In some of my other posts I have talked about the importance of finding your niche if your planning on being an online influencer, whether it be for an online blog, vlog, or even an online business.
To succeed in the online world you need to not only have a niche, but you want to ‘own it’ with your own point of difference from the endless others out there.
Yet there are still plenty of seasoned bloggers that tend to stray from their niche, or just don’t really understand the importance of it when they first start planning their online strategy, and this can have all sorts of negative effects to the progression and success of your potential income source you’re trying to create online.
It is very easy to be blinded by other shiny niches, or get overly excited by someone else you come across or interview that is crushing it in a particular niche when you might feel you’re lagging behind, but it is important not to jump ship and head off in an alternative direction, as this usually hinders your potential outcome.
What you need to realize is that the reason some are successful in other niches usually comes down to just a few key things that add value and a point of difference.
In a big space, think small.
Many people, including myself, tend to put off turning their blog, podcast, vlog or online business into reality because after the initial excitement of the idea dies off they realize it is a big world out there with a huge amount of competition, and they tend to think that you’ll never compete unless you can offer more than the others. The fact is, you’re more likely to succeed by offering less to start with, and focus on one area of your niche, so that you become the authority in your niche. Even the smallest player on the field can smash the biggest goals when they focus on just the one set of goals.
Thinking small also lets you focus on honing into your target audience much easier. Connect with your specific target audience via Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Youtube and you’ll find as you grow your fans will follow you if they have connected with you.
Keep it Simple
Making yourself look or feel smarter than the competitors will usually fail every time, and you’ll just look fake or you’ll confuse your audience. Most successful bloggers and vloggers attract an audience due to the simplicity of their message and their personality, not how complicated they can make things appear.
By focusing on your niche and providing simply communication terms that your niche audience can resonate with will prove to be a much better long term strategy.
The best way to start the process is to do simple search results on Google, or even better, ask your Google Home and see what that results appear first. These are usually some of the most common topics that people are looking for solutions on.
The clearer and simpler the solution, the better the result.
If you are utilizing social media, ensure you allow and encourage people to communicate with you. Always respond where appropriate to connect with your audience.
Network with others
Networking is still one of the best ways to grow a fanbase fast, and it also can ve very profitable for all parties.
You might be an expert or just new to a niche, but if you also know someone who is highly respected in or around the same interest points as you, this can grow your audience by sharing their audience across yours as the demographic should be very similar. Throw a joint venture into the mix (for example, the other party is launching an online course), you can help drive sales to the newly extended audience you have, giving them access to a whole new set of potential customers. If they have an affiliate program in place you can negotiate a percentage of all profits you bring.
Study the demographic
If you are about to start up a new online venture of any kind it is wise to first look at the current trends of what is popular (‘trending’) and what isn’t, both on the short term and long term. Even if you have already started your podcast, blog or online business, it is worth revising the trends to ensure you remain on course.
There are many easy ways to do this. Check the videos on Youtube and see what is gaining the most views and the most communication. You’ll even find the comments on a competitors video or blog post can give you a lot of ideas for content for your own channel.
Also consider that some fads are just that. What is popular today might not be in 12 months, so don’t niche too hard that you get stuck in a hole when the fad dies. Just remember, Hoverboards were ‘cool’ less than a couple of years ago!
Work out if you want your audience to grow with you, or are you planning on reaching the same demographic each year. This will mean the difference between expanding on existing content or having to find something fresh all the time to remain on point with trends.
Diversity can be the key
I know at the start I send to stay on track with your niche, but that doesn’t mean you need to as your audience grows. You’ll find when your online venture first starts up, whether it be a blog or vlog or an online store, things need to be focused and you’re probably finding your feet, so simple and on one topic is easy to manage. But your audience doesn’t want to hear the same content all the time, and you will most likely come to a point where it is time to diversify your business. For example if you’re talking about social media, you might want to not just talk about how to use social media for business, but you might want to start talking about the importance of social media addiction, or even upcoming tech in the social media realm (the infomoji perhaps?)
Last bits……
In closing, the main points to consider when crushing your niche is all of the above as well as starting with a good plan, do your research, and most of all, just do it! Get started, share and connect. This is your chance to share your passion and skills with the world.
Own your niche.
