More Than WE Know

Recently I’ve been discussing NaturallyCurly.com. I’m fascinated with this business because it is such a great example to demonstrate the power of having a narrow market niche.

Rather than seeing their narrow niche - hair products for people with curly hair - as a limitation - the owners have chosen to view the specificity of their niche as a strength.

For example, enter the keywords “hair care” into google and NaturallyCurly.com isn’t anywhere in the first 100 entries.  (And who knows how much further down the list they are? I wouldn’t bother to look and neither would any potential customers)

But enter the keywords “curly hair care products” or  even “curly hair care” and they are Number One on Google for both!

By definining their niche narrowly and focusing exclusively on a target market, NaturallyCurly.com has been able to stand out in a crowd.  They would be (and still are) lost in a sea of generic hair care - but they’re beginning to get status in the area of curly hair.

How are they doing it?

1. Exhibiting their expertise.

Michelle and Gretchen can’t be experts on everything about hair care - but they can become experts over a smaller topic - the care of curly hair.

• They both have the advantage of actually having curly hair and from there they’ve accumulated a wealth of information on the frustrations, challenges, opportunities and nuances of having curly hair. 
• They know which products work and which don’t.
• They know which external factors affect curly hair and what can be done about it.
• They know which salons cater to curly hair and which haven’t got a clue. 

In other words, by keeping their area of focus relatively narrow, they can dig deep and become true experts.

2. Building Community.

Michelle and Gretchen could have created a generic site that simply lists hair care products for sale. But they realized that their target market was largely women (women make most of this type of purchase even for men and children).

They knew that women don’t necessarily shop for efficiency. Women like to browse. They like to comparison shop. They like to discuss their potential purchases. They like to share their success tips and vent their frustrations.

So, Michelle and Gretchen created a community forum for women to discuss their hair. They solicited salon reviews from readers who had good (or not so good) experiences with local salons. They write articles about the trials and tribulations of having curly hair - dating, self-esteem, images in the media, etc. 

They give their customers a reason to visit their site, even when they don’t have anything they need to buy. 

This keeps them top of mind with their customers. It ensures repeat sales and enables them to take advantage of advertising revenue.  Other retailers want to advertise to the community they have built.

3. Developing Customer Loyalty.

Michelle and Gretchen stand by their products. They have a reasonable return policy which they explain upfront.  They have a customer service support line. They have feedback forums. 

They realize that their main profit will come in repeat sales and word of mouth referrals. Therefore they focus on developing and maintaining a long-term relationship with their customers for repeat business - not on a single, quick sale.

What about you and your business? How can you incorporate some of these ideas into your marketing strategy?

photo credit: mbtrama

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