I was asked for the”secrets” I have for marketing.
The biggest secret is this:
*drum roll*
Vertical specialization
*Jedi Wave* “this is the secret you’ve been looking for”
Really?
Yes, really.
Based on metric fscktonnes of research (that’s the technical term) I conducted, and reading the research of others, I believe that positioning your business as specializing in a single vertical is the “magic bullet” that will result in more leads & sales than any other marketing strategy.
Why is it a secret?
Because niching down to a single vertical scares the crap out of people.
There are loads of reasons to fear it: it’s turning down opportunity (somewhat valid but doesn’t really happen) or “I’ll get bored just working in one industry” (highly unlikely, as you specialize you find deeper, more interesting problems.)
And it’s also difficult, and time consuming, and lots of other problems. But it’s worthwhile.
What’s my call to action?
Simple: don’t just take my word for it:
Listen to Wolfram Moritz and Brad Farris and Jonathan Stark and Sara Dunn and Louis Grenier on the Marketing for Consultants podcast.
Go read Philip Morgan’s “The Positioning Manual for Indie Consultants” where he walks you through how and why to specilize.
Read the Business of Expertise from David C. Baker where he lists the pros and cons of vertical vs horizontal specialization.
Read Spiraling Up from Lee Frederiksen & Aaron E. Taylor.
In fact, check out everything from Hinge, including Kelly J. Waffle’s interview with Yitzi Weiner in the Thrive Global Community.
Thank you for attending my TED rant.
