Defining your niche is a challenge for most business owners, primarily because their niche is too broad. This could be the reason you’re not attracting enough clients. Your niche cannot be just anyone with a checkbook. It has to be very specific so that your potential clients know that you serve them and you are the expert at solving their unique, specific problems.
Your niche is actually a subset of your market or skill set. For example, a CPA practices accounting, but may have a niche (specializes) in helping small businesses with their taxes. Author and marketing thought-leader Seth Godin (a marketing genius – if you haven’t read his books go out and buy one now!) had this to say about defining your niche in a recent blog post on sethgodin.com:
“The secret to being the best in the world is to make the ‘world’ smaller. Alan Scott was the best community-focused artisan pizza oven builder in the world. A niche that didn’t exist before he got there, but one that spread, that engaged people, that created a tribe and that supported him. Alan was passionate about his craft and wasn’t shy about sharing it. He trained others and turned it into a movement.
It’s entirely possible that you will choose a niche that’s too small. It’s much more likely you’ll shoot for something too big and become overwhelmed. When in doubt, overwhelm a small niche.”
In The Long Tail, author Chris Anderson remarks that the internet has given us endless choices, which is creating unlimited demand for niche markets. If you can imagine a product or service, there is probably a group of people out there in the world ready to consume it. Just be cautious that your niche isn’t too small – you want to be in business for years to come.
Choosing your niche can take some research. Hot topics/niches can be found everywhere. Here are some great sources to begin your research:
- Amazon.com – search best selling books/magazines
- Google search – search top keywords
- Alltop.com
- Technorati.com – search top blogs