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Welcome back!

(Quick shoutout to our sponsor: Anyword, a Generative AI platform for your marketing team!)

Happy belated Leap Day for those who celebrate!

Time has been flying for us at Beyond 9to5 (how is it already March??), and we can’t wait to get to this month’s new theme.

But first, we want to take a minute to reflect on this year’s progress.

Since revamping our content and design at the beginning of the year, we have:

• Gained over 2,000 new subscribers - that’s 2,000 marketing gurus in the making!

• Seen incredible engagement in our referral program (scroll past today’s article to cash in on some sick rewards!)

• And we’ve gotten you guys some sweet discounts on some high quality software tools

With that being said, let’s talk about what’s happening now.

We’ve listened to your feedback, and we know that for a lot of you guys, you’re not trying to build the next SaaS unicorn. You want to sell products, grow your small business, or offer consulting/educational services to people who want your expertise.

Some of our previous articles have gotten a bit technical and oriented towards software apps and Big Tech products, so this month we are focusing on the fundamentals.

(Don’t worry, if you are trying to build the next SaaS unicorn, these concepts will still apply!)

This month, we’re going to be answering one key question:

Q: How do you sell something that isn’t (very) unique?

Answer: You read Beyond 9to5 and implement our strategies.

Joking, of course! (But seriously…)

This month is all about learning from the greats. We’re taking a lesson from a particular company that has a kick-ass marketing strategy and showing you how you can implement that into your own projects.

But that’s enough chit chat - let’s get into it! 🔥

News

Tools + Productivity

Strategy

The food and beverage market is enormous.

With a market that big, it’s hard to differentiate yourself from competitors.

So, how do you get people to buy something that they can find somewhere else?

One way is to identify a niche segment of the market and super-serve that niche. Make them feel important, and let them know that your company is looking out for their needs.

Before long you’ll have built a community.

Let’s take a look at Oatly.

Oatly
Oatly was founded nearly 30 years ago as a dairy alternative.

Although the vegan hype these days is pretty palpable, this was not the case in the 90s (at least not to the same degree as it is now), when Oatly began.

It was pretty radical at the time for the company to say that they would be a plant-based milk alternative company, since it was such a niche market.

Even more radical/restricting, the company decided that they would make exclusively oat-based milk alternatives (they even made it impossible to expand by putting “oat” in their name!).

So, how did Oatly go from being a niche oat-milk company to becoming an extremely popular name in grocery stores and households worldwide?

It Starts With Why
When deciding on oat milk specifically, the founders simply believed that oats provided the best product of the various alternatives. It contained good fiber, it was creamier, and it didn’t leave a weird aftertaste that reminded you that you’re not drinking real milk. Check out their rationale right here.

The investment in this belief has paid dividends, with oat milk developing incredible loyalty.

In the link above, the author noted:

“We tested Planet Oat for this story, but many of my colleagues insisted Oatly was even better. I definitely underestimated how seriously people take their oat milk brand loyalty.”

When targeting a specific audience, you have the ability to cut out the noise. By knowing exactly what they wanted to sell, Oatly was able to adopt a “one-inch wide, one-mile deep” strategy.

With this method, they cultivated the ethos of being experts in the space about all things oat milk.

While competitors like Califia Farms offer broad plant-based alternative dairy products (almond milk, soy milk, chocolate strawberry almond creamer (what?), and oat milk as well), their focus is spread too wide to claim expertise on any one plant-based alternative.

With expertise, you are able to offer a better product. One that advocates for the needs of your one customer profile without having to compromise your principles to serve other customer segments.

Strava, Too
If you ask any of your friends who are avid runners or cyclists, there’s an incredibly high likelihood that they know of or use Strava.

Strava is a fitness tracking app that targets cyclists and runners.

There are tons of apps out there that let you track your workouts and post them for your friends to see, but Strava kept a strong focus on just two sports in its early days.

By focusing on cyclists and runners, they were able to figure out exactly what these customers want in a fitness-tracking experience.

First, they want precise tracking, so Strava developed the best GPS product.
Next, they want stats, so Strava made sure to give precise breakdowns of every possible stat available, and they even developed progress-tracking capabilities for their paid version.
Lastly, these athletes want community, so Strava implemented a social component of the app that incentivizes its users to support each others’ endeavors with “kudos” (there’s science-backed research on why this works).

Strava is now unrivaled in the consumer fitness space for runners and cyclists because they were able to focus on what their two sports wanted in an experience and nothing else.

Everything Is Reciprocated
When targeting a niche audience, you have to remember that everything is reciprocated.

The effort you give to your customers will not go unnoticed, and when it’s time for them to look into your products/services again, they will remember how much your offerings were catered to them specifically.

Over time, this practice of reciprocated effort turns into brand loyalty, which is an advantage you can’t put a price on.

Don’t get spread too thin trying to make everyone happy.

Instead, find the people you want to sell to, and give them the best experience possible.

Looking Ahead
This month, we’re exploring how to sell products when they’re not unique or revolutionary. As we see with Oatly and Strava, the ability to cater your offerings to a niche segment of the market can have incredible outcomes, so long as you make your customers feel like they’re getting a tailored experience or that they’re a part of a community.

For a sneak peak into the rest of the month, check below:

Week 1: Target Niche Markets (this week)
Week 2: Emphasize Brand Values
Week 3: Provide Exceptional Customer Service
Week 4: Competitive Pricing & Value-Added Services

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