Everyone (including me) tells you that you need a niche. Having a clear path helps you find new customers (since you know exactly where to look) and improves your ability to focus your marketing efforts.
But, what do you do if you’ve got several, unrelated niches? What if your business has grown organically and you’ve got some clients in the software industry, another chunk who are accountants, and a third set who sell medical devices?
Analyze your customers
The first thing to do is to review each sector and see which ones are the most profitable, and which are most likely to remain profitable. Who’s bringing in the most revenue? Which industries have the best potential for current or future growth. Which ones will do well despite the recession? If not, do you gain something by retaining lower-profit sectors (such as prestige, or PR, or brand awareness). Take the customers in the areas you want to keep, and focus your efforts on them.
Break up your site
One solution is to create separate micro sites (mini Web sites) or landing pages for each one. Develop separate marketing campaigns and send visitors from each industry to the appropriate spot. Limit the content on each site to information and products that are relevant to that sector.
Create a path
Build a clear trail to guide each group to the right spot and focus them on the benefits they will receive by using your product or service. Add separate tabs for each one to your Web site: services for software developers; services for accountants; services for medical device manufacturers. Make them different colors so they stand out.
Tailor your message
Adjust the copy, the products, and the services in each section to fit the specific problems faced by each industry. Use industry-specific language (tax time for the accountants, cloud computing for the software developers) as appropriate.
Add testimonials from clients in each group, and offer informational content (articles, links to trade magazine, worksheets, etc.) designed to appeal to each of the three industries.