How well defined is your niche? Do you know who your ideal target audience is?

From what I've seen very few people have a truly well defined niche. If they do have it defined it's often still too broad. For example someone who claims that their niche is small businesses in Austin. While this may seem well defined it's still represented by tens of thousands of organizations.

Defining and refining a niche for most of us is an ongoing and possibly never ending process. It's still important to work on it. The more clearly you're able to articulate who your market is the easier it is to ask for referrals, and the easier it is to find groups of them to network with.

Not only should you be looking for groups of your well defined target market to network with. You should also be looking for others who work in complimentary fields who serve the same or a similar niche as you. Building relationships with these complimentary individuals can be hugely rewarding. Not only do they already have relationships with YOUR prospective customers, but they also have proven that they can help to serve them in other ways.

The more often you can serve as a resource for your customers the more often they'll think of you when they have a need. As an added benefit your referring them to your new referral partners will also put you high on the referral partner's radar the next time they run across one of their customers who needs you.

1) Work hard to understand and define your niche.
2) Identify organizations and meetings where your niche congregates.
3) Remember to also build relationships with those in complimentary fields to fully leverage the networking effect

What is your niche? How can you more powerfully reach it and develop relationships in that space?

Happy Networking!

-Scott Ingram
NetworkInAustin.com