Tighten Your Focus - Ideas to better penetrate your marketspace

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November 29, 2002

OK - unless you have VERY deep pockets to build your brand, offering hosting to the general population is going to be a tough nut to crack. The really big hosts are already into defensive advertising and spending millions each year to protect their brands and when you are a small host with a few hundred accounts that's steep.

Now Yes, you can play the simple numbers game - and buy enough traffic from the hosting directories and search engines to generate enough signups to make your investors happy, but even this method takes seriously deep pockets. Literally tens of thousands per month which is something many hosts do not have.

How do you compete with such a well funded competitor in such an already competitive industry? To many, I say DON'T. At least not on their turf, which in most cases is general web hosting to the general public. Instead, narrow your space and focus. Stop being the "me too" host that simply follows around the giants and create your space!

Pick a niche - almost any niche, but best if it's one you know something about, and become the first host built specifically for (insert your niche here). When I say niche, I mean anything... fitness, lawyers, accountants, dog lovers, pilots, gardeners, painters - I mean really pick a niche. Think a niche is too small? GOOD - then use that one! You will find you can penetrate that niche very easily and really become THE hosting brand among that niche. In many cases you will find advertising to your niche costs peanuts compared to what it costs to advertise your hosting to the general public.

What if you monopolize your niche? Well, for one, celebrate, and continue to service that niche well. You will find that your brand, being first to market in your niche, sustains nicely. Now, pick another niche and build a completely new brand around it!