Have you ever considered that there may me more to your target market than you realize? So where is this added target market? It is within the Deaf community. When I talk about Deaf people, I mean those that are culturally Deaf, using ASL as their first language. Market studies are tough to pinpoint in this area, but estimates are just under 1 million people that utilize ASL as their first language. Can you imagine grabbing 3% for business? That’s 30,000 people. If you really have a unique target market and generate only 1 %, you are now exposed to an additional 10,000 people.

Suppose your niche is stay at home mothers, engineers, teens or married couples over the age of 60. In the Deaf and hard of hearing community, they exist. Deafness is never really understood other than these people happen to be Deaf. What the majority, the hearing world, hasn’t realized is within this capable world of Deafness are people of all different interests, different ideals and different economics. In fact, single out any kind of person in the hearing world and there is one to match in the Deaf/HOH world. Deaf doctors, pilots, performers, engineers, and stay at home moms.

Why is it important to acknowledge the Deaf population? You’ll be able to expand exposure greatly. It does require a bit of planning, but the reward is well worth it. Becoming educated about Deaf culture will improve your marketing plan to the community. Read one woman’s frustration, Bionic Ear Blog.

I am the hearing daughter of two Deaf parents. I have a lifetime of experience with the Deaf population. “Taking just small extra steps can result in a wonderful result. Not to mention, Deaf people recognize the extra effort to include them and the loyalty becomes monumental. Word of mouth is actually faster than you can imagine in the Deaf community” says Callsen.

One of the reasons word travels fast is due to technology. Email, websites, videophones and recently Vlogs. New Vlogs are popping up daily. Vlogging is the equivalent of Blogging but just with video. I recently decided to blog about a true passion of mine. I was encouraged to change those Blogs into Vlogs utilizing my ASL skills to tell my stories. My traffic and comments increase by four times.

Why not learn how to market within your entire niche?

Lisa Callsen is owner of Limelight Virtual Assistant, focusing on partnerships with Deaf Business Owners as well as those looking to market to the Deaf and Hard of Hearing population. Her email is This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it and Web site is www.limelightva.com.