Stick To Your Niche
April 14th, 2009 by Chief Nut
In recent months we’ve all seen Twitter start to act like Facebook and we’ve seen Facebook start to act like Twitter. The danger here is that they’re both completely different services, serving completely different needs. The best thing they should both do is stick to what they’re good at and be happy as the market leader in each of their respective niches. And, if they were to publicly announce this I would vow to never stop using either service (and I’m sure I’d be among friends).
Here’s the point — find a niche, dominate it and STICK TO IT. Changing with the winds of the market or, worse yet, chasing after the siren’s song of an untouched target audience is perilous … possibly even fatal! And in some cases it makes you look wishy-washy and silly.
While on a visit to Michigan recently I came across both of these signs. The first a small interior decorating establishment and the other a mall retail clothing shop. Both dove into their respective markets with enough vigor and commitment to have their niche in their name! “Just Walls” and “Man Alive” respectively. Take a look at their “add on” marketing signage to see if you think they might be going astray just a tad.
My committment to you? Acorn Creative will never stop going nuts!
This is a example showing why your brand has to be authentic. What they are doing is completely destroying their uniqueness. They become another same old same old. I imagine it also has to do with the slow economy. They are not bold enough to hold true to their values.
When I develop brand strategies with companies, this is exactly what I ask of them and their “respect” for their brand values. “Can you hold true to your values even in tough times?” It takes balls to stick to your values, but it will pay in dividends if you do. Diversifying is a short term fix on the road to your demise.
Comment by Ed Roach — May 8, 2009 @ 9:41 pm