Do You Really Need a Target Market??

Do you really need a target market? You know... a niche or a tribe.

I mean, Deepak, Dr. Weil, and Christiane Northrup don't really have one.

Why should you have to get one?

I mean, you wouldn't want to leave anyone out who possibly wanted help, right?

Well, here are some things to consider about your wellness biz that may help you get clear about this, once and for all.

1 - Deepak and the other wellness pioneers, were first to the marketplace. Before there were tons of wellness pros available in every community...

... before holistic health, wellness and life transformation stuff was pretty mainstream.

And so who they were was different and "stand out" enough. In fact, it was down right edgy and out there.

Now, there are LOTS of people, in your community and online, offering very similar, if not exactly the same, service as you.

They even dress like you, talk like you, and kinda look like you.

And their website probably looks like yours too.

2-  People's inboxes and personal bandwidth for advertising and marketing is at capacity.

We are all so used to marketing/advertising and "special offers" that it's like white noise in the background of our life.

And so we just ignore everything unless it's absolutely relevant to what's going on in our lives RIGHT now.

Which means...

3-  If you try to help everyone,  your work gets ignored.

... and you end up helping no one.

Why? Because in an effort to help EVERYONE, your emails, newsletters, brochures, business cards, flyers, classes, workshops, etc... CONNECTS WITH NO ONE.

It's too broad, generic and sounds like every other wellness pro's business.

It's so overwhelming and mind-numbing to the general public that very often, they choose nothing because they just can't relate.

If you do this for a few years, you might even start to think that people "aren't ready" for your work or "American's aren't interested in wellness."

Not true.

It's not the general public's job to get you. It's the other way around. You have to help people get past the "So What Factor" about your work and connect it to what matters to them.

Which means...

4 - Here's a doozy...The general public doesn't care about wellness per se, but they DO care about how your work will impact what matters to them

... only then will you have their attention.

For example, don't talk about nutrition. Talk about how nutrition will make what they value in life better or that without proper nutrition what they hold dear is at stake.

Once you have their attention, then you show'em how nutrition is the hinge that will swing big doors in their life.

Which means...

5 - You gotta be irresistbly relevant...

Since it's impossible to please everyone and be relevant to EVERYONE at the same time without being very broad, generic and sounding like all of your colleagues and everything else that's already out there (which we know doesn't work)... there's only one thing left to do to get through to people.

You decide to speak to a specific type of person about a very specific type of issue that matters to them.  

Something that you too can get excited about.

It's kind of like dating. If you say I'll date any person who is nice, likes to travel and is funny. (What most people say on all those dating sites) It's like saying "I'll date anyone who has a pulse." And then all the potential hot dates out there feel your "lack of specification" as a lack of standards, which reads as desperation. (Ever notice that? When you're willing to date JUST ABOUT ANYONE you get no dates?)

Same thing is true in your wellness biz.

Lack of specification equates lack of standards, focus and expertise to the general public. And it makes you and your work sound wishy washy, woo-woo or just plain irrelevant and out of touch.

This is America. We love our experts.

Claim YOUR expertise by claiming your target market, your tribe.

And then get to work helping THEM.

Need help with this?

Consider joining my How to Brand and Launch (or Re-Launch) Your Wellness Biz the RIGHT Way here: http://wellpronet.org/branding/

This Saturday, April 30th is the last day to receive the early bird savings and get the best deal!

Check out the details here: http://wellpronet.org/branding/

To your success,

Karin

About the Author and WellProNet.org: Karin Witzig Rozell has been teaching health and wellness professionals how to grow their business since 2003. She started as a nutrition counselor who knew a lot about nutrition, but not a whole lot about business and marketing. After learning some tough lessons she cracked the code and now her passion is transforming practitioners into profitable business owners using the power of authentic marketing strategies. In 2009, she expanded her private practice and launched The Wellness Professional Network as the go-to place for practitioners to learn about making more money doing what they love.  Karin lives in Upstate New York and works from home with her husband and baby boy.