Your niche can actually go in any one, or several, or all of a few different directions. For example, traditionally a customer walks into a store, pulls a guitar off the wall, plays it, likes it buys it. Or they see it in a catalog; feel from its description that they will like it so they order it. But since your store is different what if you did this:
1) Develop a 30 minute presentation that could be drawn out longer, on what to look for in a guitar, whats important, what’s NOT important, even though myths have been created that it is, and what’s worth paying extra for?
2) Then you went to schools, libraries and music stores giving this presentation for free? You would be establishing a personality, plus and identity in front of the folks you want to work with, people spend more money if they feel they KNOW you.
3) But you’re smart, you know that MULTI media is the way, so you have your son follow you and video record you on his Kodak ZX5 ($100 camcorder), and you sift through several to find the best. This video gets put on your FB page, your blog, YouTube, and anywhere else that will host it
4) Then you have a transcription of your presentation made and turned into a MM slide show “movie” and do the same.
5) THEN you take that transcription, make it a blog post, cut it into sections for FB, send it out in tweets and submit it to every article site in north America (or wherever you are)
6) But you’re NOT done, because finally you get some of those business card CD’s that were so popular 10 years ago, burn your movie to them and make them YOUR business cards.
By the time you’re done you now are the trusted authority in YOUR area on how to buy guitars!
So the customers are coming in to buy guitars, with some education and a LOT of trust for you. You steer them towards what’s right for them, not what YOU need to sell that week. Being a smaller shop, you may not have the connections needed to get the best price on the biggest names, so instead you focus on the off brands that YOU know is quality. Additionally, because YOU have a custom shop, remember that’s part of your dream you will have your “own brand” available as well!
One last method, and this is really a kind of ‘add on method’ as I would certainly NOT use it as your only method, but certainly something that would support your decision, That involves going into one of the LARGE chain book stores and heading to the magazine rack. Look to see how many magazines are being published in the niche you would like to use?
A good number of magazines would be two, if your niche is currently supporting two national magazines, than they should certainly be able to support YOU. If there are MORE than two (lets say SURFING) than what you may want to do is buy a few of them and read the ads. As you do, ask yourself if they are ONLY using ads of the corporate ‘high gloss’ type? Or do they also have several pages devoted JUST to direct response advertising? These ads are typically smaller, not as pretty, and typically all grouped together.
SO until next time, when we reveal what OTHER mistakes you shouldn’t be making, pick an excuse, any excuse, just make it a good one!…www.any-excuse.com