One of the challenges I've been facing lately is finding a way to expand my consumer appeal. Public Relations & Consulting can have such a focused approach that sometimes I feel I'm missing a larger audience. Event planners, for instance, have mass appeal. Everyone you know has a party, birthday party, anniversary or holiday party. So pitching planning services in this industry is easy. But providing pr consulting to small business owners is a little bit trickier. Sure everyone needs to grow their business...but finding those customers are the hard part. One suggestion I received is to find a vertical niche...like providing consulting services to only financial investment planners. Financial planning is a hot industry these days So, if I focus solely on financial planning...I can expand my focus by providing several different consulting options for this particular business type. So, that's one idea.
Does anyone have any other suggestions?
Thursday, August 21, 2008
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1 comment:
As an "event planner" :)
I run into the same issues. While niche marketing is a smart way to go it really only solves half the problem. You need to fully develop your target market and EDUCATE them on what you do and why they need you. People want to have parties true, but who can't throw a party themselves, people have been throwing parties forever. Why do they need me? Because I save time, create value, and make them look better in the end.
Does your small business client know that you create a brand? do they know what a brand is or that they need branding? Do they know that you pitch position and develop opportunities of exposure?
I think PR and Publicist and Public Relations are still somewhat sexy to the small business owner, perhaps you need to break it down into bite size pieces and sell that.
I spend a good deal of my time selling what people want to buy. they tell me they have no time, so I sell time savings, they have no money, I sell the creation of value, they are completely lost as to what to do, i sell logistics. i go after projects from a lot of different angles morphing my services to the needs of a potential client. Needs Assessment is a big part of my research on a project. Just a thought.
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