The most common attraction when creative sellers enter into the world of business is to do two things-try and appeal to everyone and compete with price. Both will slowly make you really question being a creative business owner but instead of narrowing your niche or paying yourself your value you will try and appeal to even more people and cut your prices, again!
Before you get wrapped up in this middle of the road cycle I want you to think about this little equation:
Your Specialty (Expertise) + Your (Very) Narrowed Niche = Big Time Worth
Think about the outlet in which you pour your creativity-can you call yourself an expert of this outlet? If you aren’t comfortable saying so just yet, start finding the areas you are not strong in and become the best at them! Being an expert makes you THE go to person and your product a must have item. Is your niche too broad to really be the expert within it? You can’t be an expert of everything even within your creative outlet-which are you MOST passionate about?
Approach your work with such gusto and passion for its existence it is obvious you care-this is what experts do!
It’s time to get n-a-r-r-o-w. Try for kicks thinking about your creative outlet and then get as narrow you possibly can. For example, if you are a print maker you could narrow your niche so deep that you are a block print carver who only makes blocks from personal photographs of your customer then hand prints and frames the final piece. That is pretty narrow. You are now THE expert in block print carving from a negative photograph.
Being SO narrow will show you THE products that speak directly to your specialty.
In addition to printing, you can now teach your craft and sell how-to guides because remember, you are THE expert. Information products are a great addition to your product scope because once a customer is hooked they are going to want more of your expertise-what happens behind the scenes. This is part of your big picture brand from the inside out.
Andrea Mansfield, founder of brand & bloom, coaches small and creative businesses to the success of their dreams through their brand.
Main image courtesy of Rainy Monday.
Discount Alert! Andrea just opened her newest eCourse, Branding the Experience. It's a 6 week long course that will take you from your big creative business idea to a successfully branded business, the first 20 signups get 20% off the course! Just use the following discount code: Meylah
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