Why you need to establish and articulate your niche before making other significant investments in your marketing
You might be wondering if you need to hire a professional website designer. Or maybe a branding expert. Or perhaps a copywriter, or social media manager. And then there are questions about the channels - like, Facebook or Instagram? Public speaking, or TikTok. What about those? Where should you put your efforts to grow and market your business?
These are all good questions. Really good ones. With so many options out there available to creative business owners who want to show up and market their businesses, it can be hard to know what to do first.
The truth is, though, many people start asking those questions way too early in their business’ development.
It’s understandable why. The marketplace targeted at coaches, healers or other creatives trying to grow their businesses is chock full of information about how to use various marketing channels effectively to grow your business and increase your client list.
The list seems endless.
There is a place for this type of discussion, but only if the timing is right.
Whenever someone asks me about specific marketing channels and their effectiveness, I tell them they need to make sure they have the basics in place first.
Building a House
When you’re building a house, before you frame the walls and put the roof on, you need to measure, dig, and plan the foundation. You have to decide what type of concrete structure you’ll use – a slab on grade or a frost protected type.
The foundation must have the right mix of water to cement. It needs to be poured correctly and given adequate time to cure. In short, many things must be in place and done right before you can build on top of it, secure in knowing the house you’re constructing will be solid, safe.
It's the same with marketing.
Focusing on which channels you’re going to use to promote an offer or grow visibility, without having a proper groundwork in place, is like picking curtains and fabric patterns before laying the footings of your house.
What is Your Marketing Foundation?
Your marketing foundation is what I call your Authentic Core Statement, or your marketing starting point. That statement is one that clearly articulates who you help and what you help them with. And, it does it in a way that resonates with your ideal clients. In a way that lets them feel seen.
Some people call this your niche - and it is, in general. Just that the Authentic Core Statement (ACS) is your niche defined in a particular way, a statement that culls out the essence and uses words that your clients will recognize instantly.
Having this in place is critical before you start planning which channels you’re going to use or which actions you’re going to target. In fact, having this in place is critical before you start much of anything else in marketing and developing your business. And that's because, just like the substructure in a new home build, everything else in your marketing gets built on top of it.
Start Strong
Having a solid, effective ACS lets you build clear and compelling offers and construct a welcoming and effective web presence. It lets you create valuable content that resonates with your ideal clients. It helps you design a marketing plan that lets you reach your ideal client.
Without a strong sense of who you help and what you help them with, without an ACS, your marketing framework won’t be on solid ground. If anything is unclear or not in alignment, all those other marketing elements in your business (your offers, web presence, content, etc.) are going to be weaker. And, will likely have to be redone to shore them up.
It’s worth spending time building a strong foundation.
It can feel more satisfying (and fun!) to work with a branding expert or content specialist or to be planning out which memes your going to share on Instagram and setting up your editorial calendar, but doing the base work with care and thought will make everything in your marketing more effective in the long run.
That’s something I hope you’ll want to build on.