Finding Niche Markets for Your Desktop Publishing Business

Finding Niche Markets for Your Desktop Publishing Business
Page content

The Importance of a Niche

The problem of taking a generalist approach to your new DTP business is that it can be hard to build momentum around a particular type of client or industry. However, if you can develop a reputation for doing the very best work in a tight niche, it becomes far easier to book new business and to attract more client referrals. Some popular niches for desktop publishing professionals include creating targeted materials for:

• Restaurants

• Pharmaceutical Representatives

• Legal Professionals

• Medical Professionals

• Political Campaigns

• Self-Published Authors

Inventory Your Life Experience

Part of choosing the right niche involves leveraging your own experience. If you previously worked in a law firm, than many of your very best first customers will likely be law firms. Likewise, if you once studied political science in college, you might find it easier to attract business from political campaigns and from government officials. Bringing your own experience about a particular industry can set you apart from competitors who don’t understand the needs of your target audience. More importantly, connections you made from previous jobs and from past networking circles offer the ripest opportunities for new business.

Pursuing Multiple Passions

Running your own desktop publishing business also gives you the ability to target a niche that you’re passionate about. You may not ever want to actually work in a professional kitchen, but specializing in creating attractive menus can offer you exposure to the restaurant trade. Likewise, a strong reputation for creating powerful travel brochures can help you develop strong ties within the tourism industry. In some cases, you may be able to barter your work for discounts on meals and hotel visits, as well as any other services and products in your chosen niche.

Leveraging Niche Networks

Competitors often talk to each other, regardless of their industry. As you start to create high quality DTP projects for your clients, their own peers and mentors will ask them how to reach you. Making it easy for your existing clients to offer referrals and testimonials is a common practice among successful desktop publishing business owners. Before long, new clients will start to ask you to build on the kind of success you created for their peers.

This post is part of the series: Starting a Desktop Publishing Business

Thanks to new technology, it’s easier than ever to launch your own desktop publishing business. Learn how to choose your niche, set your hourly rates, and avoid the most common pitfalls of a freelance graphic design career.

  1. Guide to Starting a Desktop Publishing Business - Setting Expectations and Testing the Market
  2. How to Learn Important Skills and Tools for Desktop Publishing
  3. Guide to Investing in Your Desktop Publishing Business
  4. Choosing a Niche for Your Desktop Publishing Business
  5. Different Phases of a Desktop Publishing Business : Moonlighting, Part-Time, and Full-Time