You want to start blogging. You know it will help you business, but where do you even start?
Choosing your niche is a good place. The benefit of blogging for business is that you know a basic idea. It has to link to your business in some way. For example, a photographer would have a blog dedicated to photography, taking photos and photo tips.
But now it’s time to look at the details. You need a niche within that subject area; something that will make you stand out from the others and help you build your following.
How do you choose something like that? How do you know it will even work?
Here are my top three tips to help you choose your niche for your blog.
Think About Your Target Audience
Who is your blog going to be for and why are you creating it? These two questions are essential to start you off.
If you’re growing your business, your audience is going to be your customers; people you want to hire you or buy from you. That means your niche has to attract them in some way. The way to do this will, of course, depend on your business.
Let’s say you sell photography equipment, for example. Your blog will need to cater for those who would buy from you; likely a mixture of novice and experienced photographers. Your niche could be product reviews or you may offer tips on how to use certain items. These will answer questions your customers have, help them make decisions and encourage them to buy something from you in the future.
Now, if you were a photographer, you wouldn’t want to sell equipment. You’d want to encourage people to hire you. So, how do you do that with your blog? Your niche would need to attract them, such as tips on hiring photographers and how photographers can help someone on their wedding day.
Consider Your Unique Selling Point
Sticking with the photography blog example, any photographer would be able to start sharing tips on choosing photographers. Something you have to do to make your niche work is to think about your unique selling point.
What can you offer in your blog that nobody else does? Any business needs a unique selling point, and any aspect of a business requires it. It takes time to think about something like this, but is more than worth it in the end.
Some people will use their years of experience as their unique selling point, while others will put a specific aspect of their personality into it. For example, if you make photography equipment as well as selling some brands, you can use that within your niche. Very few photography product specialists would offer something like that.
Take the time to think about your selling point because you can use that to build your following quicker than without it. People still start coming to you because of that point and then share with others that you offer something like that. You’ll build your brand and your income at the same time.
See What Your Competition Offers
This is something you want to do while considering your unique selling point. Looking at your competition will give you an idea of the niches out there, and will also tell you whether it’s a popular topic or not. It will tell you if there are people searching for it, or if there is no need for it.
You can’t just Google your competition for this. You need to research keyword phrases and popular words linked to your business. I use Google AdWords Keyword Tool for free to do the initial search, because it tells me how popular a keyword phrase is with searchers and with the competition. Finding something that is low in popularity with the competition but highly searched for by the people will tell you if you have a unique selling point or a niche that is definitely needed.
I definitely recommend spending time researching this part to choose your niche. You can also find your keyword phrases that will help your blog be found in search results.
Choosing your niche will take you some time, but it’s definitely worth spending that time doing it. One of the biggest benefits is that you find that selling point that is just for you, while thinking about your target audience. You’ll create a blog that not only builds your following but makes you money at the same time.