Why You Should Seriously Consider Going Niche With Your Business

Before we jump into today's post, have you seen that I now have a FREE RESOURCE library?! You can sign up here and receive every single free resource I've ever made, plus any more that are created in future. Resources include: "How to identify your ideal client, 35 blog posts for creative business owners, and how to plan a brand photoshoot!" I hope you like them! 

The longer that I'm in business, the more I realise just how important it is for business owners to claim their niche. I see businesses every day who are vast, covering so many different niche's, and it can look super confusing. But before we jump into why you should considering choosing a niche for your business, let's discuss what a "niche" actually is. 

A niche is basically a specific and well defined area that someone focuses their marketing on. There can be a niche in almost anything. For example, if you're a cake maker, your niche might be that you make children's birthday cakes. Or, if you're a designer, you might design wedding dresses. To get even more niche, the cake maker might say she bakes "peppa pig themed birthday cakes" (random, but that's what popped into my head), and the wedding dress designer may only make dresses for bohemian brides. 

You get the idea. 

But why would you want to get so specific with your niche? 

Now, I'm not suggesting that you need to go as niche as the "super niche" businesses I listed above, but choosing a niche of some kind is wise. Here's why. 

You Can't Be All Things To All People:

So let's say you're a photographer. You love to take pictures, and you love pictures of pretty much everything: families, weddings, landscapes, fashion... you name it, you do it. And as a result, your website showcases alllllll of the things you can do. I can see why that would be tempting: "The more I show, the more I'll get booked!" Sadly, that's very often not the case. In fact, it will deter people, and make it even harder for you to book work! Why? Because when you try to appeal to everyone, you confuse people. Are you a wedding photographer... or a landscape photographer? 

Think about it this way: if you were told you had cancer, would you want to go see your GP for treatment, or a specialist in the exact type of cancer that you've got? (sorry for the morbid example, but I hope that puts it into context). 

You Need to Attract and Repel:

There is a saying within marketing about "attracting and repelling" our clients. I know what you're thinking: "Why would I want to turn anyone away?!" Because you don't want to work with them! I know that it must feel strange to want to turn potential business away, but in repelling the people you don't want to work with, you'll be attracting the people that you DO want to work with. 

Here's a little exercise you can do:

Imagine who your ideal client is. Get super specific about them. I have a free downloadable worksheet all about this if you'd like to download it! All you need to do is sign up here.

Once you've spent some time figuring out who your ideal client is, start to think about what your WORST possible client would look like. Someone you'd really hate to work with, who you'd get frustrated by and annoyed with. Get clear on both of these people. I find that once you know exactly who you want to attract,and who you want to repel, it becomes far easier to hone in on our niche. 

Niche is Easier to Market:

When you've got a clear niche, and ideal client profile, it becomes far easier to market yourself to them. You know what they like, you know who you're trying to speak to, so creating content for them, whether it's social media content, blog content, video content, email marketing... whatever it is, it's suddenly obvious. You'll no longer find yourself questioning what you're doing! 

 why im going niche with my coaching business:

So, there is a reason behind this post! A few months ago I announced that I was considering opening myself up for some 1 on 1 coaching with creative business owners. I did some free sessions, and really enjoyed them. These sessions have been amazing for many reasons: I got to practice, try things out, help a few people, but more importantly, get clear on who it is that I want to help in the future. As my coaching sessions went on, I enjoyed them all, but I really found myself connecting deeply with the photographers. It was quickly obvious that rather than staying broad and keeping my coaching open to "creatives" as whole, niching down into coaching for photographers felt right. 

So that's what I'm doing! As of July, I will be offering 1 to 1 coaching sessions for photographers. I can help with marketing, content creation, getting clear on clients, business plans, and just general accountability. We could talk about anything you need help with. 

I will only be offering coaching to a very, very small amount of people at a time, as this is only going to be a small part of my business as a whole. If you're a photographer, and you're interested in starting your coaching journey with me, make sure you're signed up to my newsletterhere so that you don't miss out! 

I hope this post has been helpful! If you have any further questions about niche marketing, then feel free to reach out over on Instagram, or leave a comment below.