speaker, she’s never cold called or used
direct-mail marketing.
Word-of-mouth marketing, Brown
notes, is especially powerful in a
niche market.
“You’d better be really good at what
you do, because in a niche market,
word of mouth spreads like wildfire,”
she says. “The advantage is that it can
propel some speakers’ businesses—or
cause them to exit quickly.
“Also, when you’re in a niche market,
people are going to see you multiple
times,” Brown says. “Expectations rise so
you have to be better than the last time.”
And you better come up with fresh
material. But when you’re passionate
about your topic, it’s a welcome challenge.
“I live my niche market,” Brown
says. “You wouldn’t believe the good
speaking material and humor you get
from the real-life headaches, heartaches
and happenings on the farm.”
As Brown, Mason and Payn-Knoper have
learned, there are benefits to working in
a niche market — rapid word-of-mouth
marketing, the opportunity to serve “a
calling” and the ability to draw on years
of relationship-building.
But without passion and expertise in
a niche, you’ll likely flounder, they say.
“Where is your passion? What
threads do you have in your life that
will give [you] that credibility?” Brown
I live my niche
market. You
wouldn’t believe
the good speaking
material and humor
you get from the
real-life headaches,
heartaches and
happenings on
the farm.
asks. “You have to know your industry
and your topic, and you must own it.
That’s the key. Wrap those messages in
a variety of formats. Include humor,
interaction and real-life stories. Bring
the spirit of service. Then you’re ready
for your own niche market.”
Stephanie R. Conner is a professional writer and editor whose sole agricultural achievement is a second-place ribbon for a squash at the
county fair when she was six years old. She can
be reached at Stephanie@TheActiveVoice.com.
