You narrowed your product niche, now narrow your content marketing message.
Niching can be one of the most challenging things for a new business to do. The fear of saying no to an opportunity, even a wrong one, runs rampant for many solopreneurs, micro-businesses and small businesses.
When you’re still struggling with it, the idea of niching yourself down, sounds like you’re purposely turning away money. Well, yes, you sort of are. But those of you with a clear product niche know from experience that it can actually increase your business and profitability.
An important thing to remember is that if you’re taking the time and effort to create new content, you need to remember it’s a long-game to driving engagement for your brand. It’s advertising, only instead of a digital ad, it’s your point of view or thought leadership. Use it wisely. If you jump from cars to flowers to skydiving, you will not be properly advertising your expertise. Realize that every article won’t be read by your potential customer. So, you need to stay on point for how you want to serve those customers because at some point, they will find you and you don’t want to be caught off-target on your messaging.
How to Niche Your Content Marketing
Assuming you’ve already accepted you can’t be everything to everyone, let’s discuss how to niche your content marketing strategy. It can be challenging to find new ways to talk about some of the same things. This is where the opportunity lies for you to eat an elephant by breaking down the things you take for granted.
Even one solution can have multiple facets problems that your products and services solve. Think about the questions people ask you about your field. What are the problems you are asked again and again?
Dan Miller of 48 Days has a motto that if he’s asked the same question three times, he knows he needs to create a product. You should adopt something similar about your content marketing. If you’re asked the same question three times, it needs to be an article, email or social post.
How to change your brand voice based on marketing channel
Think of your elevator pitch. You often need to change up a few components of your elevator pitch based on the audience you’re speaking to. You might simplify some of the verbiage if it’s a broad audience, or you may use very industry specific language if it’s an audience of your peers.
Your content marketing is going to be similar, but with various language, design and tone based on who it’s going out to and where.
Consider how you communicate with someone in your personal life. You write a letter more formal, you write an email a little bit loose, you text very loose. You could convey the same thing across each approach, but how you do it will vary.
Do you notice how people on Twitter and Facebook tend to argue where as people on Linkedin tend to encourage? Users on Instagram gawk, praise or spam.
Your audience is out there but just like Linkedin connections don’t want to see political posts or cat memes because there’s a sense of it being “in the workplace”, Facebook users don’t necessarily respond well to industry jargon and a virtual high-five for your business reaching $50M in revenue.
How to find your voice in social media channels
• Linkedin is like talking to your boss or co-worker.
• Twitter is how you would talk if you were at a crowded bar.
• Facebook is how you would talk at a party with friends and strangers.
• Instagram is how you would talk if you knew your ex was within listening range.
• Pinterest is kinda how you hang pictures of your kids artwork on the refrigerator.
• Email marketing is how you should talk to a client you know needs your help.
Why you should have a content marketing strategy
Developing a content marketing strategy as part of your website sales strategy can be fun if you look at it as an opportunity to help others. Sure, you want sales or leads, but before you can sell to someone, you need to help them and your content marketing is one of the best ways to serve the masses before you focus on the individuals.