You know how everyone is like…”the riches are in the niches!!”
And how you hear those crazy client success stories (this one included 😉😅) and podcast episodes from people sharing how they have experienced massive success after doing just ONE thing: niching down…
But all you can think is something along the lines of “it won’t work for ME!”
Well, my sweet client Rachel is a true testament to how niching WORKS. But like you, she had concerns when she first came to me. Rachel is a photographer AND a marketing strategist for other photographers and creatives. Since launching her photography business, she discovered she had unique skills that many other creative entrepreneurs struggle with, such as marketing, SEO and systems optimization. She knew she could use these skills to help other creatives while also pivoting her own business to something that is more sustainable for her long-term as she grows her family and requires more flexibility.
She now offers niche services such as SEO, blog management, and 1:1 consulting. When I asked her what her number one struggle was, here’s what she said:
“What I was launching was unique and required careful explanation and strategy. I was concerned people wouldn’t understand my business or services. But I wanted to launch my business because I felt called to help other creative entrepreneurs grow their businesses and achieve a better work life balance. I have a huge passion for entrepreneurship and I felt like I could help fellow entrepreneurs achieve their dreams with my unique skill set and experience.”
Do you also feel like that? Like you have something you’re really passionate about, but you’re not sure if anyone will actually get it? The thing is, niching down is actually quite simple. What most people get hung up on is that they don’t know how to CLEARLY communicate what it is that they do.
In this blog post, I’m going to share with you what Rachel and I did together to get her fully booked for the YEAR within 2 months after launching her new website–and with a 90% conversion rate!! 🤯
My hope for you with this post:
- I want to show you that it is possible to attract the RIGHT people, build your credibility fast, and serve the ones you’re meant to work with even if you feel like you don’t have a big audience or that you’re “new” to this.
- I hope that you’ll understand that you don’t need to overcomplicate the process. Pivoting and uncovering your message can be very simple, strategic and effective. What you need is a clear plan and strategic messaging that positions you as an authority in your field.
- If you feel like you’re just throwing spaghetti at a wall to see what sticks, my goal is to encourage you to start looking inwards – what fires you up, what makes you unique, and what are people ALREADY saying about you/your brand when you’re not in the room? Start there.
Ready? Let’s dive in!
WHAT WE DID:
- We identified her challenges and advantages/story angles
Pivoting from a B2C model to B2B/online business model comes with unique challenges. First, Rachel’s new audience needed a lot of more education about her new business and problem/solution-awareness around her brand in order to truly create desire to work with her. Second, competition is a real thing. Business startups grew from 3.5 million in 2019 to 4.4 million in 2020, a 24 percent increase. Also, there are soooooo many virtual assistants out there, so we knew we needed to clarify her message and really leverage her unique experience as a photographer AND her skill set in the technology world (Rachel used to work at a tech company) so that people can clearly see why she’s THE person for the job.
Action step: List out the challenges you face AND unique advantages and story angles you can use to build credibility and infuse personality.
- We optimized the narratives of her offer
What does this mean? We looked at each of Rachel’s offerings and developed narratives for them so that people will see the value of working with her. As I mentioned, Rachel offers SEO, blog management, systems setups, and 1:1 mentoring sessions. All of her services complement each other really well, but each is still valuable as a stand-alone package. Knowing this, we started talking about her processes, client experience, and the benefits of working with her.
Stephen Covey said, “Begin with the end in mind.” And that’s exactly what we did. When I work with my 1:1 clients, we always start with their offerings, because that’s ultimately what we’re leading people towards. Only then can you begin developing a high-converting website strategy and customer journey that strategically move people to take action.
When approaching your website copy, start with your offerings. Understanding what you’re actually selling and being able to communicate each step of the process will ensure that you choose the right, relevant information to share and that every website page and every story you tell is working towards one common goal: converting.
For example, it wouldn’t make any sense to talk about Rachel’s background in tech if what she offered had nothing to do with the backend of people’s business. That being said, you need to make sure that you’re choosing the RIGHT story/background/experience that gives context to why your business and offers exist so that people will automatically see why you do what you do and what your unique skills and gifts can do for them.
Takeaway: Think of your website like an airport. It needs to tell your readers where they should go next. Every page and every story you tell should guide your readers to move closer and closer to act on your offers.
- We educated her readers
We wanted to make sure that Rachel’s website had the ability to convert, but also educate her audience on what’s important and why her services matter to them. Since systems and SEO aren’t “sexy” topics, we needed to find ways to capture people’s attention while staying true to Rachel’s vibe and voice.
