Recently a service business owner posted in a forum: “How do I know what my niche REALLY wants?”
This question is important because, as a copywriter, I encourage my clients to define their niches in terms of real problems. For effective copywriter, you benefit from not just understanding the problem and pain of your niche, but also the words and phrases they use to describe their pain.
For instance, instead of “women 18-34 who are single,” you might define your market as:
Women who feel they are reaching their prime years for having a child and they want to find a relationship and start a family. They say things like, “I feel the clock is ticking,” or, “I feel incomplete without a family of my own.”
OR
Women who hate being alone on weekends because they feel isolated and stigmatized without a weekend date. They say, “I feel like I’m the only person in town without a date on a Saturday night.”
As a relationship coach you’d have a separate marketing campaign for each target.
So how do you find out who they are?
Interview your current clients as well as prospects you would like to have.
Ask a handful of prospects and clients if you can call them to ask some questions to help you in your business. The responses will surprise you. For instance, you may find that your prospects who insist they can’t afford your rates are actually hiring your higher-priced competitors. Or you may find that they want a service you could provide if you knew they wanted it.
Read forum posts.
Many of your prospects will be searching for help in online forums. But you have to be aware that this help is free. Some of these forum users are not looking for someone to hire. They are looking for a place to vent or a source of free or low-cost help.
Listen to prospects who actually call you.
Often your best source of information comes from existing clients who call you to ask for an appointment. What do they say when they call?
For example, if you are a prosperity coach, do your callers talk about getting out of debt? Do they talk about wanting more income from their business? Or do they talk about issues that are close to life coaching and business coaching?
These folks often are really seeking solutions and are willing to pay for them.
Finally, it is important not only to understand your niche’s problems, but also who they regard as the source of solutions. A person with back pain may be determined to see a physical therapist, a massage therapist or a chiropractor … or conversely, may be determined NOT to seek help from any or all of those sources.