Fake It Then Make It In Your Business Niche


Travel back in time to your thought process when you chose the niche for your business. 

For some people, business niche selection is a fairly simple thing. They do the classic of “doing what you know”. They chose a subject they are genuinely passionate about, have a deep interest in, and naturally can apply themselves to. They went forward with the niche they were happiest with, not giving too much thought to the popularity of the niche itself, because the key point was that they could do that niche better than anyone else. 

The Most Common Way Of Selecting Niches 

While the above sounds ideal, it’s also fairly… rare. Most people who enter into business, and particularly digital businesses, don’t select their niche from passion. They select their niche from research. They analyze the areas where there might be a gap in a market. They choose sectors where there is room for improved or additional companies; sectors that have not yet reached saturation point. They are not particularly passionate about the niche in and of itself, but they are passionate about being able to generate an income, so it all balances out right? 

Not necessarily. The businesses and campaigns run by those who are truly passionate about their niche will almost always have the edge. A desire to generate a good income can take you to a certain point, but there is always that need for something extra, the cherry on top, the je ne sais quoi that allows your enterprise to stand out. How is this something extra found? It’s predominantly discovered via genuine passion for the business area they are operating in. 

So if you chose your niche off research and careful consideration rather than passion, does that mean you’re doomed? Not necessarily-- but it does mean you’re going to need to put a little extra work in. You might not feel the passion for your area of business, but that doesn’t mean you can’t fake it. There are ways of thinking that those with genuine passion for their niche will experience automatically-- and which you will need to remind yourself of, so you can fake it with the best of ‘em… 

The Whole Picture 

Entrepreneurs who are truly passionate about their business have one huge advantage: they know their business, usually because they have been involved with the sector on an amateur level. They can take their knowledge and transform it into a business USP, which in turn gives them an edge over the rest of the market. 

You can’t do that. You don’t have that background, insider knowledge-- you’ve picked with an eye on profit rather than for the love of the business itself. This means that you’re missing the ability to see the whole picture of what your business can be, because you’re not aware of what your potential customers might need. 

If you visit RMA Brokers you can see how this operates. This company have done the research and spotted a gap in the market; they sell ranches. However, the passion behind their business is obvious, as they know there are many different types of ranch sales and inquiries. They take the basic business premises -- that people want to buy ranches, and they can help with that -- and then add their own, passionate and informed knowledge to add on additional services and understand the needs of their customer. This allows for a well-rounded business initiative, that naturally stands out above business rivals, and is in turn far more likely to succeed. 

This is just one example. Apple sells their phones because they understand their customers; they know their customers hate poor battery life, so the new iPhone X could see a dramatic increase in battery life as discussed on multiple forums and review sites. They don’t just lose themselves in their specs or their competition with Android; they see the whole picture because they understand it. 

The ranch agents, Apple-- they all have this prior knowledge which allows them to see the world through the eyes of their customers. This, in turn, allows them to see the whole picture about what their business is going to be able to offer. 

So if you don’t have this background, how can you see the big picture in the same way a passion-driven company can? 

Talk To Your Potential Customers 

People, in general, like to give their opinions. Just Google for experience that customers have of using companies similar to yours. Read their experiences on review sites: what do they highlight as good? What do they think is bad? This should give you a starting point for getting more right than wrong. 

Conduct A Focus Group

Focus groups are integral to the formation of any business. There is no point in just randomly guessing at what you think your customers are going to like, or how they are going to respond to the product or service that you’re offering. A focus group is a way for you to get direct answers from people who know your niche well, and know what they are going to expect from a company operating in this niche. You can learn more in one afternoon spent with a focus group than you can from months of idle Google searches. 

Think About Your Relation To Businesses In Niches You Love 

Refer to your own personal experiences with niches you do love, and see what translates. Let’s say your business idea is in the recruitment industry-- you don’t know much about that, besides the fact it’s lucrative. However, think about a service you do know and use, and the insights it offered you. For example, if you’ve used a web hosting provider -- what did you expect from them? Good service, timely response to communication, and understanding of your particular needs… all of which translate directly into what people using a recruitment company will want, too. Niches that may sound incredibly different on the surface are, at their core, more alike than you might expect. 

Conclusion

When you select your niche, you have to learn to love it-- or, at least, do enough research to learn to appear as if you love it. Learning how to fake it within your chosen niche is a valuable asset, so do your research and immerse yourself in your new world-- your business will thank you for it.





I hope you enjoyed this article about how to select your business niche.

Interested in more articles about business branding on a budget?

Read My Posts:

- Why Your Product Is As Important As Your Customers 

- 4 Ways To Amp Up Your Marketing

Published by Michael J Schiemer
Owner of Bootstrap Business
Money - Marketing - Motivation
Digital Marketing | SEO | Social Media
Mike Schiemer Builds Better Business

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