Creating your niche

When you first get started, it’s natural to think that you just want to attract clients, and you don’t care too much about their genre, you just want them through the door.

This is a classic mistake.

Truism: It is virtually impossible to put together a successful marketing plan that will appeal to everyone.

When you ‘put out’ to a mass market, this is called scattered marketing. Some of it may stick, but most of it will not. This can also be an expensive process and, to be fair, will generally be a waste of your time and resources.

Niche marketing is about focusing on a specific portion of the population and focusing only on that sector. Marketing experts insist that the most successful people are those who have a niche market. Naturally, you may wonder if this theory reduces your potential market. I can see how it might appear that way but the reality is that it works.

Let’s imagine that you are a deep tissue sports massage therapist, and you want to attract new clients. Is deep tissue sports massage going to appeal to a mass market? I know for a fact that it will not. Many women do not enjoy deep tissue massage. They prefer a light aromatherapy massage, which is more of a relaxing experience than a physically therapeutic one.  So, you launch an advertising campaign in a women’s magazine or a ladies group like the Women’s institute, your campaign would probably fail to attract more than a handful of clients. Those that committed to one session might not make further bookings.

So, let’s suppose that you decide that your niche for sports massage is targeted towards athletes.

That decided, you target your marketing activity in sports magazines, fitness centres, hockey teams, running clubs and the like, then there is more chance of success. People who regularly exercise build muscle mass. Muscles get knotted and tight, and the only thing that reduces this is deep tissue massage. But, to a degree your marketing strategy is still not fully focused

This is getting close to niche marketing, but we are still not quite there.

But we can do better than that!

Read the next article on micro niche marketing

Create your micro niche

The next step on from niche marketing is micro niche marketing. So, to take our previous example of targeting sports people, what we now do is to break this down even further. Your niche could be targeting runners. Your micro niche could be female marathon runners.

By micro niching this market, you have honed down your marketing campaign so that it can be a fully targeted process, and it suddenly opens many doors and makes it easy to apply a fully muscled marketing campaign. Millions of women regularly run in the UK 3 – 4 times a week or more. There is a large array of running magazines. Race for Life created many women runners.

Now, you can research women’s’ running magazines, find out what women wear to run, what they eat, why they run, what their goals are, what problems they have with running and what other issues or problems are associated with being a female runner. For example, it is a known fact that, because women have wider hip to knee ratio than men, we tend to get more hip and knee problems than men. Our legs do not hang straight down from our hips so, consequently, we are putting more strain on our bio-mechanics.

You can build your whole business around your micro niche. For example you may: -

• Start selling women’s running gear
• Offer female specific fitness supplements
• Take further training as a weight loss coach or nutritional advisor {as many women run to lose weight}
• Join a MLM company that provides appropriate products {passive income}

Even if you have been trading for quite a while, it is never too late to consider ‘upgrading’ to a micro niche. This process hones your marketing strategy to the bone and ensures that you do not waste your time, energy or resources on promoting your business inappropriately. It frees up your mind to target your marketing plan on those people who are ready and willing, to buy in to your services.

I admit that many therapists do not find this process easy. You may not know what genre you want to be specific about. But it is worth taking the time to do this as ultimately it will provide you with the greatest success. It will make life easier and give you total clarity about the direction that you are taking.

So, before you do anything else, sit down for a while and think about the therapy or therapies that you offer. Who would most benefit from what you do? What aspects of this genre could you focus on? What opportunities are out there for you if you focus on this group? Coming back to the sports massage therapist specialising in female runners, imagine the scope for her!

• Talks at running groups
• Potential affiliations with weight loss groups, as many women start running when they want to lose weight
• Taster sessions at local running competitions
• Liaisons with local fitness centres
• Offer free sessions for the 5k women specific cancer charity runs

Once you understand this process, your imagination will run riot at the potential that you will have opened up. You will wonder why you didn’t do it before. So get started and believe me when I say that, once you have this clarity, you will feel like a great weight has been taken off your shoulders. You will also feel incredibly excited to get started!

