embrace and celebrate the risk – even if it led to something other than success – then you will be able to breathe through the urge pull inward.

And once you’ve identified that what you’re experiencing is a stretch reflex; don’t try to push yourself deeper into the stretch.  Just breathe and maintain the level you’re at.  The ability to go further out of your comfort zone requires you to first become comfortable at this level of exposure.  So, breathe and maintain.

And when this becomes comfortable and easy – then stretch out further.

Goals and Success

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We’re three weeks into the New Year. At the end of last year, I moved across country to New Jersey. Getting settled in has been slowed by massive snow storms (we got 35″ in one night!) and bitter cold. But I finally feel like I’m moving forward with my year.

How about you? Did you make resolutions? Set new goals? And how are you doing with them?

Over the last few weeks, I’ve been blogging about my end of year and beginning of New Year process. I usually do this process in the week between Christmas and New Year’s, but I am running a few weeks behind, due to the move. (…change is good… change is good… change is good – sigh)

In this article, I want to address one piece of the process that I’m going into in more depth in the blog – Goals. What are they? Why do you need them? And how do you go about setting ones that make a difference in the real world. Warning – this is a long one.

In my practice I come across a lot of artists with big dreams.  Whether it’s a Grammy Award Winning music career, winning an Oscar or getting a show at MOMA, we dream of a level of success, recognition and income for our creative efforts.  It’s human nature to dream of success, however you define it.

Where a lot of artists (and other people) go wrong in their pursuit of those dreams, they never make the transition from dream/fantasy to vision/goals.  If you think of your success with fantasy language:

Wouldn’t it be nice?  That could be awesome?  I’d love to have that!

Then you are still living in the world of dreams and fantasies.  And there’s nothing wrong with that as an exercise.  But if you intend to create the life of your dreams, you must translate those dreams into real world, measurable, specific and, most importantly, actionable goals.

I’m a big believer in the Law of Attraction – but Attraction without Action is just Attr

And it’s very hard to take action as long as you’re thinking in “Wouldn’t it be nice” terms.

What is a Goal?

In my Artists Marketing & Business Academy Toolbox Teleclass – Goals that Get Results – I teach that goals must meet the following criteria:

  • A goal is a having/being not a doing.
  • A goal is a dream with a deadline – put a date on it!
  • A goal must be visionary and inspiring
  • A goal must be specific and measurable – how will you know when you’ve accomplished it?
  • A goal must be positively focused – leave the problem out of it!
  • A goal must be achievable within the time frame you’ve set.
  • A goal is a having/being not a doing.

Let’s look at these one at a time.

A goal is a having/being not a doing

Let’s say for the purposes of this discussion that you dream of owning a red corvette.  If you state the goal: I want a red corvette, then your goal is to be wanting.  If you state the goal: I will have a red corvette, then your realization of your goal will always rest somewhere in the future.  I recommend in the setting of your goal, that you leave out the subject and verb altogether.  The goal becomes:

A red corvette

Simple, clear, powerful.

Let’s take another example, one that’s common for people – dropping a few pounds.  So you make a goal: To work out 3 times a week.  But that’s not a goal – there’s no having or being there – it’s a doing.  It’s a strategy for accomplishing something, not the accomplishment itself.  A goal isn’t about how you’re going to get there – it’s about defining where there is.

So, ask yourself, “If I work out 3 times a week for the next 3 months, what will I have or be?”  And that will get you to your goal.

A goal is a dream with a deadline – put a date on it!

Without a date of completion – you’re living in LA LA fantasy land.  Setting a date can be confronting, it requires you to make a commitment.  It requires you to take a leap of faith.  Because you may not KNOW how long a goal will take to achieve, right?

Look, take the leap of faith.  Set the date.  If, once you get into the middle of working on the goal you realize, this is a longer goal, then change the date.

I also recommend breaking longer goals (anything more than 6 months out) into smaller milepost goals, preferably in 3-4 month intervals.  This is not an action plan (remember goals are not the HOW, but the WHAT/WHERE).

