About this time last year, I was on the verge of losing a big,
brand new client.
They were a retainer client paying $2,500 a month and it’d been a while since I’d had a good retainer, so I was in no hurry to lose that relationship. I came close though, and it was my fault.
It was my fault because they needed advice on site content and I was dead set on providing them with something I liked to do…summarized industry news reports—a type of content I’d fallen in love with because of my early work with
a trade magazine.
I kept pushing, choosing new topics, trying to make it work and my contact just kept getting more and more frustrated. Eventually she flat out said “no, this isn’t going to work.” (Thankfully, she just meant the news reports and not our relationship. We’re still working very well together.)
When I looked back, I realized I’d had this “news summary” service on my site for years and not one client had gone for it. Not one
if them! I had to admit to myself that I was missing a critical understanding of the types of services my niche wanted and was willing to pay for.
Understanding Your Niche's Needs
Figuring out what services will sell (and which you’ll actually enjoy producing) is a process, and it’s a really important one.
Knowing what to offer to your niche can be just as important as choosing the niche itself. And trust, every
niche, every dimension is different. For example…I’m trying to break in to sport supplements and nutrition. As much as I love writing case studies, I’m not sure they’re going to be a big seller, at least not starting out.
Figuring that out might seem difficult, but there are already clues out there for you.
- What you see prospects doing: Even if it’s just competitors, keeping an eye on what companies across your niche and
industry are doing will provide strong clues to the services you should be offering on your site.
- What you see people selling: One of the easiest ways to connect with your niche? Copy what other freelancers are doing. If you’re a member of a skillset specific community, they shouldn’t be hard to find, but don’t forget to check out the Skillset
Resources dropdown on the top menu of the BF website.
- Where you see a need: This can take a bit longer to figure out and develop, but as you progress, clients and prospects will give you hints specific to your niche and help you understand where your services can fit.
Your services page should always cater to your specific niche needs. Make sure you’re continually aligning what you offer with what your niche needs and pays
for.
Megan
P.S. Like I mentioned last week, we got a bit behind, so there’s a little extra to take care of this week. You’re going to finish this month out with a list of prospects specific to your niche,
so you’re going to pull 5 prospects that are clearly in your niche and add them to (or use them to start) your prospect list. Remember, this can be as simple as a search on LinkedIn or Google. If you’re having any issues, just let me know!
P.P.S. Here are the Academy resources that you’ll want to check out this month…