The most interesting thing about creating a micro niche is that it expands your market. You automatically become an expert. Your female clients will ask if you can treat their husbands, mothers and children, most of whom do not run.

Micro niching is the most powerful thing that you can do for your business, so take the steps today to decide who you are going to work with.

Be a role model to your clients

Always be a positive role model to your clients. 1 in 4 people suffer from low self-esteem and are inspired by others who help them to believe that life can be better. If you have a positive story to tell, then share it with your clients. Give them hope and send them away feeling good about themselves.

Dress appropriately inside and outside of the working environment, and take care of your appearance. Sadly, we are so often judged by others on how we look and so this aspect is important. Always be positive and never complain about your life or your problems with your clients. They are paying you to make them feel better not worse!

Don’t limit being a role model to your clients either. Be a person of excellence to everyone that you meet. Always be positive. Don’t get involved in gossip or talking about depressingly bad news. Don’t talk about your clients unless you are telling a positive story, and even then do not use client names. Walk your talk. Whatever it is that you do, make sure that you are 100% congruent and authentic. There are more than enough people out there that are not true to themselves or to others, so don’t be one of them.

NEVER criticise your competitors. You don’t need to. If a therapist is bad at his or her job, word will get round without you being involved in it. If a client brings this up, do not get involved. Simply say, ‘I am sorry I cannot comment on that, I don’t know this therapist personality’, and refuse to get drawn in. I personally have a policy that I never believe second-hand information. Unless I have seen something for myself, or been told by the person involved, I do not buy into it. Gossip can and does hurt people and you wouldn’t like it if it was you. We all go through times in our lives when maybe, because of trauma, tragedy or PMTJ, we perhaps are not as nice or as good at our jobs as we usually are, but we hope that others won’t judge us on it – although sadly this is human nature.

In order to build a lasting relationship with a client, and indeed with anyone, there has to be mutual respect. If your client does not respect you then it is unlikely that he or she will return. Being a person of excellence proffers more opportunities for you as you will be creating good energy around your client. On a subconscious level, your client will respond to this and will want to come back again to experience more of that good energy.

Decide on your model client

You may think that you can’t afford to be choosy when it comes to clients, but this is an important aspect of building your business. For one thing, you must enjoy your work, or what’s the point? Getting up on a Monday morning filled with a sense of dread is most definitely not what you want to be doing. You probably already gave up a job where that was happening.

If you choose to only work with clients that you enjoy working with, this will increase your confidence as well as your enjoyment of your job. In time, if you follow this guideline, you will find that you magnetise the right people towards you. If you find yourself in a position whereby you have a client that you do not enjoy working with, you will find a way of empathetically referring her elsewhere.

From a positive manifestation aspect, you can use this opportunity to ‘create’ your ideal client.

This is my personal list: -

• Open to new ideas
• Easy-going
• GSOH
• Some spiritual awareness or curiosity
• Sensitive and empathic
• Prepared to make changes if needed
• Easy to talk to
• Wants to commit to a long term process
• Has integrity
• Likes to refer to others
• Respectful of the process
• Respects client/therapist boundaries
• Punctual & reliable
• Action orientated

By doing this exercise you lessen the possibility of attracting customers that are going to drive you wild with frustration. I once had one client who would not – EVER – stop talking. I don’t know how she managed to breathe and I never – EVER – managed to get a word in. When she left I was always exhausted and it would take me two or three hours to recover! It may have been her that made me decide to create a model client list. Whatever, or whoever, it was I am eternally grateful as I now successfully attract my perfect clients on a regular basis.

What might you have to give up?

Everything comes at a price. In order to create a marketing campaign that gives you what you need, it is important to know what price you may have to pay for your success and then consider if that price is worth it. Nothing is cast in stone, and often we have to shift our ideals slightly in order to obtain what it is that we truly want.

This primarily concerns your values.

Imagine if you told me that your top priority is to have the freedom and flexibility to do what you want; when you want, but then you carry on to tell me that you also want a very busy practice because you yearn to earn £650.00 a week. Let’s imagine that, at this moment, you have a small base of clients, work three days a week for about four hours a day and earn about £325.00 a week.

