You may have carved out a small niche market in one or two geographic locations. But now that your business is online, you can target similar consumer groups practically anywhere on the continent or, for that matter, anywhere in the world.

How do you expand your business and extend your reach to other niche markets by simply being on the Web? It's simple – just follow these steps:

Create a buzz through your existing customers
Market actively to your existing customers and encourage them to refer family and friends to your Web site. Consider offering referral bonuses. You may even want to throw in additional incentives for out-of-town referrals.

Marc Butler, co-owner of Lobsterdirect.com, a Halifax-based company that ships live lobsters to the U.S. and Canada, recommends marketing campaigns at least six times a year, preferably around holidays and special occasions. "Send email to your customers for Christmas, New Year's, Valentine's, Thanksgiving, and all those other special occasions," he says. "That way, you might get them to buy not only for themselves but also for other people."

Market to special-interest groups online and off
If your product is rare gourmet treats, advertise in epicurean Web sites or magazines. If your target customers are breeders of show cats, sponsor a competition or, at the very least, attend a show. Contribute articles. Join online discussion groups. Go to conventions – they're a cost-effective alternative to travelling to each of your geographic markets.

Attract media attention
Businesses that cater to niche markets usually have unique and interesting products or services. Stir up publicity by playing up the uniqueness of your product or service and sending press releases to local, national, and international media outlets.

If you're lucky, the media might even come to you, as it did with Lobsterdirect.com. Since it set up shop on the Web in 1994, the company has been featured numerous times by global media outlets, including the Food Network, CNN, and Time magazine.

"Our first mass media exposure was on the Food Network and we were told before the show aired to be ready to handle a barrage of orders and inquiries," says Butler. "In less than an hour after the show aired, we had 1,500 people register on our Web site, and the phone rang off the hook for three hours."

Register with major search engines
Butler and his partner never solicited media attention, but thanks to the fact that Lobsterdirect.com is registered with all major search engines, the media outlets found the company. "It just so happened that they were looking to do stories on lobsters or unusual gift ideas, and when they searched on the Web, our name came up," says Butler. "So you've got to register with search engines if you want to narrow the field considerably."

By taking advantage of the Internet's ability to connect with practically every market in the world, you can consolidate your niche markets and effectively expand your business – without having to strain your travel budget.