This past week our family has been preparing for the solemn pilgrimage to Supanova. Yes, you read that right. We are a super geeky family.
Although I’m not planning to dress up, my children have big plans to participate in the cosplay events at this huge popular culture expo (If you don’t know what cosplay is or what Supanova is, have a read here and here).
Anyway, my eight-year-old decided he wanted to go as Ben 10 Ultimatrix. Any old Ben 10 costume was not going to cut it. He had to have the exact costume matching the character in the exact season of Ben 10.
So, we jumped onto eBay and I found a jacket that fit with the character my son wanted to play. A week later, his costume is all set.
Why am I telling you this and how does this relate at all to the topic of being paid what you’re worth? I’m getting to that…
You see, when looking for costumes it was really hard to find exactly what we needed, but the one we bought was from a costume maker who specialised in designing costumes for cosplay events.
We eagerly handed over the cash to get the jacket we needed for Supanova because we knew we’d get exactly what we wanted from the supplier.
Have you guessed yet what that secret ingredient is?
Let me give you a clue.
If you say you make baby clothes for zero to six that’s nice and you might appeal to a lot of people, but will you actually stand out from the crowd?
However, if you say you make Princess-themed hats, bags, party wear and accessories for little girls aged 4 to 6, who live in the tropics, you are targeting a much more specific niche.
In marketing we call this micro-niching. And in targeting a more specific, micro niche, you are not restricting your earning potential, you are saying: “If you want X and Y, I am the expert supplier of products that fit your needs.”
And by making yourself the expert, you attract willing buyers who value you for your expertise.
So, if you are selling children’s clothing or designing accessories and the generalist approach isn’t working for you, have a think about how you can narrow your niche. What are you most passionate about? What aspect of your work fills you with the most joy?
How can you narrow down what you do to a more specific niche?
