Month 1: Foundations of Professional Speaking
This week we’re going to focus on the importance of setting yourself apart.
Defining a niche is a pivotal first step to developing a strong brand identity. First, we’ll walk through what a niche is, why it’s important, and what it will mean for your marketing going forward. Then, you’ll do a ‘Field Trip’ assignment, along with adding some ‘Building Blocks’ to your Brand Outline.
Est. Time: 1.5hrs
IN THIS LESSON
Niche
Identifying the right niche is fundamental in defining your business and establishing a strong brand. While the actual definition of niche can be hard to pin down, it’s roughly defined as a specific area of marketing which has its own particular requirements, customers, and products. It is here that you will find your ideal client. We’ll talk more about the concept of an ideal client in a couple weeks, but it’s important to know that this is the person you’re targeting with all of your marketing.
A well-defined niche sets you apart from competitors, positioning you as a go-to expert in your field. This specialization helps you build a loyal client base and creates a brand identity that resonates deeply with your audience. Remember that business is all about solving problems. When customers see you as a specialist who understands their unique challenges, they are more likely to trust you to help them solve those problems.
Additionally, focusing on a niche helps you identify your unique selling points. Instead of trying to offer everything to everyone, and wasting your time and energy trying to cast your net as wide as possible; you instead are offering something very specific to someone very specific. In a crowded marketplace, trying to appeal to everyone often results in appealing to no one. This hyper-focus makes your business operations more efficient & effective, which allows you to spend less time in your business, and more time on your business.
Field Trip
Before defining your own niche, it’s important to really understand how this relates to a person, a brand, and a business. So, let’s start out by going out and finding some of your favorite speakers, and taking some notes. Let’s consider this a field trip on the internet. Take some time to find 5 people that you really admire - they don’t have to be in your field, just any kind of speaker/personality.
To give you an example, here are 5 people who I think have really strong businesses and admire professionally:
Building Blocks
Who are 5 people that you admire in the field of speaking? Write each of them out along with answers to the following questions.
Person:
Who is this person's target audience?
What do you admire about them?
What makes them unique?
What is something about their branding that stands out to you? This could be anything - a color, a word they use a lot, a specific story, deep knowledge on a specific topic, the way they hold themselves.
Repeat this for each your 5 people.
Homework: This week I want you to pay attention to every piece of branding you see. Every tweet, article, commercial, advertisement, anything. Make mental (or actual) notes of what about their branding stands out to you.