Being different
What is your USP, your Unique Selling Proposition? In what way are you different to all the other competing businesses around you?
One strategy of being unique is often met with a lot of resistance, particularly from people who are still in the initial stages of trying to get their business to grow.
Niching down.
Rather than saying “I can do copywriting/massages/catering etc. for ANYONE”, focus on a very specific industry or audience – and become the expert in that field.
It’s easy to see the problems here – I can’t afford to turn down clients! I don’t want to limit myself! But I CAN do it well for other industries too!
So instead, I’d like to point out some benefits.
Michael E Stern
Michael E Stern is a photographer/videographer who specializes in – wait for it – time-lapse construction videos. He’ll set his cameras up on the construction site and film the progress over time, putting it together to tell a beautiful story.
If that’s not an ultra-specific niche, I don’t know what it.
Michael Stern has become known as the expert in this industry. Anyone who wants this specific type of video – the construction company, the developers who may want to sell the final result, municipalities, those who commissioned the project etc. – knows that if they want someone who knows what they’re doing, it’s Michael.
And they’re prepared to pay more, because they know they are getting more.
How can you become an expert in a particular field?
If you are an expert in providing your service in a particular industry, you can charge significantly more. By expert, I don’t mean that you like to do something specific. I mean that you’ve studied, practiced, researched and worked hard in that specific niche until you truly are an expert.
For example, you can’t claim to specialise in creating websites for construction companies until you’ve actually created a few website, and studied the ins and outs of that industry in detail.
How do I choose a niche?
You could develop a niche through further studies in something that interests you, or you could apply something from your personal history.
For example, if you’re a copywriter with an MA in biochemistry, then when you write about complex topics in this field it is clear that you yourself understand what you’re writing about, and the finished result is so much better.
Or, if you’re a photographer who used to volunteer at a summer camp for special needs kids then you could use that to specialize in photographing children with special needs.
And people who want that specific offer will be willing to pay that much more to get it from you. Your services will be more valuable to them, you will be more sought after, and you will be justified in charging significantly more.
Something to think about.
Have you niched down?
So, on to your business. Are you a generalist, a specialist, or some combination? Please share any comments, questions and insights!
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