What is niching?
Niching is narrowing a broad field of candidates to find your target market. It is having a clear focus or picture of your ideal customer and aligning your marketing efforts to reach that individual.
Why should I niche as a personal trainer?
Finding a niche is important because it helps you define who you are and what you offer in a particular space. Here are some reasons why you may want to find a niche:
There is less competition. Think about it: if you were a personal trainer, you would compete with many other trainers. However, if you were a personal trainer specializing in speed, agility, and quickness, there would be less competition because not every personal trainer may have that expertise.
Higher prices. When you are an expert in a specific area and are the best option in terms of value for the consumer, you can charge a higher rate.
Easier to find your target market. When you have a niche, it is easier for you to tailor your message to find the clients you want to work with. You will be able to use specific language to speak to their needs instead of generalized language that may or may not resonate with them.
You become top of mind. Suppose you are an expert in a particular area and are known for doing it well and getting results. In that case, your community and clients can easily recommend your services to anyone needing your expertise. You are at the forefront of their mind.
How to choose your niche
To determine your niche, you should:
Consider your passions and interests as it relates to fitness and personal training.
Do you like HIIT, pilates, weight lifting, etc.?
Do you like working with young athletes, or do you prefer to work with adults?
Do market research.
Identify problems and needs.
Define your niche
Determine your target market and buyer personas
Determine profitability
If you determine that the niche may not be profitable enough or doesn't suit you, do the process again and find what works for your and your business goals.
Word of advice: try as much as possible to stick to something you are passionate about. You will find your work to be more rewarding and satisfying.
Example: Don't work one-on-one with high school athletes when you prefer to work with corporate businesses looking to improve corporate wellness through group training or boot camps.
You have probably found your niche if:
You are passionate about the work you will get to do
You will be able to reach your financial goals.
You understand your target market and will enjoy working with them.
You have sufficient experience to serve these clients well.
Ideal Customer Profile
The ideal customer profile is the term used to describe the market segment for which your business solves a problem through a product or service. The Ideal Customer Profile will define "the problems you're solving for, align your product/service capabilities with customers' needs, and assist in laying out your future road map for product/service updates and changes." 1
Simply put, it defines your target market and will be a broad category.
For example, your ideal customer profile can be stay-at-home moms. This is a broad category.
Buyer Persona
The buyer persona is more specific as you will define demographics, behaviors, motivations, goals, etc. This is based on market research and actual data.
Drawing from the above example, specific buyer personas in the stay-at-home mom profile are moms with two under 2, moms with newborns, moms with an online business, etc.
When you know your ideal client or customer, it is much easier to tailor your marketing efforts toward that group's "pain points" or challenges, making reaching this specific group much more straightforward.
In our next blog, we will walk you through business planning so that you can set your business up for success. In the meantime, jumpstart your business planning by analyzing your strengths and weaknesses.