The Two Parts of Every Niche

by | Jan 19, 2022 | Newsletter

One of the biggest challenges micro-business owners face is understanding their “niche.” One reason they struggle with this so much is that they’re focused on the wrong thing. Let’s take a look.

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Welcome to the distilled brand happy hour. My name is Ryan Rhoten. I’m the owner of the Distilled Brand and I’m on a mission to help micro business owners clearly articulate who they are and what they do. Wondering who exactly is a micro-business owner?

At The Distilled Brand, we define micro business owners as anybody who’s making less than 200,000 a year and has been in business for one to five years. You may call yourself a coach, consultant, freelancer, or solopreneur, but whatever your title, we know that with just a few tweaks to your messaging, your process, or your offer, you can really start to gain traction in your business and start to grow.

And so, this micro happy hour is dedicated to micro business owners. Each week we’ll do one micro-lessons for micro business owners. And with that, Let’s belly up to the bar and dive into today’s first micro lesson.

The two parts of a niche

We always start our process out with all of our clients by helping them identify who their audience is, in other words, what’s their niche is. The reason we start there is that we know a lot of mico business owners struggle with this. And if you don’t have your niche or your audience, well-defined, it’s really hard to come up with the messaging that’s going to connect.

Part one – The WHO

When most people think about a niche, they always start with who and who is part one of selecting or understanding your niche.

So when people think of a niche, they think:

  • Audience
  • Target market.
  • Avatar.
  • Persona

Whatever term you’re used to hearing, you’ve probably seen a lot of ways to slice and dice your niche. This is where most micro-business owners get stuck. They fixate too much on who they serve and it paralyzes them in the rest of their business. You’ll know you’re in this situation if your message feels all over the place or muddled.

Part two – The WHAT

You can’t have a niche without knowing who you serve but you must also know your WHAT – what is the problem that you solve. It’s the thing you do best, it’s how you help and serve your customers. It’s also how you solve the problem.

It’s your process, your methodology, your system. So it’s the problem you solve and how you solve it.
These two things together will help you understand the niche that you serve and how you help them. This is how you can start to clearly articulate who you are.

You need to know both to understand your niche

What most micro-business owners do is draw these two circles the exact same size. When you do that, you’re basically saying I help everyone with everything. Now even if you know, in your heart of hearts, that your services can absolutely help anyone who comes along, that messaging is only going to continue to muddle your message. You’re not going to be able to gain traction as quickly as you want if you only focus on who you serve and not what you do.

Here’s another thing about defining a niche –

You can only become known for the problems you solve and how you solve them.You cannot become known for who you serve.

So if you’re stuck and your message feels messy or muddled, step back and focus on the problem you solve and how you solve it. Once you have that figured out, it becomes much easier to determine who has those problems.

So that’s today’s micro lesson for The Distilled Brand Happy Hour. If you have questions in your micro business about avatars, messaging, website, and all those types of things, schedule a call, and let’s talk – SCHEDULE CALL.

Because finding the right message should be easy, not your life’s work.

 

Features: The Stuff

We love our features, however, let’s be clear, when we talk about features, we’re referring to what your product or service is or does. The chair, for instance, is this color, has these dimensions, or distributes weight evenly.

Bad messaging leads with features.

But, hey, I get it. You’re proud of your service and what you’ve built because they showcase what you offer—but here’s the catch: your audience will not care as much as you do.

Think of features as the raw ingredients in a cocktail; yes, they are essential, but not enough to make someone order it without knowing what’s in it for them.

For example, if you run a leadership coaching program, a feature might be the 45 videos in the program or the program lasting six months.

While important, these features describe what your program is and NOT how it helps (that’s next).

Action Steps for the stuff:

  • Create an Ingredients list.
  • Identify all of the features of your service.
  • Note the features that distinguish you from the competition.

BTW, I’m not saying you shouldn’t use features in your marketing; you shouldn’t lead with them.

Benefits: The Spoils

So, you’ve got your features identified in an ingredients list. Next, you need to turn them into something meaningful. That’s where benefits come in.

A benefit provides tells your customers what they will be able to do, feel, or have because they hired you. Benefits explain why the feature matters and how the value proposition is achieved. Benefits are the transformation your customer experiences by using your product or service.

Benefits help your customers visualize how their life improves, so connecting the dots between what you offer and how it impacts them is essential.

The chair, for example, has a seat that is so comfy, you can sit there for hours without getting a sore bum.

For your coaching program, a benefit could be 1:1 coaching or website copy revisions (both of which I do as part of The Brand Messaging System™️.

Action Steps to Translate Features into Benefits:

  • For each feature, ask: “So what? How does this make my customer’s life easier or better?”
  • Frame benefits in terms of customer outcomes—what do they gain?
  • Be specific about the improvements they’ll experience.

For messaging, benefits sit in between your features and value proposition, connecting your features to your value proposition.

Value Proposition: The Solution

Your value proposition is the distilled essence of why someone should choose your brand over the competition. Your value proposition must be tied directly to your customer’s goals.

It’s the promise you make to your audience that captures both the features and benefits, typically wrapped into one compelling statement. The chair might enable you to meet the right person or call an Uber to get home.

Your value proposition communicates why your customer should care—and pay.

Think of it like the signature cocktail at the bar: it’s not just the ingredients or how it’s made; it’s the feeling and experience your customer wants when they place their order.

Your program’s value proposition might sound like this: “Our personalized leadership coaching helps solopreneurs scale their businesses with 1:1 coaching and website revisions that resonate with your ideal audience.”

Action Steps to a Strong Value Proposition:

  • Link your features to the benefits they enable.
  • Match the benefits to the outcome your customer will achieve.
  • Write your value proposition by telling prospects how their lives will be better.

The Last Call: Key Takeaways for Sharpening Your Brand Message

Turn your frown upside down and do the same to this list. Start with your Value proposition. Highlight your service’s benefits, then link features to the benefits to show how your value prop is achieved.

Craft a value proposition: Identify the transformation your clients achieve and how it links to their goals.

Identify your benefits: Show your customers the benefits of using your service.

Jot down your features: Note the raw facts about what your product or service is or does.

When you nail this down, your messaging will become the perfect drink that they can’t wait to sit at your bar and order over and over.

Whenever you’re ready, here’s how I can help.

1 Brand Messaging OS:  Join over 100 founders and solopreneurs and create your own brand messaging operating system (BMOS) and bring clarity, focus, and alignment to your audience, message, and offer.

Imagine not worrying about what to say when asked, “What do you do?” Or not worrying about needing to get another job because your leads have dried up. If that sounds like something you need, the BMOS may be for you. Schedule a call, and let’s chat.

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