Niche marketing is about focusing your marketing efforts on a narrow, well-defined group of prospects, such as dental practices or software companies.
By focusing on a niche market, it’s easier to get potential clients to notice you, become interested in your services and — fingers crossed — hire you.
Have you found YOUR niche yet?
If not, here’s a 7-step strategy that will help.
1. Make a list of the types of companies your freelance services will help most.
Chances are, your education, experience and talents are better suited for some types of companies than for others.
For example, if you understand legal lingo then law firms would certainly benefit from your freelance services. So would legal publishers. (Both industries would value a writer or designer who, literally, speaks their language.)
2: From that list, select the top 6 niche markets based on “marketing activity”.
The best niche markets produce a lot of marketing/PR communications to promote their products and services — web pages, emails, newsletters, case studies, direct mail, advertising, press releases, brochures, the works.
The greater their marketing activity, the more likely they are to need freelance help.
For example, landscape companies may only produce a few flyers, ads and lawn signs each year. Travel companies, by contrast, are constantly pumping out marketing communications to promote their ever-changing travel packages and destinations.
3. Select the top 5 based on “desired projects”.
What do you enjoy working on most? Hard hitting direct mail packages? Inventive logos and business identity materials? Compelling press releases? Descriptive product brochures and websites?
Life is too short to slave away on projects you don’t like. Focus on those types of companies that have the projects you want.
4. Select the top 4 based on “reach-ability”.
A niche market may seem ideal, but if you can’t easily identify and reach prospects you’re going to have a tough time getting clients.
Do some internet research. Find out if there are directories, membership organizations, publications, online groups, and so forth, that will make it possible for you to reach contacts in a particular niche.
5. Select the top 3 based on your “credentials”.
Do you have professional experience, skills, education, or portfolio samples that would appeal to prospects in a given niche? If so, then your chances of attracting clients in that market improves dramatically.
Portfolio samples are ideal. However, companies are impressed by other credentials as well.
Say, for example, you have a magazine writing background. Companies that need well-researched case studies and white papers will be interested in your interviewing skills.
6. Select the top 2 based on “who you know”.
If you already have contacts in a given niche market, you have an important head start. You’re going to be able to get referrals and attract clients that much sooner.
“Who you know” can include potential clients, other freelancers and consultants, members of industry associations and groups, and publication editors.
7. Make your final selection based on “interest”.
Ask yourself: Which of these two types of companies interest me most?
Only you can answer that question.
Think about the people you like to work with, the projects you like to work on, and even your ethics. Be honest with yourself. Don’t select a niche simply because you’ve heard it’s “hot”. Pick a niche because it genuinely appeals to you on a personal and professional level.
Once you’ve made your choice, jump in with both feet. If the niche truly meets the above criteria, then there are great clients just waiting to learn more about a freelance professional like you.
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Steve Slaunwhite is the creator of the Secrets To Strategic Copywriting course, which helps writers master copywriting skills while building an enviable portfolio — in as little as 5 weeks. Learn more at www.forcopywritersonly.com/courses
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Interesting suggestions. I find, however, that most of my clients come to me these days because of my search engine ranking, as opposed to me seeking them out.
Also, 95% of them want website copy. Is anyone else getting much PR, direct mail, catalog work? Maybe I’m missing out. I’d love to know.
Hi Susan,
First of all, thanks for participating in the blog! I know you have a gazillion years of experience as a successful freelancer. We’d love it if you would contribute an article.
As for your post, there is no doubt that the need for online copy has grown by leaps and bounds over the past few years. I’d estimate that 75% of the client work I do is websites, landing pages and emails. However, I still get my share of print work. Right now, in fact, I’m working on a series of sales brochures for one of my favorite clients.
I don’t know much about the catalog market. Are there any catalog copywriters or designers out there who could shed some light on this topic?
Excellent steps for identifying a niche, Steve. That’s a great way to identify a target market for a website, too.
And I wanted to comment on Susan Greene’s success in getting clients based on her search engine ranking, too. That’s the dream of everyone who markets on the Internet, isn’t it? One of the reasons she is so successful in that area is because her website incorporates the best organic search engine techniques. We would all do better if we paid attention to those things!
Dear Steve:
Great post, and one that I’ll definitely pass around to aspiring writers when I meet them.
It’s interesting to note the percentage of web work you’re doing right now. The same thing has happened along my career; mostly print at first. However, when I developed a niche in the Alternative Health field, the balance switched entirely.
The small business work I did early on was slow to move online–and it still seems that way. Most of my small-biz clients still prefer print. But I was talking to an Agency colleague recently, and he said that he hasn’t seen a decrease in print direct mail so much as he’s noticed a branching out online to compliment DM campaigns.
In this shrinking economy it’s all about measurement, no matter what niche you’re in…and there’s no doubt that the web has exponentially increased our ability to track and measure on the fly.
I look forward to learning more from your blog!