Do You REALLY Need a Niche for Your WordPress Agency?
If you listen to most of the experts in our field, they’ll tell you that niching is the best thing since sliced bread.
But is it, really? And do you absolutely need a niche to be competitive?
In short, both yes and no!
Niching really can provide us with many benefits that traditional, generalized client bases can’t. Not only do you have the opportunity to become an expert in what you do, but your day-to-day operations can become more streamlined, more productive, and more engaging in general.
Advantages of Niching
- Charging more for your services
- Focusing your marketing in one specific area
- Working only with subjects and clients that interest you
- Creating a more specific “starter site”
While all of this might seem like a dream come true, niching isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be—a lot of it depends on your agency timeline and your technique. If done haphazardly, niching can actually be more of a speedbump to success than an accelerator! (The “gurus” always seem to forget that little detail in their talks.)
All of it comes down to a few key factors: intention, precision, and passion.
If you take the time to incorporate those habits in your niching journey, you’ll be made in the shade. Ignore them, however, and what seemed like an excellent opportunity to make your workweek even better could actually end up doing the opposite.
So let’s clear up some common misconceptions about niches.
- MISCONCEPTION 1: “I should start niching right off the bat.”
If you’re just starting out with your own agency or freelancing gig, it’s natural that you want to take the advice of those who know better and have already had their own success. That being said, niching right away is probably not the most important thing for you to concentrate on.
Before considering moving into a niche, ask yourself:
“Have I established good processes and protocols for my potential clients?”
“Do I have a good communication strategy?”
“Have I created a comprehensive pricing model?”
When you feel comfortable enough with your self-presentation and have experience working with clients, then it might be time to consider niching.
- MISCONCEPTION 2: “If I don’t like my niche, I can change it whenever I want.”
While this isn’t 100% false, it’s also not 100% true. It’s really important to pick something that you’re truly passionate about before niching, for two reasons. First, you have to consider your authenticity, and how you sound to people who are actually working in your field.
The other point is that establishing a niche takes time and dedication, and you don’t want to spend a lot of time wasting your efforts to move to a new niche.
If you’re really unhappy with your niche, change it up! But try to avoid niche-hopping by giving your chosen area lots of thought beforehand.
- MISCONCEPTION 3: “I can pull in more clients in my niche by being just a little less specific with my self-description.”
Believe it or not, this actually has the opposite effect on drawing in clients. They’re going to want to see that you’re truly an expert—and part of that is a laser-focus on the services you provide. Saying that you work with x or y is not enough. The more specifically you niche, the better!
- MISCONCEPTION 4: “My niche needs to be in a specific industry category.”
The really cool thing about niching is that it’s not necessarily something you have to hold to one specific industry category. You can establish a niche in a service! This is a great way to dip your toes into the niche pool before fully committing to one section or another.
Whether it’s compliance, interactive polling, or what-have you, there are certain site features and areas that can help you establish a solid niche, or at least a reliable client base.
Don’t get me wrong—niching is a great option, but only if it’s gone about in a way that actually increases your revenue and leads to the area that you love.
Take your time, discover your niche, and then work to make it become a reality, using your processes along the way. And remember—we’re always here for you at Can We Talk, no matter what the stage!
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