Ways to Niché Your Creative Business
If you’ve listened to podcasts for entrepreneurs like Jenna Kutcher’s “Goal Digger” then you’ve likely heard this advice before – you have to niche down your business to attract your dream clientele. But is it really the best option? I’m going to break it down for you into 4 different ways to find your niche in your business, including the pros and cons of each so you can decide which one is really best for you.
Dive in…. ↓
1. NICHE BY INDUSTRY
This is when you decide to only work with clients in a specific industry or market. For example, you may want to only work with photographers or fashion brands because those are you favorites types of projects and you feel confident and passionate working with those types of clients, or you want to be the top in the industry.
+ Pros: This makes goals easier to set, and it also makes networking easier to attract new clients, like marketing on industry specific podcasts, or Facebook groups, blogs, etc. It’s also easier to be more specific with your marketing and copywriting since you can speak directly to that industry and audience. You will also be able to build your portfolio with projects that you are proud of and create a repertoire within that industry.
- Cons: You are limiting your clientele, especially in saturated industries, design and branding within that industry can start to meld together and look the same. You want to make sure that not only your clients stand out but that you do to!
2. NICHE BY STYLE
Niche by style and aesthetic can definitely help you attract your dream clients. By honing down a design style you are attracting clients with a similar style and will help you build your portfolio in the direction that you want it to go in. When you develop a specific style for your work, clients will come to you directly for it. For example, your style might be minimal and uses mostly neutral colors. Or you might love to use hand-drawn patterns and illustrations and color for all your branding work and you naturally attract clients who want that same look.
+ Pros: Clients tend to trust your vision a bit more. Your clients come to you because they’ve already seen your style and want something similar. So they’re more likely to let you just do what you do best. And again, this can help you build your portfolio and be more passionate about the project you are working on. It’s a whole other ballgame when your clients aesthetic is on the same page as you. It makes the design work and client relationship smooth & fulfilling.
- Cons: Be careful of creating branding that is too similar for your clientele. You want to make sure you give each brand and client a unique brand that stands out in a crowd. And of course, your style might change with the seasons which can get tricky to transition.
3. NICHE BY SERVICE
This is when you create a very specific type of service that only a certain type of client would need, or this could be that you offer a creative service as your specialty. For example, maybe you like specifically designing for Squarespace and create custom Squarespace websites in just 1 week. Or maybe rebrands are your fortay. So you create a special “rebrand” service. Clients will be eager to work with you since you’ve created a special service just for them.
+ Pros: You can be an expert and leader in your specific service, which sometimes mean you can charge more, especially if you are offering something that no designers offer.
- Cons: You may have to turn away more clients that need something outside of your niche service, whatever that is. (But that’s kind of the point of niching)
4. NICHE BY TARGET MARKET
This is when you target your marketing to a specific audience. This factors in gender of clients, age range, salary range, what your client’s do in their daily lives, what their personalities are like etc. I use this to attract my dream clients and it works every time! I niche by marketing to driven creative women just like me. This can be one of the most powerful tools to attract the clients that you want to work with. You can niche this down by using specific hashtags or tagging certain businesses that attract these clients.
+ Pros: You attract your dream clients and create a community. You can even bond with your client’s and create deeper friendships.
- Cons: This of course can limit you and limit your audience. I hardly have any male clients, and it is because most of my work and marketing is feminine in nature.
When it comes to niching, every business is different and it’s up to you to decide was fits you the best and the types of projects that you want to attract. But hopefully these strategies help you figure out which direction to take in your creative business.