Ask yourself, “Where do I need to be in 3 months in order to know I’m on track for this goal?”

A goal must be visionary and inspiring

Look, if you aren’t inspired by the goal, you won’t do the work.  It’s that simple.  And if the long term consequences of this short term goal will take you somewhere you don’t want to go, you also won’t do the work.

In other words – don’t pursue someone else’s idea of success, pursue your own vision of success.  And create goals that align with your vision.

And make the goals juicy, exciting, and visceral.  Ask yourself, “What will I see, hear, feel, taste and smell when this goal is realized?”

A goal must be specific and measurable – how will you know when you’ve accomplished it?

If you go into a restaurant looking for a steak dinner and order “Cow”, you may or may not get the meal you want.  But if you order prime rib, medium rare with spring potatoes and broccoli rabe sautéed in garlic, it is much more likely that you will receive the outcome you desire.

It’s not enough to say, “I want to make a lot of money.”  How much is a lot?  What a lot is to a refugee in the Sudan is a very different amount than what a lot is to Donald Trump.  What, specifically, do you want?

A goal must be positively focused – leave the problem out of it!

When you are writing your goal, you are writing your future.  You are creating what you will manifest.  If you make a goal about the solution to a problem, you are actively creating that problem in the future.  If you make a goal, “Completely clear of debt.”  Then you are still bringing debt into the future.  Trust me, that’s just the way this stuff works.

Ask yourself, “What will I have/be when this problem no longer exists?”

A goal must be achievable within the time frame you’ve set.

I don’t like the word, “realistic”.  It has too many connotations of limitedness and scarcity.  But you must believe that you can achieve the goal you’ve set within the time frame you’ve set it.  If you don’t believe you can, you won’t do what you need to do to achieve it.  Human beings don’t act against their own beliefs.

So, make a goal you believe you can achieve.  The more you do that, the more you’ll find yourself believing you can achieve.  And you will find that you can begin to set and believe in larger goals.

Start with where you are and build from here.

Setting Goals for 2011

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Every year, I take some personal time to assess, adjust, write new goals for the New Year and make a plan for achieving those goals. I’d like to share part of this process with you – and encourage you to use it for yourself to create a powerful, prosperous and joyful 2011. I hope you will find this peek into my process helpful.

In this eighth post in the series, I’m moving into the second step of my process –

Goal Setting for 2011

There are three steps to this process:

  1. Reviewing my Goals for 2010
  2. Setting 1 Year Goals for 2011
  3. Breaking those goals down into 3-4 month increments

Reviewing My Goals from 2010

When looking back at my goals from the previous year I want to do 3 things:

  1. Celebrate my successes – Woo Hoo!
  2. Look at what worked and didn’t work – particularly around the goals I didn’t accomplish
  3. Apply those lessons to the coming year

Looking at my goals from last year was very confronting as for the most part, I didn’t complete them.  Yes, I’m admitting it publicly.  I’m a coach – and I’m not perfect.

Whew – there, I said it.  But that’s part of the point of this blog.  It’s not about – look at me, see what a guru I am – don’t you want to be like me?  It’s more about – here’s my process.  I’m human just like you.  And I’m a work in progress.  And that means – if I can do it, so can you!  And hopefully, there are things I can contributed to your process to make you more successful.

So, in looking back at last year and looking specifically at what worked and didn’t work, I’ve seen some things that I want to share with you.

Set Goals With Specific Deadlines

In writing my goals last year, I just wrote the goals – I didn’t give each goal a specific deadline.  I was writing what I wanted to accomplish at some point during the year.  What didn’t work was being specific about when I would be accomplishing it.  Lacking a specific time frame, I didn’t know when I was supposed to start working on them and they just kept getting pushed by more urgent things.

So, this year, I will not only write specific Deadlines for the accomplishment of each goal, but also set a start date for each project.

