A couple of weeks ago, we talked about making a connection with your marketing efforts. And, I’ve had a few people contact me and want to know more about where, exactly, they should be looking for people in their niche - where do these people hang out, and how do you find them and connect with them?

There are a multitude of places to find potential clients that you can connect with. It really depends on what your business provides, and the particular niche you’re serving.

In that previous post, I mentioned looking at online networking groups. Yahoo Groups is a great place to start. Let’s say you’re a massage therapist serving the dance community. You might search Yahoo Groups for dance related groups. You can also do the same at MSN Groups or Google Groups. These groups are a great way to meet, make connections, and build relationships with your potential clients. Because it’s online, you can network when you want, where you want. I’ve made amazing connections through groups like this, and as a result, I’ve been able to connect with clients across the world.

My friend Katherine is exploring Facebook as well and is seeing how it can benefit her business. Go check out her blog and see how she ends up liking it! I have to say, I think she’s going to find huge benefit out there. Facebook is my new favorite networking tool. I’ve been able to make some great connections out there for my business - my niche is definitely hanging out on Facebook. And, the connections I’ve made have not only been online connections - I’ve actually met people local to me as well!

Another great social networking site is Zaadz. It’s social networking for the socially conscious. Please feel free to connect with me in either place

Something else that I do in my business to connect with my niche is, I write articles and they are published in targeted places. What I mean by targeted is, places where I know my niche will read them. For example, I am a writer for a magazine called The Saponifier. It’s a publication geared toward the handmade toiletries industry. I’ve also written for Planet Lightworker, Peaceful Living News, and Wisdom Magazine.

The key to finding people to connect with who are your potential clients is to have a focused niche, or target market. And I know, there are entrepreneurs that resist narrowing their focus. But, when you hone in on who you want to serve, it makes connecting with them, and really building a fulfilling business easier. Instead of casting a wide net and hoping someone will notice you, you can be more targeted about your marketing efforts, be more deliberate about your marketing actions, and really connect with the people you want to serve.