You start your marketing campaign, and it is surprisingly successful. Soon your diary is full, five days a week 9am – 5pm. You are delighted. You get so busy that you start working on Saturday mornings, and then you are asked to do a few evening sessions. Hoorah! You are earning £800.00 a week, which has way surpassed your requirements. Gosh doesn’t your bank balance look fantastic! Clients are thrilled with your service, and are booking in advance. A fitness centre has heard of your success and asked you to run some sessions there.

You are booked up solid for the next three months, with not a single space in-between sessions. This is success. Isn’t it? This is what you wanted isn’t it?

After a couple of months, you can’t quite put your finger on why you are feeling a little disheartened. Your bank balance is excellent, your testimonials are amazing and, at last, you feel that you have created a successful business. But, your husband has complained that you are always tired. You haven’t cooked a proper meal in weeks and the family is living off process foods. You haven’t the time or the energy to play with your children or see your friends. In fact, all you do is work, come home, watch TV and go to bed. Why aren’t you happy?

Remember we discussed your value of ‘the freedom to do what I want, when I want to do it.’ Well, that has gone! What happened? How did you lose sight of that? The price you have paid for a very busy practice is your freedom! You have money, but that money has not bought you freedom. In fact, it has kind of done the opposite.

This happens a lot. But it is not a total disaster. It is never too late to rectify a situation. All you need to do is revaluate. You could decide to work shorter hours or less days, but know that you may have to give up the £800.00 a week. You have to decide which is more important to you. Of course, looking on the bright side, there are always other options like taking someone else into the business or seeking the opportunity to earn a passive income, or taking on products that your clients would be interested in buying. Most therapists are in a perfect position to do this, but somehow miss out on the opportunity.

There are always solutions to any problem. There are always choices, not always easy choices, but they are there all the same.

I suggest that you spend some time on this exercise before you begin to put your marketing campaign together. In the end it will save you a lot of time and effort and ensure that you start as you mean to go on. Work out what it is that you want and then you can work around those needs.

It is vital to your success that your mantra is to ‘work smarter not harder’.

What does success mean to you?

Before we begin to talk about your marketing strategies, it is important that we look at the logical and/or emotional reasons that drive you to do what you have chosen to do. To launch blindly into your campaign, without understanding this aspect, is madness. It is like suddenly deciding to go for a holiday, with no consideration of what you like to do and what will make you happy. Imagine if you love lying on the beach, but board a plane destined for a ski resort! How disappointed would you be? What a waste of time, money and effort that would be! Marketing is a personal process as well as a practical one, so let’s get our heads together now and start working out what is important to you.

Everyone has their own definition of success; do you know exactly what yours is? For some it is:-

• Financial freedom
• Personal freedom – flexibility to do what you want when you want
• Making a difference
• Lots of clients – a busy practice
• Lots of money
• Good solid relationships
• Acclaim or recognition
• A feeling of being needed – a sense of worth

During coaching sessions, clients always tell me what their definition of success is, and I always ask them why it is important. It is crucial to break down what it is that you want and why you want it.

For example, if you told me that you want financial freedom, I would ask you to chunk that down further. Various conversations over the years have looked similar to this: -

Client: I want to be able to afford lots of nice things
Me: What will having nice things mean to you?
Client: It will mean that I have everything that I need & want
Me: What will that mean to you?
Client: It will mean that I don’t have to worry about anything
Me: So are you worried now?
Client: Well, I have to work hard to get what I want and I never seem to have enough
Me: I see, so does that mean that you worry about not having enough money?
Client: Actually yes
Me: So, what would it mean to you if you had enough money
Client: I would feel happy & secure
Me: So, would it be fair to say that it’s not the money or the things that you need, it is feeling happy & secure
Client: Yes

No matter how the conversation starts, it usually ends up in the same place. People are looking for a feeling; happiness, security, feeling safe, loved & protected. What is it that you are looking for in your life? Take a few moments now and write down the things that you want and then break down what having them will actually mean to you.

