A niche is basically a specific group of people that you work with only. The benefit of this is that you become a specialist instead of a generalist. It’s probably pretty obvious why a specialist is better. A great example is a brain surgeon. If you are in need of a “brain operation” would you want to go to a brain surgeon or a general practitioner? By becoming known as a specialist in your specific area you will set yourself apart from your competition. Your niche can be anything from stay-at-home mom’s, corporate executives to teenagers, etc. Having a niche also works in pretty much every industry.
I’m hoping these tips will help you find your niche, so that you can move forward with a successful career. It wasn’t until my mentor recommended tip #3 for me, that it finally all came together!
Tip #1: Craft your story. Look at the sequence of events that led you to where you are today. How does it relate to what you do? This will help you identify where your strengths lie and the experience you have. This will also help you create & identify a unique system that you walk your clients through in order to help them get results. This can be turned into an info-product later that will help you generate some passive income. Cool eh?
Tip #2: If you are just starting out, just get out there! Start with a group of people you are passionate about. You can identify this from Tip #1. You can be confident in marketing to this type of person because you can relate to their unique struggles. Having experienced something yourself, gives you the credibility and expertise to hep someone else. Take a few months to work with people before proceeding. I know, if you’re like me you want this figured out yesterday. BUT by putting the time in upfront you will save yourself a lot of frustration in the long run.
Tip #3: Look at who you attract naturally. You will notice that the more you put yourself out there, the more people you will attract naturally. They may not necessarily be who you initially identified in tip #2, BUT you are attracting them for a reason.
Pay attention to the types of clients that are already hiring you. List everything about them i.e., their age, occupation, if they are married, have kids, etc. Also pay attention to why they hired you, their unique struggles and what results they got from working with you. If you have testimonials, this is a great way to find the answers to the above.
Tip #4: What do the people identified in Tip #3 have in common? For instance is it their “demographics”, “psychographics” or both? Demographics refer to a person’s martial status, gender, age, income class, etc. Psychographics refers to their values, beliefs, personality and interests. This is important to identify in order to help with your marketing strategy.
Tip #5: Get out and market! Craft the language you will use that will appeal to your new niche! Keep in mind that you want to focus on what they want, not what you think they need. It’s also important to use wording that is results-based.
P.S. Does any of the information in this e-zine sound familiar? I just want to send out a great big THANK-YOU to all of my friends, family, colleagues & clients who have inspired my writing! I am blessed to have you in my life and wouldn’t be able to do it without you 🙂