I’ve done a lot of personal development work over the years, to be honest, I am pretty much obsessed with it.
Even when I was in my teens when it was more commonly referred to as “self-help” and people were more likely to make fun of me for it than think I was doing something good to improve myself.
That certainly never stopped me though. I’ve no idea how many books and articles I’ve read, how many courses I’ve taken, how many seminars I’ve been to, how many podcasts I’ve listened to, how many coaches I’ve worked with – but over a couple of decades… it’s been a lot.
The most often cited piece of advice that I have ignored the most often? Niching down.
For years I pushed back on this, I wanted to keep my options open, I wanted more variety, I didn’t want to get pigeon-holed, I was worried I’d miss out on other opportunities etc. etc.
Fast-forward to 2020. At the start of this year, I finally made the decision to do it, to niche down into SEO and that was it – I would no longer be a Marketing Consultant who specialised in SEO, I would be an SEO Consultant.
As part of this niching down, I made several changes, including:
- Updated my LinkedIn profile and website to represent myself as an SEO Consultant.
- Started posting on LinkedIn more often about SEO and results I’m getting for clients.
- Unsubscribed from many generic marketing emails and subscribed to more SEO based content.
- Focused more on learning about SEO than other aspects of marketing.
- When people asked me what I did, I would just say SEO… instead of listing a couple of different things.
What happened next?
Well, I started generating more enquiries than I ever have before, and then I signed up several new clients.
I’ve also been getting more referrals from people who have worked with me, seen results I’ve achieved and those who just know me and that I only do SEO.
Quite honestly I didn’t expect such a drastic change, but I think there’s something hugely powerful about only being focused on one thing and doing it well.
I do not think niching down will suit everyone and every profession, but for some, it can work beautifully.
It’s not the only change I’ve made this year which has led to big gains (I am obsessed with personal development after all)… but it is one of the most important.
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