Like a lot of photographers in 2020, my schedule was a little bare. I wasn’t booking weddings and not nearly enough couples to help pay the bills. So I made the decision to set aside my niche and open my books to just about anyone. I shot a variety —  from weddings and couples to seniors and families to a farm.. and I loved all of it. Each client was a dream client.

But in the words of Lara Casey, ” You can’t do it all and do it well.”

As a photographer, you can book and photograph everything. But you will never be able to fully serve your clients like you want or give them the experience they deserve. This is where niches come into play. Some business experts actually believe that the number 1 mistake new business owners make is NOT niching down enough, and therefore speaking to a massive, unspecific crowd rather than a highly fixed group of people who would BEST benefit from their product or service.

I get it. Maybe you’re just starting out, or you’re like me—just trying to stay afloat thanks to 2020— and you want to get as many clients or customers as possible. If feels scary to try and focus in on a smaller group of people! Maybe you feel weird excluding anyone? After all, customers equal profits which equals biz success, right?

As I started to reevaluate my plans and goals for 2021, I revisited who my ideal client is.

I had to admit that I cannot be everyone’s photographer… and you know what? That freed me up to focus on and speak to my DREAM clients without fear of losing out on everyone else. It’s taken my photography to the next level because I was super clear on WHO I wanted to work with. Which in turn, led me down a path of more easily find and reach them.

Before going any further, stop and ask yourself, “What could this look like for me? What could this mean for my business?” We are going to dig into what it means to actually pick a niche and set your business in a saturated industry as you move forward. If you’re still not sure this is for you or aren’t sure how to find the right niche, or you just want to reevaluate your business heading into a new year to be sure your niche is the right fit for your goals and trajectory… then this is the blog post for you!

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WHAT IS A NICHE?

Niche is sort of a buzzword in the business and marketing world, but what does it actually mean? In business, a niche is a specifically defined portion inside a larger category.

So let’s use photography as an example — that’s a giant category, there are so many different types or “niches.” But a photographer may target a niche audience that’s interested in intimate weddings and elopements. You could even go narrower within THAT niche, and say you specifically photograph wild and carefree couples and their adventurous, destination elopements in a specific geographic area.

You’re looking at more than just the service or product YOU offer. You want to dig into the people you want and are able to serve the most: your ideal client. What their pain points are, what their life experiences look like, and possibly even down to specifics, like their age and location.

Think of your niche as being an inch wide and a mile deep, meaning that you’re talking to a VERY narrow audience that fits a specific demographic and description. This helps you to craft everything from your website copy to your social media posts to your emails in a way that speaks to exactly who you want to serve. It simplifies everything about your messaging and marketing in a big way.

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HOW TO PICK YOUR NICHE

Okay, so now you know WHY it’s so important to narrow your niche and reach… but HOW do you do it? It doesn’t matter if you’re just starting out or you’ve been in business for a while, it’s never too late to narrow your services to a specific niche. Thanks to COVID-19, many digital businesses are experiencing higher demand right now, which I honestly believe is because people are realizing the value of it more than ever in this season.

However, the demand is almost starting to overwhelm some of them. There’s a feeling of “what if this won’t last” which leads to saying “yes” too much and, from there, to burn out. You can prevent this by determining whether everyone inquiring to work with you ACTUALLY fits within your target audience and thus within your niche.

Ask yourself (these make great journal prompts, too):

• Who do you really WANT to serve?
• Is this opportunity in alignment with your goals and values?
• What parts of your business bring you energy?
• What sucks your energy?
• What is truly worth your time to do? Meaning, what fulfills your value AND moves the profit needle forward?

Now go a step further. Write a bio of your ONE ideal customer or client. Think about who you WANT to and are capable of serving. What characteristics do these people have in common? Dreams, goals, visions? All of these would go into your ideal client’s profile. While you want to build a profile for one, specific person, the process of building their profile comes from digging into and pulling commonalities from those you already serve or those you hope to serve.

If you’ve been in the business for a little while, it’s likely you’ve worked with a client that left thinking, “heck yes, these are my people!” Build a profile around that person (or persons). Answer the questions above with them in mind — it makes it way easier to answer about their demographic, style, where they travel, how they engage online etc. If you haven’t had a dream client yet or you’re just getting started, think of who you would do just about anything to work with. Maybe it’s a celebrity (like Kim K. or Selena Gomez) or just a stranger on the internet. Figure out who that person is — that actual human being — and build around them.

I’ve found that when I can visualize a REAL person, whether it’s a past or dream client that I would LOVE to work with, I actually tend to grasp the importance of marketing directly to that one person, which allows me to be WAY more specific with my marketing message. Making it more possible to succeed in a niche market.

ONE LAST THING

This may sound like another big, overwhelming to-do. But finding your ideal audience and niching down doesn’t have to be. Personally, I think think the process can be a fun and rewarding experience. One that will you will continue to reap the rewards from for years to come. You will find yourself in a position as an expert in a highly detailed corner of your industry, but your marketing efforts will be much less challenging once you are able to clarify your message.

Your ideal client will find you because you will be speaking directly to them and solve the problems. You’ll know how to interact and engage with them through social media and your client communication. You won’t spend hours and hours wrecking your brain trying to think of what to say or how to say it. You won’t struggle to help people, because you won’t be speaking to the masses — you’ll be focused on your ideal client. Focused on becoming friends with them, knowing who they are and what their questions and challenges are, and how to guide them through it all.

Finally… know this. This all may sound counteractive, but when you are able to serve as an expert in your field, your clients will trust you more and be willing to pay for your specialized services. Allowing the experience to be rooted in letting you do your job well, likely leading to deeper job satisfaction (..and amazing reviews!).