Get a Niche and Scratch It!

In today's highly competitive marketplace, the demand for specialized products and services is increasing. If your museum or cultural organization positions itself as catering to everyone, chances are your audience will not perceive any greater value in patronizing you than your competitors.

Without other compelling “points of difference,” price becomes the metric by which visitors will compare you to others. Thus, if your offerings are perceived as equal in value to those of your competitors, naturally the cheapest alternative will win.

This is where organizations focused on a niche market will always win out. The more unique you are, the less competition you will have. The less competition you have, the less replaceable your organization or product is. The less replaceable you are, the less important price becomes. So differentiate. Get a niche and scratch it!

Share Your Knowledge
Becoming a resource for your target market starts with sharing your knowledge. You might consider giving away valuable information associated with your exhibits or events—in a unique print form or through a fun, interactive website—information that interests your prospects without pressuring them to buy.

Become the Expert
The more you become known as a source of expert information, the more potential customers will trust you. You become part of their world and a center of influence.

Establish your organization as an expert in your niche market by using the power of positioning to make your offerings distinct, relevant and appealing to your target audience. To do this, you need to get to the heart of your audience’s needs. What's their most challenging issue? Maybe your offerings help entertain, or educate and bring families together during the down time of school or summer break. People like to engage with groups they know and trust. By tuning into the needs and values of your audience, you will help establish your museum or cultural group as a resource and a trusted advisor.

By centering your museum on a specific theme, product, audience or outcome,  niche marketing has an added benefit of helping you develop a special reputation that drives word-of-mouth and dramatically increases revenue.

Many museums and art organizations think they are pursuing differentiation, when in fact they may be confusing differentiation with image enhancement and brand messaging, and too many aren't bothering to measure their marketplace's acceptance. If this sounds like your organization, you should run, not walk, to create a niche, differentiate, and find a "sweet spot" where your organization can stand alone. Build your acumen about differentiation and pursue a niche where your visitorship is destined to grow, competitors will be few and your audience won’t think twice about engaging with you.

Share Your Niche With Us
Is our organization positioned within a niche market? How has serving that market changed the way you engage with your audience? Join our chat and share your niche marketing strategies with us by posting a comment to this blog. We'd love to hear from you!