Niching Down - for Creativity and Productivity
Niching down (changing your market) is when you decide to overlook the big pie and focus on a small slice. You’re becoming a small-scale, full-service provider of your service or product instead of competing against the big boys in the industry. The best part is that it was entirely unintentional and accidental. There are several reasons why this can be beneficial. In this blog, I explain my top five reasons to pick a niche.
Reason 1: It can help you find that creative drive again.
A soul sister of mine, Ameera of The Femmepire Firm, once suggested I “niche down” and lock in on one specific type of content to create. She said it would help me find my creative drive again. Niching Down is one of the best decisions I’ve made in recent years. Not only did I find my creative drive again, but also, I found new ways to explore those other passions and hobbies while still creating content that is relevant to my niche.
It's hard to believe that about a year ago, I finally niched down and pivoted into commercial and branding work. I started investing more into this type of education. I practiced with Leyu Designs and The Fashion Welder as my case studies. This proved to be the catalyst for re-thinking my business, and for that, I am truly grateful. Those insightful conversations with like-minded women gave me clarity on what kind of work I wanted to produce. As well as attracting new prospects who resonate with my vision of photography and its place in the world.
I didn’t even realize how much I would love it, but I knew I loved it more than shooting 📸 weddings and families. (Nothing against it, I still do some here and there, it's just not my preference anymore.) However, if I never tried it, I would have never known. So my point isn't to limit yourself to one thing. Try things until you find your passion.
See, after I tried out branding and product photography, I was hooked. I had been in a photography slump. Exhausted 😭 from shooting any and everything weekend and after weekend. Trying to be everything to everyone.
M I A J Ó M O R branding Campaign session
Reason 2: It helps you find your ideal customer because it is easier to market
Your business is just like everyone. It doesn't matter whether it's a start-up or a long-established business, you must have an ideal customer. The more clearly that this person is identified, the faster finding your ideal client will be. Your unique proposition will also become obvious when you know who your ideal client is. So, deciding on this person is so vital as well as fundamental. If you want to make money and grow your business, marketing your business for the ideal client is much easier than marketing to everyone. "It does not matter what kind of a product or service you are selling, the most important thing to remember is that you can only market something successfully if there is a need for it.
It became so much easier for me to market to my ideal client versus everyone. I’ve always had a hard time finding my perfect client, and getting referrals. So I needed to reevaluate the market, location of my target, and my services. My first step was creating a gap analysis where I compared various keywords that my ideal client might search for and the ones I was searching for in my business. It’s made a big difference! I also created a SWOT analysis which helped identify my strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats related to business competition or project planning.
Healthy Balance 3 Branding Session
Reason 3: YOU’LL MAKE BETTER DECISIONS FOR YOUR GROWTH
The best way to maximize your level of growth is to find a niche and then market to that niche. Niche marketing is the right way to grow your business. It will save you time and frustration, it will give you money back in your pocket, and you will get more done than ever before. Let me ask you, "Who is going to buy your products? Can you reach everyone for cheap?" The answer is yes. You can with internet marketing.
When I was struggling to grow my business there were so many things I was focused on. I was trying to be authentic, different, helpful, funny, and more. Actually, I tried to appeal to everyone else hoping they would love me back. What I did not understand is that niching helped me make better decisions for business growth. I started looking at my audience and who was clicking on my links and where they came from. Then I started targeting people I had made a connection with. I found out exactly what people wanted. This is time-consuming and hard work, but it gets to the core of who you are and what your business does.
Reason 4: IT’S EASIER TO MARKET
As I look at the evolution of marketing material, I have seen a shift from all marketing materials trying to sell everything, to now most materials are very specific. This shift has helped grow many companies in the digital marketing arena. We are in a digital age. Marketing via the internet has changed a great deal over the last few years. You no longer have to look far to find new customers, especially in niches where certain products or services are commonly offered. This puts the power in the hands of companies and brands. The only risk is missing opportunities by not effectively marketing your business online.
One of the secrets to success in business is to target your market. This means finding a market in which you have some expertise, related to your business and who values what you will supply for them. The market we target dictates our overall business model. What will appeal to one market may not work for another.
Simply put, it’s easier to sell directly to your target market than to everyone else. when I started doing this, I started to see the difference. It took me a little while to realize that working in the creative field can get… well, a little mundane at times. Creating content for clients is fun and exciting. However, you know what you’re doing before you start, and there are usually some deadlines to meet. I don’t really know why they chose me, but they did and I’m hella grateful.
But I also have to admit, it’s not always easy and the projects can be few and far between. And if you’re like me, sometimes you get stuck trying to find your creative energy again. It wasn’t always so - the days building my brand were riddled with uncertainty, overwhelm, and frustration. My mind was constantly foggy, worried about how to make more sales, how to keep my clients happy, what my competitors were doing (I had no idea). I also felt like I was going a mile a minute trying to put out fires instead of moving forward with projects that mattered and generating connetiosn and new income. What I love the most about how I’ve pivoted my business is how it has changed my business.
Reason 5: YOU WON’T BE SPREADING YOUR ENERGY THIN
Life is really busy and most of us don’t have time to be an expert at everything. The key is having a space that is home to one craft will give you more energy to grow your business in other areas.
When you pick a niche, you’re choosing something that comes with a community of people who are already enthusiastic about the topic, so you can tap into their enthusiasm and knowledge when building your business, too. It’s also going to free up your existing energy to build your business in other areas.
Shop Adore MiMi branding/campaign session
Takeaway: Niching down can be the best thing that ever happened to your creativity and productivity.
There are some things in life that if you're not careful, can rob you of your happiness, creativity and turn your days into a slug-like existence. Although this is just “life”, it's certainly not living, if you know what I mean? When we think about the film industry and how movies are made all we see is the finished product — we never see the production process and how much time and effort was involved to make that one great movie. The same is true when building your own brand, services or products. A quote that has stuck with me is "Don't try to make movies, just concentrate on making one movie great". It makes sense: small efforts, large returns. And yet Niching Down 'tries' to deliver for all areas of your life.
Niching down is really about becoming more specialized and “concentrating on making one thing great”. This is evidenced by many of the most successful companies and stores. It is a new way to look at how we can set our minds free from the noise that doesn’t matter so we can be happier and more creative about the things that do. Trust me. It works for many, and it can work for you.
Clarity is a powerful tool. It helps you think more clearly and make powerful business and marketing decisions that help your business grow. If you want to clarify your messaging schedule a free discovery call.
