If you’ve been around the internet for the last few years, there is no doubt that you’ve heard the term niche down. I vehemently disagree with this advice.
Here’s the problem:
Most people don’t know the problem they solve or the value they provide, so they narrow down who they help – but that still leaves a massive gap in your messaging and will result in a lack of sales and success in your marketing.
Why You Shouldn't Niche Down
Is this you? You’ve struggled to gain meaningful traction on social media, so you begin to think you’re not clear enough about who you help.
In an attempt to give your marketing direction, you put yourself into this tiny little box so specific that there is no way it could fail to generate results.
You’d think it would be a no-brainer, right? Still, you will run into the same problems because you don’t truly understand what you’re helping them achieve and how to get the desired result.
You’ve made it an issue about who you attract vs. understanding why they aren’t converting. Being known for something doesn’t mean being recognized for who you serve; it’s about creating recognition around the RESULTS you get them.
And let’s be honest, you’re just dramatically cutting down your target audience size to an almost unmarketable level when you niche WAY down.
Clear Communication = Conversions
Successful online marketing starts with a crystal-clear understanding of your brand and core messaging. I know that can sound a little daunting, but I promise you, it’s simpler than people make it out to be.
Step 1:
You need to dig deeper into your brand and find your unique value proposition.
The truth is people suck at communicating the unique aspects of their business and default to the generalized summaries you hear everyone say.
I’m big on examples, so I wanted to show you a common mistake I see business owners making (I’ve made it too) and what you should be doing instead:
A) I help entrepreneurs grow their businesses through organic marketing & social media.
B) Using my signature Aligned Marketing Method, I help ambitious entrepreneurs scale their businesses organically without sacrificing their work/life balance.
What differences do you notice between those two statements?
The first statement is bland and vague. You’re going to read it and go, “ya, you and every other marketer on the planet.”
Meanwhile, the second sentence paints a clear picture of who I help (ambitious entrepreneurs), what I want to be known for (the Aligned Marketing Method), and gives a nod to a desired result (scaling their business organically) while simultaneously calling attention to a fear they have (being overwhelmed, burnt out and missing out on their home life).
Step 2:
Build an online presence that leads back to that result.
Commonly, you’ll hear me talk about content pillars (or content buckets), and this is where this comes into play. When marketing your business organically, you want your content to return to a common goal.
In my marketing, that common goal is scaling their business organically without sacrifice. With that goal in mind, my core content pillars align with the three steps in my signature strategy (attraction, optimized depth, and owned content).
However, I don’t stop there. I also build on that by teaching my audience how to leverage common tools to make marketing their business easier while sharing my own life and the behind-the-scenes of my brand to create connections and reinforce that I am a walking testimonial that what I teach works.
Clarity Helps Your Audience Qualify Themselves
You’ll notice that within my marketing, I don’t often talk to a specific industry of entrepreneurs. Why? Because I let my audience qualify themselves.
My content clearly touches on my audience’s desire and how I help them achieve that result, allowing them to determine if what I have to offer is right for them – regardless of industry. Now I can serve a diverse scope of people with the same end goal and not be limited to a specific niche.
Let's Recap
Most people niche down because they can’t articulate the depth of their brand and how they get results.
They end up manipulating their brand to fit around a particular group of people rather than doing the inner work to truly understand what their brand stands for and what their unique zone of genius is.
When you gain clarity on the results you provide and HOW you get those results, your audience qualifies themselves based on the problem + solution, and your marketing actually converts!