One of the easiest ways to set yourself apart when networking is to clearly define a marketing niche for your business.  This is important for all of your marketing, but it especially comes in handy when you are trying to communicate in a networking setting.

Creating a marketing niche is about making your “ideal client” unique.  You can differentiate your ideal client by many categories:

• Location
• Industry or Profession
• Business or Consumer Focus
• Size of Client Company
• Income or Revenue Bracket
• Personal Demographics (Age, Education, Etc.)

Why have a Marketing Niche?

• This is a way to communicate your ideal customer/business partner

The people that you meet in your networking efforts can only refer you if they know exactly what you are looking for.

• Focuses your thinking and your efforts

This goes back to the idea of having a networking plan.  Instead of spending your energy everywhere, you can focus it on building the right relationships with people that either are, or can refer you to, your ideal client.

• Become the expert at what you do

When you position yourself as somebody who works with a particular type of client, it sticks in people’s minds.  You want be the first person that pops into your network’s heads when they think of your industry or profession.

A marketing niche isn’t exclusionary; you can still work with clients outside of it.  The key word here is marketing, it’s about having a way to communicate to others about what type of clients you are looking for – in a way that is easy for them to grasp.