If you’re reading this you’re probably interested in growing your social media platforms or starting a business or blog.

You’re constantly seeing the word ‘niche’ thrown around and still have no idea what it means.

A niche is a person or an area of the market specializing in one type of product or service.

If you have no idea what you want to niche in, just start focusing on your strengths and passions then stick to what actually works.

When you’re starting out it’s a great time to start experimenting with what you like and start taking notes on what people like to see from you.

See which pieces of content are performing the best and start creating content that is similar to the most “viral” one.

Once you start creating more content based on what people like to see from you, people will then subscribe or follow YOU.

Give them what they want and tell them what they NEED.

Before you start creating content, you must do your research and see what your target audience is searching for, you must identify the gaps in your industry, and know what platforms your audience uses the most.

Ask yourself, “what does my specific audience truly need help with?” Do they need business tips, do they need fashion advice, do they need skincare advice, do they need a good laugh, do they need to lose weight, are they beginners in makeup, etc.

Then ask yourself: How can I give them what they’re looking for? How can I bridge the gap from their Point A (where they are now) to Point B (where they want to be)?

A common misconception is people think picking a niche is what will separate them from their competition. Truth is, expertise is the differentiation you need because there’s a lot of people on the market with NO expertise.

If you’re new, pick one industry/market to become an expert on and do your research. Learn the market/industry so well that you know what the problems are. This is what’s going to distinguish you from choosing profitable niche vs. a hobby-based niche.

When niching down think of your ideal client. Think about the industry you want to go in. Think about the market within that industry. Think about WHO you want to help. Think about the results they want to achieve. Think about where they are currently.

For example, if you’re in the fitness niche, this is how you can do client profiling:

Industry: Fitness

Market: At-Home Workouts

For: females

Who are: busy/entrepreneurs

Who want X results: lose weight without diet

Where they are currently: want to squeeze in workouts and start on their fitness journey

Other things to keep in mind, when ideal client profiling: gender, age, occupation, level of education, income, location, daily routine, needs, environment, passions, interests, spending habits, who they follow in your industry.

A great place to do research is forums like Reddit where people are actively asking the internet questions. Another great place to do research is joining facebook groups that have your target audience already.

Thank you for reading this post! Follow me on instagram @SelfmadeBabe.co and read more on business, branding, and on our website at www.selfmadebabe.co!

Much love and success,

Marie Ann Altuve

Content courtesy of Marie Ann Altuve, Founder of Self Made Babe

CONTRIBUTING AUTHOR, MARY ANN ALTUVE

Marie Ann is the Founder and Chief Empowerment Officer at Selfmade Babe.

She started the Selfmade Babe community to empower women to tap into their potential and ignite their inner CEO by giving them business, branding, lifestyle, & marketing resources to scale and succeed at www.selfmadebabe.co.

As a millennial female, she saw the impact and importance of women sticking together. She wanted to create a community where women can gain insight from other females in their field and learn from their experiences so that they can jumpstart their dreams. In her free time, she loves to brainstorm new business ideas, spend time with her family and dogs #dogmom, and eating good food. Check out @selfmadebabe.co on IG