Your Niche And Your Ideal Client- How To Choose One And Monetize It
By: Sandi Krakowski
What on earth is a niche and why do you need to have one?
According to Webster's Dictionary the word niche means the following: A distinct segment of a market.
So the question becomes for anyone who wants to build a business, what distinct segment of the market are you holding?
Here's your first key to finding a niche that will work for you-
It must be something you are passionate about and that you believe in.
In my days of copywriting and marketing for other companies, it was my job to write and produce marketing for companies I had never heard of before. My first task was to increase my belief and conviction as fast as I possibly could! I'd ask the company to give me any CD's, MP3's, DVDs, samples, books… anything they could to get me acclimated with the product or service they wanted me to write about. Many times I'd receive an overnight package of the product they represented. Then I would see if I could write for them. In a few cases the decision was made to relinquish the task. Bottom line, I could NOT write for a product or service that I had no belief or conviction in.
Knowing about a product is one thing.
Believing in it is quite another story.
Truth be told, we act on what we believe, not on what we know. We might "know" that drinking more water everyday will help us to feel better but if we don't do this on a regular basis, it could be because even though we "know" this to be true, we really don't believe it enough to develop a new habit. Maybe we'll keep sucking down coffee or sodas and our headaches never seem to disappear or our energy is never as high as we wish it was. Quite possibly these words could end up slipping from our mouths, "I KNOW I should be drinking more water but for whatever reason I just can't bring myself to do it all the time." This is a case of belief, not knowing.
Believing the data about something is a whole lot different than believing in it.
We act on what we believe, not on what we know. So even though the data says it might be a popular product or service that we are partnering with, we still aren't guaranteed that we'll be successful.
Let's say you know that a certain product or niche is in high demand. Reading all the data, you have all the facts in order and all your ducks in a row. People are making money in the niche you've chosen, so you can't figure out why you are struggling. When push comes to shove, when it's time to go to bed at night, there's a nagging feeling of, "Will this really work? Will others see what I see?"
This is a sign that you could be in a niche that you don't believe in.
Believing in whatever you represent 100% is mandatory for your success. So much so that if you only believe in it 95% ….. you could end up in self-sabotage so that you don't get a huge let down when it doesn't work.
You must believe in whatever it is you are marketing 100% or don't do it.
Number two key is you need to be using or DOING whatever it is you are going to market. When I wrote copy for other companies it was my habit to begin USING and implementing whatever it was they wanted me to write about. Could this be why I could write emails that generated 6-figures for clients? Very much so!
Listen, if you're trying to market something you hate or even dislike a little bit, it will never work. Vegetarians should not market cheeseburgers! That sounds obvious! But if you hate high heeled pump shoes for women it's not likely you'll ever see any amount of success in this extremely popular niche, even if you learn all the magnetic copywriting persuasion and influence tactics of even the best marketers! If you can't say you are 'playing in the trenches with it' daily, you'll never create any amount of significant momentum for yourself. So ….. you need to be using and 'in the trenches' with what you're marketing.
Key number three is you must have a long term vision for your business. Can you imagine having a long term vision for something you don't believe in and aren't using actively? It won't work.
We need to be experienced and have a track record in whatever it is we're marketing. Don't become an IT service geek if you hate computers and can't make heads from tails behind a keyboard! Don't market smoking cessation if you struggle smoking!
This might all sound elementary but you'd be surprised at the things people 'chase as a niche' because someone said they would be good at it. You will know deep at the core of who you are if you'll be good at what you do! And if you find a niche you believe in, are passionate about, are really good at and are having results with- then you are on your way to your next step.
When people tell me they can't start their WordPress site or begin their list building without knowing PERFECTLY what their niche is, they don't understand the basics of building a business. The fact of the matter is, once you get past these four keys, it's critical that you have a platform to test and work with!
Key number four- SET UP YOUR WORDPRESS SITE and start building!
Initially you'll have clients following you who might not be your ideal client but who love you! That's perfectly ok. Then you'll have people who begin to devour your content and before you know it, questions will come up, inquiries for help will increase and you'll begin connecting with clients. As you continue forward, you'll soon discover your clients want help with things you didn't intend to serve in, people will begin to ask for solutions you might have never thought of providing. Then…. and only then…. does a deep connection and a SEGMENT of a market begin to take root.
You have to get the first four keys in place… and then it's time to build your platform: WordPress, your social media list building efforts and your email marketing must all be started. There is NO SUCH THING as having your niche all refined and perfected and then you can finally create your website for hungry clients to go to. It doesn't happen that way.
Developing your niche and your ideal client is a journey… and one I wrote over 200 pages about in my best selling book, "Read Their Mind: How To Hear What The Marketplace Wants And Build A Huge Business". It's a process of listening, serving, answering questions, asking questions and moving forward. It's not an arrival point that some get to and others bypass… it's a continuous journey that requires we have a deep connection with our clients.
Your niche and your ideal client are going to be very much like you and very different than you. It's your job to learn more about them than they even know about themselves. That is the goal of business. Know your client and serve them. Passionately, excellently and with the most unique service there is in the marketplace. Then you can OWN a segment of the market!
On with your game! Get that WordPress site going! Get those email writing skills sharpened and build that list through social media! We are here to help you every step of the way.
With love,
