To niche, or not to niche. That is the question…
As a business concept, it completely and utterly makes fantastic sense to have a speciality, or a niche. As a communications coach and copywriter, I do an imperceptible happy dance when I ask a potential client about their business, and they give me an answer like this:
‘Our product is a self-tanner created from nurturing the essence of tannin by osmosis from the hide of goats from an uninhabited Mediterranean island that subsist solely on organic seaweed that has been naturally and gently sacrificed by the ocean for the goats by the ebb and flow of the moon-led tides.’
This level of detail and biz-awareness makes my job a whole lot easier- I know exactly the who, the how, the why and the what, and so can create communications tactics and messages that appeal directly to a target audience.
There are three standout benefits to focusing on a niche:
1- Gain credibility:
When there is one sole industry or audience focus, you very quickly can become the go-to expert on that focus area. The PR benefits are huge- you can pitch yourself successfully to journalists writing in that field and your clients can refer you confidently to their industry colleagues, and your specialist knowledge will allow you to solve your client’s pain points effectively and meaningfully.
2- Offer focused support to your clients:
It’s really hard to be everything to everybody. Having a sole focus allows you to focus your work tightly on your specific industry or audience group, and your specialist knowledge will allow you to solve your client’s pain points effectively and meaningfully.
3- Bullseye marketing:
The act of communicating to them and with them deliberately and comprehensively becomes much, much easier. Having a clear understanding of your audience allows you to appeal directly to them through your marketing, and target your messages strategically, purposefully and effectively.
So please, go forth and create yourself an avatar of your niche client- hell, get yourself a big sheet of paper and plot out their day if you think it will help you get clarity about where, when and how to target them with your key messages.
Having said all that…I don’t have a niche. Here’s why:
Every word I write and every tactic I suggest is deliberate and is designed for a specific audience for my client- regardless of industry. There really is no such thing as the average Blue51 client, and I love the diversity of my work. Whilst I really (really) love working with my health and fitness clients, if they were my niche I wouldn’t be able to work on other interesting and fun projects that have very little in common with health and fitness- for example my client who is on the quest to find the perfect burger. It’s the experience and knowledge developed from over a decade of working with a wide range of businesses across diverse industries that allows me to bring flexibility and creativity to my copywriting, social media and content marketing, PR and communications coaching. The product is irrelevant; communications principles apply across industries.
If you’d like some support with a massaging your communications messages please get in touch– I’d love to help out.
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This is a post in our blog series about freelance life. Each month I share information, hacks and ideas about running a freelance business. If there’s something specific you’d like to know, please shoot me an email or give me a buzz, and I’ll do my best to help, or address it in an upcoming blog post or on my social media platforms- follow the links!