To Niche or Not To Niche?

I've taken on a few new copywriting projects this year. I don't take on many, but I like to keep my copywriting skills sharp. Plus, it keeps things varied and interesting.

The funny thing about it is I haven't advertised done-for-you copywriting services since 2019, but I still get a solid stream of copywriting enquiries (usually from past clients and through recommendations from past clients).

The reason I'm mentioning it in this post is that it shows that niching down your marketing (or completely changing direction) doesn't mean you'll miss out on other stuff you can do.

The problem with broad marketing

When I used to promote copywriting services, my message was pretty much “I’ll write any type of copy for any type of business.” I might not have explicitly said this, but it’s what I was trying to get across.

I didn't want to niche. I convinced myself it was because I liked the variety that came with being a generalist. But in reality, I was just worried I'd miss out on work if I was too specific about what I wanted.

Even when I decided I wanted to focus on the training and consulting side of my business, I continued talking about my copywriting services as well. I wanted more of the training and consulting work, but I didn't want to let go of the other stuff.

What if I missed out on a big copywriting project because I wasn't mentioning copywriting in any of my marketing? Surely it was better to cast a wide net by mentioning everything I could possibly help with.

Nope.

My marketing wasn't working because my messaging was too confusing. I was talking about so many different things, it wasn't clear what I was actually offering.

As a result, I ended up getting a constant stream of copywriting enquiries for projects I wasn't all that excited about. And I had to take most of them on because I wasn't getting enough of the stuff I loved doing.

It was only when I stopped advertising done-for-you copy and focused on promoting the stuff I loved doing that I started to get more enquiries for the work I really wanted.

Suddenly, I understood why so many marketers and business coaches were banging on about having a niche.

A niche doesn’t limit you – it focuses you. And it makes it so much easier to attract the clients and the work you want.

Generalist versus specialist

You might be worried you’ll miss out on work if you focus your marketing messages too much. But you’ll miss out on more of the work you want if you don’t focus your marketing messages at all.

Think about it this way: if you had a problem with your heart, who would you trust more to fix it – a general surgeon or a specialist heart surgeon?

What if you had just spent a fortune on a new car and it broke down? Would you rather take it to a generalist garage or hire a mechanic who specialises in that make of car?

And if someone is looking for a copywriter to write a direct mail letter, do you think they would prefer a generalist copywriter or someone specialising in direct mail?

If a builder is looking for an accountant, do you think they’d be more likely to choose a generalist accountant or someone specialising in accounting for construction businesses?

If you were recruiting, you’d sift through CVs and invite the candidates with the most relevant skills and experience to interview.

When your clients are looking for someone to help them, they are doing a similar thing – choosing the person with the most relevant skills and experience.

If your marketing talks about too many different things, they'll be left confused about whether you can help them.

You can niche in different ways

Niching down doesn't mean you have to focus on one specific thing. You can niche in different ways.

You can focus on serving a specific type of client. For example, clients in a specific industry, sector or location, or businesses of a certain size, turnover or age, or individuals in a specific demographic.

Or you can narrow down the type of services you offer. For example, a copywriter could specialise in email marketing, video scripts, landing pages, or Facebook ads.

Or you can focus on a specific problem or outcome. For example, a therapist might specialise in easing back pain caused by chronic sciatica.

The more specific you can be about what you offer or who you offer it to, the easier it will be to get your marketing messages clear.

Just because you can do something doesn't mean you have to promote it. Focus on getting the kind of work you really love doing. The more of that kind of work you get, the less of the other stuff you'll need to fill your time with.

Just because you don't talk about it in your marketing, it doesn't mean you can't do it

My ideal clients are freelancers, coaches, consultants or service providers who are good at what they do but aren’t getting the clients they want. And I tailor my marketing to people who fit that description.

But that doesn’t mean I don’t work with people who aren’t an exact match for my ideal client profile. And it doesn't mean I only get enquiries about the same things. I don't. I get enquiries about all sorts of things - copywriting work, speaking events, mentoring for junior marketers, book writing - the list goes on.

Tailoring your marketing to your ideal client doesn’t mean you can never work with people who don’t fit the bill or never take on projects that don’t meet all your criteria.

It just means you attract more of the clients and work you do want, so you can be more selective about what else you say yes to.

And once you're working with good clients, you can tell them about other things you can help them with (if you want to).

So if you've been sitting on the fence about whether to get more focused with your marketing, give it a try. Pick one type of client you love working with or one type of work you love doing and make all your marketing about that for the next month.

And if you need help doing that, book one of my 90 minute starter sessions.