Seth Godin

But If I Niche Down I’ll Lose Clients

/ Mark A Nutting / Leave a comment

I’ve written about having a niche before and I talk about it all of the time. The problem is that personal trainers (and a lot of other service providers) don’t believe you when you say that having a specific niche will actually get you more clients, not less.

Let’s start by defining what is meant by having a niche. The definition of niche (according to Merriam-Webster) is “a specialized market”. This is your target market, the specific population that you want to help. Does that mean that if you choose a market of, let’s say “women”, that it is a niche? Well… yes, but it’s not very narrow. Entrepreneur, podcaster, and author, John Lee Dumas says that you should “niche down until it hurts.” So, “women” is not specific enough to really be effective as a niche. Many business coaches will have their clients create an avatar of their specific target market (niche). Doing that might look something like this:

Nancy:

  • Female
  • Age 65
  • Retired professional
  • Grandmother
  • Wants to be able to play with grandchildren and be able to get up and down off the floor easily

I hear you. Too specific, right? You’ll be missing out on a lot of clients that don’t fit that niche, right? Well, I want to point out two things to you. First, when I needed to get my shoulder replaced, I didn’t want some orthopedic surgeon that did shoulder, hips, knees, ankles, elbows, wrists, etc. I wanted the best results possible and wanted someone that did shoulders only and eventually got it done by the top shoulder guy in Boston. Most people feel that way, “I want someone that is a specialist in me and my circumstance.” They don’t want someone that can train anyone. If you market yourself as trainer to everyone, you disappear into a sea of other trainers that train everyone. What happens when you niche down is that when a “Nancy” sees that you specialize in “Nancys” they will choose you over any other trainer. You will become the trainer to all of the “Nancys” in the world (or at least in your neck of the woods).

My second point is that just because your niche is Nancy it doesn’t mean that you can’t train others. All of your marketing and brand focus is on Nancy, but others may still approach you about training because of the good work you’re doing with Nancy and Nancy herself may also want you to train her friends and family members. And yes, you can train them.

The point is that in order to stand out from the crowd you have to have a specialty, a niche.

“In a crowded marketplace, fitting in is failing. In a busy marketplace, not standing out is the same as being invisible.”― Seth Godin, Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable

Content is King: Even If It’s Not Yours

/ Mark A Nutting / Leave a comment

I think we, as a whole, understand that if you want to become a “go-to” resource for accurate, applicable information for your target market, you need to supply them with it on a regular basis. Untitled design (8)There are all kinds of ways that you can do this. You can write articles or blog posts. Creating videos, whether as a vlog (video blog) or simple content snippets, is another great way to share information. Then, there is podcasting. Podcasting is rapidly growing and projected to continue growing for some time. These are all common ways to put out content that is valuable to your target market and build your own value in their eyes. But… what if you’re not confident in your ability to generate that content?

You can still build a reputation as the “go-to” person even if you’re not generating the content yourself. You can become a curator of accurate, useful, information by sharing the articles, blog posts, videos, and podcasts that you have discovered and believe that your audience will appreciate. Share the links online or in emails (be careful not to republish the material itself without direct permission from the author/creator) and preface it with a commentary on what your thoughts are about the piece. (i.e. “One more example of why strength training is so important as we age.” – followed by content link)

Now, I know this is easier said than done. You’re now asking, “Where do I find the content?” Glad you asked. Here are some standbys that I use. If I want to find the “truth about” some current issue, I might look it up on a government site such as the National Institutes of Health or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. I may also go to various journals to seek out some research. You can also do a Google search including the search as “scholarly articles on _______” Another way is to follow professional organizations on social media (i.e. International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN)) as well as noted researchers or research-based authors. (i.e. if you want to find out the latest on muscle hypertrophy, follow Brad Schoenfeld, PhD on Facebook.)
I also subscribe to e-newsletters and blogs. (everything from Harvard Health to business author, Seth Godin) Finally, you can look for news/information article aggregators (places that collect other information sources), like Reddit and Alltop.

Now, I do believe that we all do have our own voice and that everyone should jump in and learn to create original content, but, until you start to feel comfortable with your work, share others’ and start building your reputation as a trusted resource.

Please let me know if you have any questions and… happy sharing