How niche is too niche?
Whether you call it a niche, an avatar, or a persona, the thinking is sound: any good marketer worth their salt will tell you that one of the first things to do in business is get really freakin clear on who it is you’re talking to. If you don’t know your audience, then whatever you do on your website, instagram, or anywhere online is unlikely to have a great impact, because if you’re talking to everyone, you’re talking to no one. The point of choosing a niche is to allow you to create marketing that connects with a specific slice of people who are experiencing a problem or challenge that your product or service can help them overcome.
To niche or not to niche?
Here’s the bit I think marketing gurus are getting wrong: the execution of this thinking. For me, it’s not your audience that should fit neatly in a box, it’s their problem. Ultimately, if you’re a small business then niching down to an exact age range, gender, lifestyle type or business size is probably not going to be viable for your business… and let’s face it, it’ll probably be quite boring! So if you’ve been listening to all this chat and scratching your head thinking 'but who are they?' or 'ever since I niched down I can't seem to find clients’, then fear not. You’ve just been given some doesn’t-work-for-small-biz-slightly-crappy advice. I got you, here’s a much better way to approach a niche that’s best for you.
Where to start?
Step one: think about your existing client pool and identify the people who are most profitable and enjoyable for you to work with. It's that simple: they are precisely the right clients for you, no matter how old they are, where they live, what size their business is or what they eat for lunch. They, for want of a better phrase, are your ideal or dream clients.
Step two: think about what challenges this group of your ideal clients are experiencing before they buy from you. What stuff is eating them up? Are they struggling to grow their own business or with their career? Are they frustrated that they can’t reach the next level? Is something holding them back from reaching their life’s potential? Top tip here: if you’re struggling with this, ASK THEM. Just pick up the phone and reach out to some past clients. You can nab a cheeky testimonial while you’re there.
Step three: think about what motivates your clients and what they secretly want to achieve with their life, or business/career, or both. What aspirations do they have? What would they like to change? What do they wish was possible? These might sound like lofty questions if your business provides cleaning services or you make hand-painted ornaments, but just trust me. Every single time a person or a business parts with cash in exchange for a service or product, there is a base human need and emotion underneath it all. Tap into those emotions and you will never struggle with your niche again!
Box in the problem, not the person
And that’s it, my friend! You’ve now drawn a box around your ideal client’s transformation when they work with you. You can tell a story in your marketing of how you take your happy clients from point A (problem) to point B (solution). Even better, when you tap into those human emotions, you can even talk about how point B (solution) leads to point C (transformation!) Now that’s some powerful shit right there.
Need some help?
I get it, figuring out your client niche and your messaging can be hard. If you’re doing this on your own and struggling, it’s not because you’re bad at it, it’s because it’s hard to do alone. That’s where I come in: the magic happens when I ask you the right questions, you tell me the answers and we create amazing messaging that resonates with your ideal clients. Armed with a simple, eloquent way to communicate what you do or create, marketing will feel like a breeze and you’ll have those ideal clients banging down your door in no time. Hit the button below to find out how we can work together.