Finding your niche through emotion and values

It may seem counterintuitive, but narrowing down your audience, increases your leads and conversion rate. Why? Because you’re no longer another HR consultant, plumber, or freelancer that blends in with the competition and competes on price alone. You’re a brand with a niche —a company that stands for something, for someone, and most importantly, competes on values and quality. Not price.

Today’s consumers are more discerning and more conscious of the brands they shop with, and the products and companies that rise to the top are almost always the ones with whom audiences feel an emotional connection to. If you as a brand stand for the same things your audience do, they will see you as one of their own, and they will be loyal followers for years to come. However, you have to have conviction in your values, as losing sight of what you claim to hold dear can see that connection damaged far quicker than it took to build.

Finding your niche

Finding your niche isn’t about telling people what you don’t do, it’s about telling people what you do do and who you specialise in doing it for. That way, those tenuous leads that you think will go nowhere but put time into anyway, just incase, won’t even land in your inbox. And that’s a good thing, by letting ill-fitting customers discount themselves before they even get in touch, you spend more time on those who match your values and goals. And guess what, those who buy into who you are, will pay more, stay longer, and become ambassadors for your brand.

So, you’re sold on finding a niche, but what niche, and what do you do with that information? Well, it all starts with you, so let’s explore you a bit.

What do you, as a business, do?

Write it down, what does your business do in terms of products and/or services?

How do you do it?

What makes your product or service better than others, what are your strengths?

Many businesses stop there, but by digging deeper we can find what will truly resonate with audiences, and differentiate you. If you think about how many people sell a specific product or service, almost all of them will claim to have one or more of the following; the best product, the best service, or the lowest price. But these aren’t aspirational. What you’ve got to sell is an emotion.

So, how do your products/services make your customers feel?

Are you streamlining processes so they can spend more time with their family? Are you keeping them safe so they have peace of mind? Are you making them feel better about themselves so they live a more confident life? There are a million and one emotions you can make customers feel, but it’s important to explore what you give to customers beyond the product or service itself.

And finally, why do you do it?

It’s a difficult question, but getting it right could make the difference. Why do you do what you do, and why should everyday people care?

As an example lets turn the mirror on ourselves.

What: Background designs brands, websites, packaging, and more.

How: We do this by getting to the crux of what makes you, you, in order to position your brand in a way that appeals to your target audience and sets you apart from your competitors.

Feel: We want you to feel understood, authentically positioned, and beautifully designed.

Why: We believe in the power of authentic stories and want to help you tell yours.

All that’s to say, we’re not just another design studio, we’re a design studio who explore the past to create the future, and believe a brand is nothing without the story and vision behind it —hence the name, Background.

Now what?

Now you’ve got your why, what do you do with it? Well the first thing is to reflect. Reflect on your products and services, do they echo your ‘why’? And if they fall short in parts, how do you bring alignment across your business? Secondly, reflect on your clients and leads, are they who you want to work with, do they match your vision? And finally, reflect on your external and internal communications. Does your team understand your purpose and what that means to their roles? Is your external marketing telling the right story, and capturing emotions, or is it simply stating your ‘what’?

If this article has made you think about how you’re perceived and and whether your brand is creating emotional connections, then get in touch and book a Brand Background workshop to start your journey to a better brand strategy.