Niching
Why and how to do it, with examples
You've got lots of experience - you've been broad. Now it's time to go deep and specialise.
Here's an example;
Instead of being a Careers Coach (average appeal)
or a Resume Writer (average appeal)
you become a Resume Writer for Retail Fashion (Retail Fashion is your background).
You're now Fashion Resumes. (high appeal to a small group).
Your True Niche means helping 1 type of person with 1 problem. Going small is a psychological hurdle most people find difficult to overcome. It was for me
NOTE. Some will say a niche can focus on just the person e.g. Fashion Careers OR just the problem e.g. Resumes (for everyone). However, this is still too broad, because you're a solo beginner. When you have a following, you could go broader
How to Niche
Make a big list of ...
List 1. What service? (try for your biggest struggle)
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Struggles (divorce, weight loss, anxiety, fear of ...)
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Skills (websites, excel, resumes, soup)
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Interests (poetry, photos, surf, herbs)
List 2. Who for? (Try for 3)
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Gender
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Age
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Stage (advanced, inter, beginner, full dummy)
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Personality (introvert, extrovert, thrill seeker, cautious)
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Job title
Now Mix n Max for maximum impact
Maybe you'll be solving a big problem (your experience) for someone like you
Here's an example using ME as the example
I James Haldane help
Stage - new
Job - coaches
Age - over 50
with
fun ethical marketing
Why Niche?
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People understand you in a few seconds.
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You’ll be remembered because it's specific and quirky
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The Halo effect. If you’re good at 1 thing you must be good at other things, which leads to ...
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It becomes what you’re known for. NOT the only thing you do. Meaning - after you help with a Fashion Resume, then help with, job interview training or ...
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If you need a knee operation, do you see a surgeon (generalist) or a knee specialist?
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It’s your passion, so it won’t feel like work and will help you push-through in tough times
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Niching decreases the size of your audience. However, 10 fans beats 100 'interested'. And if you monetize, you only need 1 client, at a time. You're not a supermarket
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4 detailed examples...
Origami against anxiety not Art Therapist
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Niche = Origami workshop (your skill) helps people with anxiety (struggle)
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Content Marketing on Social Media = Make weekly videos of animals made from folding paper. (like in Blade Runner, the Movie) and spice-it-up with posts about origami conventions and competitions in other countries, book reviews ...the possibilities are endless ... have fun
Resumes for Fashionistas not Careers Coach
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Niche = Resume writer (your skill) helping people get job interviews in Fashion (your industry)
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Content Marketing on Social Media = Weekly posts about resume and interview tips, slow fashion, sales, shop/label launches, interviews, street, couture, plus size ... the possibilities are endless ... have fun
Homepages for Yogis not Freelance Writer.
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Fix 1 problem. Meet with a Yoga teacher to find their essence/point-of-difference
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1 group. Your passion is Yoga
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Result. Your niche is, “I write homepages for Yoga teachers” and your tagline is "Your homepage, they get-you or they're GONE."
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Content Marketing on Social Media = Share your 'before and after' case studies.
Now let's ad in *where, *when and *how to STAND OUT even further
Elders avoiding hospitals not Fitness Coach
Your mum falls down some stairs and is no longer independent. So you devote yourself to strength training for over 50s. Your passion drives you to educate and train seniors.
Adding these 3 will make you STAND OUT even more
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WHAT Strength training only
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WHO Senior citizens
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WHERE will you train? Park? Studio? Homes? Gym? Rainforest?
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WHEN will you train? Maybe Sunday, because your competitors don’t?
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HOW do you train? Full Metal Jacket? or Ray from High Fidelity?
3 more examples
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Peace after divorce not Relationship Coach
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Wild poetry kids not Childrens Entertainer
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Restaurant websites not Graphic Designer
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