CNN is nice. But I would rather be on Slashdot.

Posted by Laura Bergells

February 27, 2007

A prospective client called me last week. A new IT security training firm, his three-man company launched a new website in November 2006.

To mark the occasion, he wrote a press release and distributed it on PRWeb for $80.

Throughout December, his company was featured on CNN, CNBC, RedHerring, The Christian Science Monitor, as well as a few other news outlets.

My prospect acknowledged that all the main stream media attention was nice and well worth $80 — but that he would rather get a great post on a few niche security blogs — “or on Slashdot or some other site that understands my customers better.”

My prospective client is absolutely right. CNN gave him visitors: but few buyers.

A few years ago, I had a client sniff with disdain when the Wall Street Journal published excerpts of a press release I wrote for his launch. “Our customers and prospects don’t read the Wall Street Journal,” he said.

He was right, too.

Main stream media traffic and attention does not convert to sales nearly as well as highly targeted traffic.

For many small online businesses, “Small(er) and niched” publicity trumps “Big and General” publicity.

“Big and General” can feed your ego.

But “Small and Niched” can feed your family.

Here are three insights into why “Small” is the new “Big”:

In yesterday’s post, Seth Godin notes that David stones Goliath, or, er, that Joe Schmo’s blog can wallop BIG Media when it comes to contextual advertising. It is not much of an intuitive leap to recognize that contextual publicity will also draw and retain better prospects than general publicity will.
In last week’s post, Chris Anderson at the Long Tail blog notes that niched brands are winning customer hearts and minds - far more so than big brands. It is a growing trend: like many, I would rather sport something unique (a vegetarian shoe or a hand-crafted amethyst ring) than something that I associate with sweatshop/slavery (a Nike shoe or a diamond).
And of course, inbound links (IBLs) from targeted, niched sites with lots of authority and Page Rank are extremely important for getting great positioning at the search engines — for the keyword terms that matter the most to your clients.

CNN is nice. Getting on Oprah is terrific.

But if you own a growing businesses, focus your publicity efforts on the smaller, niched sites that acutely target the interests of your best prospects and clients.