Marketing mistakes [12 - 13]

[12] Not sticking at it

In order for a marketing plan to work, you need to have a persistent and consistent approach. You must also be patient and know that it won’t happen overnight. You may not see results for a while. But, just because you can’t see anything happening doesn’t mean that something isn’t shifting. It’s a bit like a spring bulb. You don’t see that bulb until it comes up out of the ground and bursts into flower, but it has been growing underground for many months earlier, still working away in the cold and the damp, the snow and the frost. It would be so easy to think that the bulb is never going to come out of the ground, but it does, year after year.

Lesson: Once you have created your marketing plan decide to stick with it regardless. Chip away at it day after day and work with compounded strategies to make it work. Allow it time and be flexible as to how the results appear.

[13] Not allowing enough time to implement your marketing plan

When I was involved with a business partner we desperately tried to get our act together with our marketing plan, and we always failed miserably. The main reason we failed is because we never allowed enough time prior to an event. We would suddenly panic and start our marketing about a month before the event date which was simply too late. We got lucky once or twice but, in the main our success was limited and, ultimately, our business failed.

Marketing experts suggest that in order for a marketing campaign to work, you need a three month lead in. What this means is that everything must be 100% prepared and ready to go with three months of dedicated work to implement it.

For instance, if you were planning to advertise in National magazines, they are one month ahead on the book stands. February edition will be on sale on 1st January. What that means is that the advertising deadline for February was, in all likelihood, the previous December. So you must plan well in advance.

If you are running workshops, this is particularly important. My best advice to you is to plan the bulk of your workshops and broadcast them with a one year lead in. I posted my workshops on the web site the first week of January, and my Healing Horses April clinic was full by February. It gives people time to plan, to organise work, baby sitters and school holidays, pets etc. and it gives people something to look forward to J

Lesson: Don’t leave it till the last minute. Get your marketing plan straight in your head and allow a three month lead in for advertising, distributing flyers, talks etc.

Marketing mistakes [10 - 11]

[10] Telling everyone and his mother what your goals are

I have had to backtrack so many times that it is embarrassing to remember. Don’t be tempted to tell everyone what you have planned, let it be a surprise. For instance if you tell everyone that you are quitting your job to become a therapist, several things will happen.

1. You will feel compelled to quit your job
2. The naysayers will put the seed of doubt in you
3. You have put far too much pressure on yourself to be successful
4. You may immediately regret saying anything

I have learned that by telling too many people what you are doing, you somehow reduce the potential energy and impact of whatever it is that you are planning to do. It either won’t happen or it won’t be as good as you think it is going to be. I have seen this over and over again, far too many times to dispute the truth of it. The times when I have kept quiet about my plans, they have always worked out and in a much more powerful way than sharing my plans with everyone.

Lesson: Zip it!

[11] Investing money in training that isn’t going to transform your business

I dread to think how much money I have wasted doing this. It does seem to be par for the course for a good many therapists, we become almost addicted to the next course, the next qualification, the next seminar or book or audio or CD. But, don’t just spend your money for the sake of it.

If you are considering new training, or continuous professional development, do try and assess if there is synergy between your current therapies and the ones you are considering. Trust your intuition as to whether a course is right for you, and if you start it and find it isn’t right after all, then its ok to change your mind and ask for a refund. I started sound healing with one school, which was a year’s training. After the first weekend module I didn’t feel 100% committed, and I didn’t relate to the teacher in the way that I would have liked. I had a few months before the next module, so I left it for my subconscious to mull over. Nearer the next date I started – quite without thought – looking for other schools and found one I resonated with. Fortunately I had not paid up front for the other training, but I felt an immediate relief once I had decided not to pursue it.

Lesson: Before you commit to any financial investment, be it a two year course or a £9.95 book; give yourself some time to ponder on it. This has been the greatest advice that I have ever given to myself! These days I will sit on a potential course for a few weeks before I decide if it is right for me. If I want a book, I add it to my wish list on Amazon and most times I end up deleting it.

