Hi Creators,
If you want to be a successful influencer, you must select a niche. This is a must! Your niche, particularly when you are just starting as an influencer, will define you and help your audience to know who you are and what they can expect from you. But what exactly is a niche? Well, in the case of influencers, let’s say that a niche represents an interest that appeals to a small, specialized portion of the population. Please note the word ‘small.’ This means that the niche you select is NOT going to apply or appeal to everyone. There is no way, particularly when you’re beginning as an influencer, that you can create content or speak in a voice that everyone will accept. If you try, I promise that you will fail. Steve Jobs of Apple once said, “You can please some people, some of the time.” Even he couldn’t make everyone happy, but at the end of the day, he understood who he was and he was authentic to that vision for Apple. Keep that in mind as you select a niche for your content.
Examples of types of niches
In a 2019 article by Viral Nation, they layout 10 of the powerhouse niches that exist in influencer marketing. Understanding the current landscape of which niches exist (and particularly those that have high traction) may help you find yours. Here they are:
- Beauty
- Health And Fitness
- Travel
- Fashion
- Business/Making Money Online
- Luxury/Lifestyle
- Gaming
- Animals
- Relationships
- Family/Parenting
Do you see yourself falling into any of these niches? If so, that can help you narrow your focus. If not, that’s OK too. The above certainly does not encapsulate everything that can be done but could spark some ideas.
Why do I need to choose a niche?
Like people, content needs an identity. Your audience needs to be able to associate your content with something; otherwise, they will leave. People don’t hang around for things that they don’t understand. You simply cannot, as a creator, post all different types of content that have no consistency to when, why, or how it was produced. If you do so, you’ll soon lose sight of why you’re doing what you’re doing, and your audience will be long gone. Now please understand, I’m not saying to not experiment with new ideas or ways to improve your content. What I am saying is to have a purpose and theme to the content you create and don’t lose sight of it. Once you find a format that works, go with it! And keep doing it till you have a reason not to anymore.
How do I choose a niche?
Authenticity is the key! Be you and no one else. After all, you are better at being you than anyone else. As a quick exercise, write down on a piece of paper all of your interests and talents (even all the silly ones). Make sure you write it down, there’s something magical that happens when we translate our thoughts from our minds to paper. Once completed, narrow down on this list to which of these interests/talents that you think you’d be comfortable and excited to share publicly with an audience. Doing this simple exercise can give you lay the groundwork for figuring out your content strategy. Again, I repeat, be yourself and focus on YOUR interests and talents, not anyone else’s. One of the best potential benefits of doing things this way is that If you focus on what you’re interested in, you’ll never feel like you’ve worked a single day. This will be hugely beneficial with the inevitable burnout that we see so many influencers run into when they decide to make being an influencer their primary business.
How do I know if I’ve chosen the right niche?
The number 1 indication of whether you’ve chosen a correct niche is, “are you happy doing what you’re doing?” If you can honestly answer this question ‘yes,’ then that’s the biggest indicator. Next, how does your audience feel about the content you’re creating? What makes social media truly unique over other mass communication mediums like radio and television is that the audience can respond to you. Not only that, but they can do it in either real-time or close to it. This almost instantaneous feedback loop is a game-changer for the world that we live in, so use it to your advantage. Engage with your audience early and often. Ask them why they feel the way they do and take their suggestions to heart. Often, your audience will tell you everything that you need to know about what you’re doing right and what you’re doing wrong. This being said, you may need to pull on a layer of thick skin because not everything you hear from your audience is going to give you the warm fuzzies. But keep in mind that this is a critical part of learning about what is working and how you can improve. Each new learning is a step closer to greater success. Not if, but when you make a mistake, learn the lesson and keep going.
Should I be worried about the competition?
Competition is always something that you should have on your radar, but NEVER let it drive your content strategy. Always strive to be authentic to yourself and your interests, that is what your audience wants. Other influencers are going to do what they’re going to do; in the end, people will be respected in staying true to themselves.
The riches are in the niches
There’s a famous saying that the riches are in the niches. This because the most original and refreshing ideas come from the niches. After all, how can you hope to stand out if you are doing the same thing as everyone else? People crave originality, and that will always pique their interest.
I hope you enjoyed this article as much as I enjoyed writing it. I would love to hear your feedback about Social Bluebook and how we can make it a better platform and offering for influencers around the world.
Thanks,
Sam
COO, Social Bluebook