221: How Identifying Your Niche Will Make Your Marketing More Powerful w/ Neal Schaffer

Season #1 Episode #221

You already know how to make amazing videos. If only that were enough to sustain your business, you’d be all set. Sadly, outstanding video seldom is enough. To truly get the business you need, you need to market what you do. Today’s guest is here to help us navigate the murky waters of social media marketing so that you can grow your business to the next level.

Key Takeaways

Don’t get caught up in how many followers you have. What’s more important is promoting the quality of your impact and the value you provide. This will not only help you get discovered but will allow you to charge what you’re worth.  

You need to market to a specific need. By trying to market to everybody, you’re marketing to nobody. By specializing in something specific, you’ll be better positioned to market to and find your ideal clients. The more specific you can get, the more powerful and tangible your messaging will be.

About Neal Schaffer

Neal Schaffer is an authority on helping innovative businesses digitally transform their sales and marketing. Founder of the digital marketing consultancy PDCA Social, Neal also teaches at Rutgers Business School and the Irish Management Institute. 

Fluent in Japanese and Mandarin Chinese, Neal is a popular keynote speaker and has spoken on four continents in more than a dozen countries. He is also the author of 4 sales and marketing books, including Maximize Your Social and the recently published The Age of Influence, a ground-breaking book redefining digital influence.

The Many Ways Social Media Can Be Used In Marketing

We all have to market our businesses. There are countless ways to do this and it will look different for everyone. Neal discusses how to use social media to build your exposure and influence in a way that’s authentic to who you are and your brand. 

You need to be specific in your approach. Carefully choose the platform, format, and content that makes the most sense to what you do and who you want to reach. Neal explains how honing in on this will help you differentiate what you do and reach the right clients. This may mean further developing your niche, or even changing it altogether.

Being Unique To Leverage Your Connections

The thing to remember is that, no matter what, you have a unique experience. That experience is what sets you apart and gives you something worth sharing. Whatever it is, it can be applied to something related to video. Neal reminds us that we are all experts in something. Marketing is merely a way to communicate that you’re an expert to the people who need that expertise.

It’s also not that important how many followers you have. What matters more is how connected you are to others. It’s the quality of those relationships that makes the difference. Neal tells us how to use your sphere of influence to get the word out so that more business will start flowing your way. 

What could be holding you back from a pivot you need to make? What do you need to do to move forward? How can you use your skills in video to reach out within your sphere of influence? Leave a comment on the episode page!

 

In This Episode:

  • Developing a love of social media as a way to build and promote businesses [5:45]
  • The dangers of comparing your business to others [9:55]
  • Where to start when developing your social media marketing strategy [13:30]
  • Overcoming the fear of niching down [17:12]
  • The power of having processes in your sales strategy [28:40]
  • How to build and leverage your sphere of influence [37:08]

 

Quotes

“With social media, it’s so misunderstood and done wrong by so many, and I think if we can teach people at the top level how to do it right, it’s so impactful for people, businesses, and society.” [5:34]

“The numbers don’t matter. What really matters is the impact that you have in your community and the market where you’re looking for work.” [12:50]

“There are influencers out there, in your community and online, who you can begin a relationship with, collaborate with. I think that can become a really powerful way of getting some word of mouth going for you.” [39:44]

 

Links:

Join the Grow Your Video Business Facebook group

The Client Budget Workshop

Core

Storyblocks

Find Neal Schaffer online

Follow Neal on Twitter | Linkedin | Instagram | Facebook

Free Preview of The Age of Influence

 

Additional Links:

Check out the full show notes page

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