Marketing mistakes [7 - 9]

[7] Focusing on things that are not contributing to your income

Whilst I do endorse offering some trial sessions as a way of showing people how effective your therapy is, you must not spend most of your time posing as a charity. It is also easy to get carried away doing things that are not contributing to your income, like spending hours every day on Facebook hoping that some of your new friends may be good contacts to build your business. You must focus 100% on exactly what you want and build up regional contacts first. You need to become known in the area as the therapist to go to for XYZ. Experts say that 80% of our success comes from 20% of what we are doing and I think we can improve those odds can’t we?

Lesson: Become aware of where you are wasting time and effort and take the necessary steps to cut out superfluous tasks. Dedicate yourself to maintaining 100% focus on things that are contributing to your business.

[8] Pretending that you are networking when you are not!

In order to make networking a profitable exercise you must approach it as a strategy. Attend a networking group to see how they are working. If it is a bunch of women talking about their home baked bread and cookies and the achievements of their wonderful children, this may not be the group for you. You ARE a serious business person and you need to make networking work for you. Just by showing up, you may feel that you are networking, but you are not. This is part of your marketing plan and, as such, it must work for you, or don’t do it.

Lesson: Choose your activities carefully and make sure you focus 100% on the return on investment at all times. Your time is valuable.

[9] Keep moving the goal posts

You must set solid goals and you must believe that they are achievable. If you don’t, you will do as I did and keep changing those goals. This disintegrates your focus and will render your goals useless. Initially it is good to set goals for a six month projected period, certainly in the early days when your business will shift and move its priorities. Once past that period, aim for one year goals and maybe even a five year goal plan. Write your goals down and look at them every day and stick to them but, conversely, do be flexible in the realisation of these goals. Sometimes opportunities present themselves in the strangest of ways.

Lesson: Once you have set your goals, focus 100% on achieving them. Do not stop to question them as this will result in poor results. Your only focus should be on ACTION.

Marketing mistakes [4 - 6]

[4] Not paying attention to your overheads

It is far too easy to spend too much money that you don’t have. Do not use credit cards to try and get your business started; there are so many more effective ways. You have to think of the consequences and look into the future. It’s a good idea to do a 12 month projection, estimating your income and expenditure. This may cause you to review your session charges but, if it does, so be it. When I finally did this exercise I put my healing session rate up by £20.00!

Lesson: Always project your income into the future and work out where you’ll be in 12 months’ time if you don’t improve what is happening right now.

[5] Adopting an ostrich’s head in the sand attitude

Whilst I always encourage a positive attitude, there is a difference between being positive and a refusal to see what is really happening. You must adopt a strategic approach to your business and fully expose the facts. I got myself into a right financial pickle by refusing to see the wood for the trees. I believed that things would somehow magically get better, without serious change from me, and they never did because I didn’t take the actions that I needed to take.

Eventually I had no choice but to face the truth and get real. My business was not supporting me full time. Once I accepted that, I found part time work that supplemented my income, which reduced my stress, paid my bills and gave me a better perspective to restructure my marketing plan.

Lesson: Always work on the long term plan to ensure that you’re always in a steady position. You must be able to follow long-term business strategies, and not be sucked in by the short term ones.

[6] Expecting too much from your business in the early days

The worst thing that you can do is to give up your full time day job in order to start your practice. The only scenarios that are okay to do this are if you have financial support in place like a redundancy payment or a partner who is willing to support you whilst you get started. It takes at least 1 – 2 years for a business to have established itself and that is providing that you have put a good marketing plan in place and stuck to it. It is also good practice to reinvest your early profits back into the business, either into marketing, CPD, equipment or stock. If you have to live on a knife edge financially this will generate a great deal of stress which will have an effect on the way that you work. Stress is the worst repellent for the law of attraction as you seem to end up with more stress.

Lesson: Stick at your day job for a bit and start off my going part time. If you have already made the leap and are now struggling, do not think it is a failing to look for part time work. I do freelance bookkeeping and payroll for four hours a week for a company. I started thinking it would be for a month or two, but have found that the peace of mind that the regular income gives makes it worth continuing.