Keep Goals in the Forefront of Your Awareness

I wrote those goals and then set them aside.  I didn’t post them anywhere and I didn’t refer to them.  Yes, I knew they were my goals for the year.  But they weren’t in the forefront of my awareness – and so it was really easy to postpone beginning those projects.

In addition, because I’m not currently working with a coach and no longer have a business partner – there were no other voices holding me accountable to those commitments.

So, this year, I’ll do a few things differently:

  • Send my goals to my accountability partner, and ask for her support in achieving them.
  • Post my goals on my bulletin board and read them every morning

Build a Structure for Accomplishing Your Goals

Last year, I moved my business out of my home.  And I somehow never re-established my time management structure with my new circumstances.  It all fell by the wayside and I found myself running my day by the seat of my pants.  That has never worked for me in the past – and there were many ways it didn’t work for me last year.  And I knew it wasn’t working for me.  I intended to spend the summer really setting up those structures.  But then my Dad got sick and everything changed.

Now that I’ve moved across country and I will be having even more demands on my time, I know that re-establishing my foundation is absolutely vital both to my business success, but also to my own happiness and satisfaction in my life.

So, here’s my plan:

  1. Write my goals with start and end dates and share those with my accountability partner
  2. Break the larger goals down into sub-goals with start and end dates
  3. Create PRD’s for 2011 first quarter for each area of my life and make sure my goals are built into those PRD’s
  4. Create a Time Map for my current situation and implement that map immediately
  5. Re-institute my daily bookends (morning and evening rituals)

Planning for the New Year – Part Seven

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Every year, I take some personal time to assess, adjust, write new goals for the New Year and make a plan for achieving those goals. I’d like to share part of this process with you – and encourage you to use it for yourself to create a powerful, prosperous and joyful 2011. I hope you will find this peek into my process helpful.

In this seventh post, I’m completing the first section of my process which comes from Brendon Burchard, author of Life’s Golden Ticket. This series of questions helps me to look at the year past as well as clarify what I want for the coming year.  I love these final questions, because it’s all about creating a successful context or mindset for the coming year.

Envisioning 2011: Move Forward

Whenever I get stressed in 2011, the phrase I’ll repeat to myself is  …

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Planning for the New Year – Part Six

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Every year, I take some personal time to assess, adjust, write new goals for the New Year and make a plan for achieving those goals. I’d like to share part of this process with you – and encourage you to use it for yourself to create a powerful, prosperous and joyful 2011. I hope you will find this peek into my process helpful.

In this sixth post, I’m continuing the first section of my process which comes from Brendon Burchard, author of Life’s Golden Ticket. This series of questions helps me to look at the year past as well as clarify what I want for the coming year. I’ll be answering them over the next several blog posts.

Envisioning 2011: Move Forward

The three feelings I’m going to focus on feeling consistently each day in 2011 are …

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Planning for the New Year – Part Five

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Every year, I take some personal time to assess, adjust, write new goals for the New Year and make a plan for achieving those goals. I’d like to share part of this process with you – and encourage you to use it for yourself to create a powerful, prosperous and joyful 2011. I hope you will find this peek into my process helpful.

In this fifth post, I’m continuing the first section of my process which comes from Brendon Burchard, author of Life’s Golden Ticket. This series of questions helps me to look at the year past as well as clarify what I want for the coming year. I’ll be answering them over the next several blog posts.

Envisioning 2011: Move Forward

If I had more confidence in myself, the first thing I’d go out and do in 2011 is …

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Planning for the New Year – Part Four

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Every year, I take some personal time to assess, adjust, write new goals for the New Year and make a plan for achieving those goals. I’d like to share part of this process with you – and encourage you to use it for yourself to create a powerful, prosperous and joyful 2011. I hope you will find this peek into my process helpful.

In this fourth post, I’m continuing the first section of my process which comes from Brendon Burchard, author of Life’s Golden Ticket. This series of questions helps me to look at the year past as well as clarify what I want for the coming year. I’ll be answering them over the next several blog posts.

Envisioning 2011: Move Forward

By the end of 2011, I will have made my work life more focused on…

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