6 Ways to Define and Own Your Niche
Photo by Christina Jones Photography // Babe Crafted’s Galentine’s Day Breakfast & Panel in February of 2019
Hello there! Happy almost Quarter 2. I hope you’re feeling triumphant about what you’ve already accomplished this year, girl. So here’s the skinny: 2019 is the year of the niche. Have you heard?
Blink twice for ‘yes’. Grab a glass of wine if ‘no’. Ha Kidding (kind of). Put down what you’re working on for a moment and think about your ideal client. Who are you talking to & why? Now is a good time to readjust your messaging so you can make sure you’re resonating with who your product or service is truly for. As a business owner, you’re wearing 10 hats on the daily so extra time is non-existent. Making sure the time & energy you’re spending on your marketing, communications, sales, etc. is in peak condition is going to save you time and money in the long run. What good is a curated IG feed if you’re talking to the wrong audience, right?
So we asked 6 amazing women who they’re targeting & why so we could inspire you to re-evaluate your niche and feel confident that your ideal client is picking up what you’re putting down.
Let us know in the comments who you’re aiming to attract & if you have any questions. We love hearing from you! Stay boss. xx -G
Photo by The Dashing Ginger
Tona Bell | The Paper Seahorse // IG
“The Paper Seahorse niche for 2019 is the analog tools for taking a digital detox. Stationery goods (writing instruments and notebooks/paper) and creative classes that help people inspire taking time to slow down. We cater to people who are stressed out, anxious and have digital fatigue from being in front of a screen so much. We help them reconnect to themselves and others. We facilitate in real life experiences (IRL) and our business is booming, people are starved for authentic experiences. So much so our online sales have doubled, we opened a second location and we are bringing more play to the corporate world.”
Tampa, FL
Robyn Sayles | Launching Your Success // IG
“I'm working on a blog about this very topic! In sales, we used to teach people the paradox of "slow down to speed up" because the more you try to speed people through your pipeline, you are likelier to forget steps and make mistakes which slow things down. I think people worry when they serve multiple audiences that if they niche their communication/messaging it will alienate a segment of their audience. In fact, the exact opposite is true. The more you narrow your focus and target your message to a specific individual, the more it will attract a wider audience.
My current (and very unexpected niche) is podcasters. It started in 2016 when I was interviewed on a podcast, then I was asked to guest host a few podcast episodes, then I was asked to speak to podcasters about branding and it just kept growing from there. They are a passionate group - they are doers who are eager for knowledge. But they were being underserved when it came to brand and messaging. You can't monetize your show if you don't understand who you are talking to! Now we are creating resources and programs specifically for this niche.”
St. Petersburg, FL
Kelly Pederson | 7th House Interiors // IG
“I feel like my niche is walking people through complete major home renovations or new home builds. It can be intimidating and scary and I am able to let my clients know what comes next in the project, make sure they are meeting their deadlines and keep them on budget. It is not really what I set out to do, but definitely fell into it.”
Tampa, FL
Heather Saunders | Ameriprise Financial // FB
“I love this question. The clientele of our financial planning practice is very diverse in age, net worth, etc., so it may seem that we don’t have a niche at all. We developed a credo in which we identify our ideal clients as people with responsible mindsets who value collaborative relationships, especially busy professionals and families seeking to align their goals and plans with their core values. But let’s be real…that covers an extremely wide range of people. What’s exciting for me right now is starting to narrow down that niche for myself within the larger practice. I am so excited about working with business owners, which has come about very organically. I am continuing to look for additional educational opportunities to help develop this skill set and to really hone this as a specialty.”
Tampa, FL
Danielle Jackson | Stride Media Group // IG
“We specially cater to women-owned businesses and minority-owned businesses because we noticed that their voices are underrepresented in the media landscape. I'll be honest, we were initially nervous that it would limit our prospects, but it actually had the opposite effect: we have been flooded with inquiries because that audience feels that, in us, they have found a company that understands their specific and unique needs. Identifying your niche not only helps your business, but it helps specific groups to feel seen.”
Tampa, FL
Photo by Jess Fredericks Photography
Crystina Castiglione | The Messy Painter // IG
“When I first started learning watercolor, it was purely as an artistic outlet, and morphed slowly into me doing things for friends or family here and there, and then turned into being asked to do wedding stationery for them, and now has evolved into the full fledged custom wedding stationery business that it is today. I think this naturally allowed me to have a niche in the wedding industry, because not many wedding stationery designers had a background in painting or were necessarily artists first. I had this advantage without really knowing it at first in terms of how to be a designer and stand out amongst all that was out there. Identifying that I was doing something different from other stationery businesses allowed me to know what to build upon to market myself.
Now that watercolor has become more popular in this industry, I'm niching down again by honing in what I've mastered, and creating a recognizable or more signature style of painting. I'm sure down the road it will continue to evolve, but my goal is to always be able to offer an experience or skill that isn't seen elsewhere for my clients.”
St. Petersburg, FL
