7 Ways Of Finding Your Niche And Know Who Your Audience Is

So you want to know who your audience is. But the question is how? To build a sustainable audience, one that leverages your business, your strengths and fulfills your passions - You have to start with you!

As you have defined your niche, you start with you to discover who your audience is by determining all you can about it. As you find your audience, you have to keep a few questions in the back of your mind at all times so that you stay highly relevant when writing your articles or in communicating with it.

It usually is not my area of expertise, but all of us have an audience, no matter which business we are in. So I decided to offer what I have learned so far, but let’s dig deeper into this by starting with the niche.  

1. Finding Your Niche

To be able to do this, you need to evaluate yourself personally. Start by evaluating your passions, skills, experience, and expertise. List everything you can think of in each of these categories: Passions, skills, experiences and expertise.

Once you have made your list, look for areas of overlap. Which areas stand out the most? These are the areas that you can flush out to arrive at your “what” which is your next step. Often the things that make you unique come so naturally, that you don't even think about them.

Know that we all have a tendency to take our special gifts for granted. You have invested time, energy and probably money to acquire any of your skills. So do not undervalue what you know, but rather recognize and celebrate it.  

2. Each of Us is Unique

Each of us has a unique gift, something we want to share, not just because we are experts in it, but because it excites us and is central to whom we are. Tapping into that unique gift is the key to finding your niche and the key to living your passion.

There are 5 questions, but the first 3 are important pieces of the puzzle and you have to put together all three pieces in order to find your ideal audience:

1. WHO - who do you help?
2. WHAT - what solution do you provide?
3. WHY - why should people need what you have?
4. Where they hang out online and offline?
5. What are their problems?

3. Know Who Your Audience is

Find out who they are by asking yourself who do I help? How did I find my path? What position was I in that made me look outside the box?

When you find that connection, you can identify who your audience is. You need to align your solution with the right target market. Remember, an audience is a small group of people with a common theme, for instance a common hobby or trait. A niche is an area of specialty; it is the specific focus, or specialty that you bring to that target market or audience.

An example of specific audience should include as much details as possible like gender, age, background, children, children’s age, are they still living at home, job status, place of living, pain points, desires, passion, traits, income, and tech level among many. You can always refine this as you go along to get a better specification of your ideal audience.

The key to understanding marketing is realizing that people don’t buy a service or product, they buy a solution. That solution can help them solve a problem or achieve a goal. When you become the solution provider for your audience, you are a winner.  

4. Do Some Audience Research

Ask yourself this:

• Who can most benefit from my solution?
• Who is willing and able to pay for it?
• Who is actively looking for my solution?
• Who can I reach both online and offline?
• Who am I passionate about helping?

To get started, interview your target market or audience and survey these people. Then immerse yourself in your audience, and do some keyword research, and finally find discussion groups and social media sites where your target market hangs out.  

5. Find and Know Your ‘What’

What solution are you providing? What are the pains points of your audience, needs and expectations? List all these pain points.

Start by evaluating your audience to know if the group has specialized interests and needs, if they have a strong desire for what you offer. Don’t forget that there is a big difference between what they want and what you know they need. Focus on what they want first, and then you can give them what they need. It will make your marketing much easier.

Check your competition as there are businesses already successfully serving your audience, but find a market that it is not super saturated.  Verify that you can reach your audience through clear channels of communication, ideally both offline and online.

Look if the group is large enough to produce enough business. You must have inside knowledge about this group to be able to connect and enjoy the people in this group. Identify if they have the income to invest in your programs and services.  

6. Tap into Strengths and Passions

There has to be synchronicity between what you offer and what your target market wants.

That is why you need to choose a niche and audience that taps into your strengths and your passions, and focuses on the people you understand and care about. Be true to yourself and in the ability to help others in ways that nobody else can. People chose to work with you because you care and you can help them.

Which is the specific area of specialty that you want to be known for?  

7. Identify Your ‘Why’

Why should people work with you? Why should they need what you have? You have to know what differentiates you from competition. It is important to understand who else offers a similar solution for the audience market.

Figure out what sets you apart. What is it about your solution and the way you approach things that makes you different? It is about who you are as a person. Potential clients want to see if they can connect with you on a personal level. If people can resonate with you on a deep level they will be, almost magnetically, attracted to you.

These three elements - your ‘Who, What and Why’ - are the three pieces of the puzzle.  You have to address all three pieces to be able to figure out who is your audience.

It is a synergistic process and you want to make sure that all three pieces of the puzzle fit together. Ultimately, you want to ensure that you have a solution that is valuable for your audience and that you can deliver in a unique way.

Read more of my articles or find out my learning tools >>> Be a freedom entrepreneur NOW  

Share your thoughts below

Sergei VanBellinghen, Founder & CEO of First-Class Lifestyle, currently a Personal Growth & Success Expert, using self-development techniques to help you succeed and have a better life. Visit my website at sergeivanbellinghen.com