Do you remember when life used to be simpler?

Like 2 or 3 weeks ago :)

Seriously though, marketing definitely used to be easier a few years ago.

Back then if you wanted potential clients to look up to you as an expert you just had to be the best at what you did amongst the people they were likely to meet.

And the people they were likely to meet were largely the folks who rocked up to the same networking meetings as them.

That's where all the advice to focus on a niche came in. If you were niche focused you'd automatically be seen as more of an expert than the generalists.

These days it's not quite so easy. Not only can people find experts on pretty much anything they want via Google, the experts are reaching out to them proactively via Facebook and Linkedin ads.

So you don't even need to go searching to find an expert in pretty much any topic.

It means the local experts are no longer the only game in town.

Sure, some people only buy from people they've met face to face. But they're a diminishing crowd. 

If you want to be seen as an expert these days, then just focusing on a niche isn't enough. People who focus on the exact same niche are everywhere.

The ruthless economics of the web mean that where you once were a premium provider locally, you're now a commodity.

Nowadays, as well as a tight niche, you also need to be saying something different to that niche. Something your competitors aren't saying. You need better and more interesting ideas. You need a reason why people should listen to you rather than all the other people they can find in your field with a quick stab at their keyboard.

What's your reason?