Why you need to niche beyond your target audience as an online coach or health practitioner
SO MANY COACHES, THERAPISTS AND HEALERS STRUGGLE TO NICHE WITH THEIR SERVICE-BASED, PURPOSE-DRIVEN BUSINESS.
IT’S NOT BECAUSE NICHING IS THE WRONG THING, IT’S THAT A LOT OF WHAT THEY HEAR ABOUT NICHING DOESN’T FEEL RIGHT FOR THEM.
I have a different view on niching…
The traditional view on niching is along the lines of either “find a nice big market so there’s plenty of people to sell to”. Or… “your niche = your target audience” (people actually use these terms interchangeably and it’s incorrect!)
Both are limiting and not totally appropriate for you – if you’re a coach, health & wellbeing practitioner, healer, therapist or spiritual guide - and especially if you are working totally or mostly online or would like to.
Why niching on just your target audience doesn’t work
Because when you work online, you’re not limited by geographical area anymore so your potential audience is much much bigger, and while you can narrow down your target audience geographically as say, the UK, it’s still a LOT of people!
The same marketing doesn’t work online as offline. Working online brings huge potential but if you’re a coach or therapist, it’s very different to working in person when it comes to marketing yourself, the offers you create, and your positioning.
You want to have a niche that is aligned on every level and that feels right to you. You don’t get those from the box of logical niches!
Just defining and niching on a general target audience isn’t enough - there are thousands of practitioners already in that ‘niche’ so it’s pretty crowded.
You HAVE to be more niched than being a life coach or holistic therapist, or you’ll get lost in a sea of competition, sameness and blandness.
We’re talking 50 shades of beige.
More discerning people (the lovely ones who get you, and your service and are ready and willing to pay – the kind of ideal clients you want) want to know and trust that you can get them the best results in the quickest and most painless way possible.
They are looking for a specialist with proven results to help them solve their problem or achieve their goal. And they’re willing to pay more for it, as the results are guaranteed/better/faster – more so than if working with a generalist.
Your niche can be way more nuanced and unique than just who your ideal clients are in a general way eg menopausal women.
Only using ideal clients as a way to define your niche creates several problems;
1) there are still too many people for you to target so your marketing is too general and doesn’t resonate
2) it’s not specialised enough so you won’t be seen as an expert
3) that might not work for you because you need to niche in a different way
4) you probably don’t help that person with every single thing they’re struggling with, which can cause confusion
5) your target audience alone doesn’t indicate your UVP (unique value proposition)
So how do you narrow down your focus and figure out how to niche if it’s more than just an ideal client?
Check out my next blog where I introduce my unique ‘who, what, how’ niching model.
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