So we developed a brand voice that sounds like that smart and responsible colleague that everyone adores. Rachel loves teaching and enjoys breaking down complex subjects into actionable, digestible steps. And we’re both very happy with how we approached her services pages from that angle, giving facts, data and straightforward guidance on why she does what she does.
Think about this: what do people need to see and believe before saying YES to you? What emotional feelings do you want your readers to experience as they read your copy?
Focus on benefits over features. Yes, features DO matter, but when you attach a meaning and purpose and crazy value to a specific feature, you immediately stand out from the crowd. If you’re a brand designer and offer a brand strategy workshop, tell me why it matters and sell me on that!
Trust me, it’s super important to build value for each and every feature included in your packages. Not only will this help you communicate your value better and educate your audience, it will also eliminate the likelihood of people asking you to give them a custom proposal because they truly trust your process.
So you might still be thinking: “Do I really need to niche down?”
My take? Yes, and don’t do it half a$$ (excuse my potty mouth). But seriously, I truly believe that if you want to stand out, you need to nail your niche.
The way I approach niching is focused on addressing a specific problem that my target audience is experiencing. For example, marketing strategy and virtual assistance is what Rachel offers. But she “niched down” to target photographers and creatives who are not only looking for assistance, but also guidance on navigating tech roadblocks such as search engine optimization.
This is being integrated into her messaging, website copy, social posts and more to help people understand she’s not just another virtual assistant, she’s a strategic partner who understands the technical side of things and knows how to not only get the job done, but also do it in a way that aims for growth.
Can Rachel take on clients who are not photographers? Of course, but knowing what makes her brand different allows her to stay in her lane and save time trying to figure out what content to create on a daily basis.
Rachel: “Since launching, my business has seen great success. I was fully booked for 2021 within 2 months of my launch! I was concerned people wouldn’t understand my business or services, but I have not seen this issue arise. To me, that means my messaging and marketing is working exactly as it should! My conversion rate is about 90% which is amazing! I think having a unique, niche business means I don’t necessarily get loads of inquiries, but the ones I do get are people who are in desperate need of what I offer! That shows that my copy is clearly connecting to my ideal client and clarifying who is a good fit. “
What made her conversion so high?
We tapped into her ideal client’s internal struggles and fears. We also handled some big objections that stop her potential clients from taking action and used her copy to change their perspectives. That’s honestly one of the most important things your website copy needs to be able to do: overcome objections.
In the online space, we hear “problem and solution” all the time. While that’s important, we need to go a few layers deeper into how her ideal client is feeling so that we’re not just listing every problem they have, but are infusing empathy into the process so that they feel seen, safe, and able to trust Rachel and know that she really gets it.
For example, one of the biggest roadblocks her target audience has is the fear of letting go of control and asking for help. So we addressed it on her website, helping them see that it’s possible to hire someone who cares about their business as much as they do. That provides assurance and peace of mind that Rachel truly understands where they’re coming from and is willing to meet them where they are.
Not sure if your copy is speaking directly to your target market? Read: How to tell if you’re making the mistake of speaking to everyone
3 STEPS FOR FINDING YOUR NICHE
- Step 1: Start with what you’re good at and what makes you uniquely qualified to do what you do
- Like I said, you need to actually enjoy doing what you offer. You’ve probably heard this before: no one can do what you do. It’s true. Begin to list out what you’re good at and things you want to be known for. If you’re a designer, do you love colour and fun typography? Or are you more of an edgy, classic kinda gal? Who do you actually want to work with? What are their internal and external struggles? Look at your process and client experience. How do you do things differently? What are you already doing that you’re not communicating in your marketing? Sometimes you don’t need to do a full rebrand or big pivot; maybe all you need is to be a little bit more specific about what it is that you do and offer.
- Step 2: Validate your ideas
- Just because something sounds like a good idea, doesn’t mean people will pay for it. If you already have a business and are looking to niche down and become the go-to person for a specific problem, you can poll your audience, send out a survey, etc. Another place I like to look at is my past inquiries and testimonials to find any common themes as to why they chose to work with me or what life/business looked like before they worked with me. Seriously, that’s how I found my niche: copywriting and clear messaging for people who are in a season of pivoting or making big shifts in their business. 😉
- Step 3: Own it and keep your messaging consistent
- Once you’ve identified what you want to be known for, I want you to own your niche. What that means is that you need to keep your messaging consistent, even beyond your website. Whether it’s Instagram, your blog, or the freebie you’re putting out, you need to remind people of what you’re all about.
Hope this post was helpful for you. Did I at least shift your mindset a bit when it comes to niching down and owning your message? Let me know in the comments and stay tuned for another epic client success story next week.
If you’d like to work together and have a high-converting website that works for YOU, click here.
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