Why Choosing a Niche is Pretty Dumb (and Why You Should Create One Instead)

[djbaxter]

Why Choosing a Niche is Pretty Dumb (and Why You Should Create One Instead)
by Jonathan Mead, Illuminated Mind
January 26, 2012

If you want to compete in a game someone else created you?ll probably want to find a nice cozy, safe niche that has a history of predictable success. Choosing a niche and differentiating yourself is safe and comforting. And besides, isn?t that what all the experts tell you to do? Find your niche.

Well, that?s fine if you want to do something that?s already been done. But I?m guessing that you were brought here to do something bigger. Something more. Maybe your vision is bigger than just following in someone else?s footsteps, or being #2 in a crowded market. That?s probably why you?re reading this.

Let me be straight up with you here. I?m not advocating blindly targeting everyone or not having clarity about your ?unique value proposition.? That?s simply a prerequisite to any solid business strategy. Verifying that the market wants and is interested in what you have to offer is smart. But it?s not everything, especially if you want to blaze your own trail and create your own market. Because often times the areas ripe with the most opportunity are those that are uncharted. You can?t verify success in a field that hasn?t been created (Netflix couldn?t know for certain that people would really want DVDs in their mail, they had to try it out and find out). There?s going to be a certain amount of unavoidable risk involved no matter how much trend-watching and data-mining you do.

So if settling on an established, well-researched niche is too safe, what?s the alternative?

Create your own niche.

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[Linda Buquet]

That was an awesome article David. Really got me thinking about some stuff. Especially since Google just rocked my world in local marketing with another big change. I need to figure out how to create a new marketing niche that's Google-less!

 

[WebReviews]

Hay Linda, Is there anything on the net thats GoogleLess - They seem to have their paws well into everything. And if they can't create something to beat something else, they just buy it, and either run it or shut it down!