How to Niche Your Holistic Business

If you want to be happy in your business, you must enjoy working with your clients and helping them with their problems. Many holistic practitioners want to work as generalists because they think they’ll get bored only helping one group of people, and they’re scared of missing out on potential clients.

What is a Generalist?

A generalist offers their services to anyone who can benefit from them. In the UK we have doctors who are general practitioners (GPs). They work with the general public who presents with any issue, rather than being a consultant and specialising in an area or condition.

However, from a marketing perspective, there are disadvantages to being a generalist.  Whilst having the potential to work with anyone may feel like an obvious choice, the reality is very different.

Offering to help everyone will make your marketing invisible and you’ll be lost amongst the noise. It’ll be difficult to articulate the benefits of working with you instead of a specialist to prospective clients.

If you’re a generalist trying to market yourself as all things to all people and have an empty diary, it’s time for a change.

What is a Niche?

A niche is a well-defined group of people to whom you offer your products and services. There will be something that ties them together such as their problem, lifestyle, interests, background, behaviours, values etc.

A niche is who you market yourself to, it doesn’t stop you from working with others, it just focuses your marketing activities. It helps you to become known for being an expert in helping people in specific ways.

There are many ways to niche your business, but the key is finding a group of people who you can help, and who are willing to pay for it.

Using Your Discipline as a Niche

Whilst it is possible to niche as a herbalist, homeopath, or hypnotherapist, you will only show up to potential clients if they are searching specifically for your discipline. It requires your audience to be educated on the benefits of visiting a herbalist, homeopath, or hypnotherapist.

If you want to find clients quickly and what you're doing now isn't working, you need to identify the problem you solve.

The Ideal Niche

The perfect combination would be a niche containing the people you love working with, the problems you get great results with, and people who will pay to resolve them.

There may be compromises, and you may not be able to tick all 3 boxes, but whichever niche you pick, the important criterion is, that you provide something people will pay for.  Without this, you don't have a business.

Choosing Your Niche

Ask yourself the following questions to help you identify the best niche for you:

• Who are your current clients?
• Who are you excited about working with?
• What specific problems do you solve?
• Who will pay for your solutions?
• Which group of people do you have the most contacts for and access to?
• What issues are you experienced in working with?
• Which group of clients feels the most natural for you to work with?
• Is this group large enough to provide you with regular clients?

What if You’re Just Starting?

If you’re just starting, use your best thinking right now to complete the exercise. What have you been getting good results helping people with?  Is there something in your personal story that relates to people?

Your first clients will likely come from your personal connections, so use this to help you figure out your niche. What groups of people do you have access to in your personal network and local community?

Now Decide on Your Niche

• Which is the easiest group for you to work with now?
• Who do you feel confident helping achieve great results?
• Where are you most likely to find clients who will pay you?

There’s a space between being a generalist and specialising which is where the magic happens. It’s where you’re known as an expert in a niche, but you also help your clients with other things as the opportunities arise. Ultimately, it’s your business and your decision who you work with.  If you’re struggling to thrive as a generalist, it’s time to reconsider your choice.

If you're struggling with marketing and making the impact you want, let's have a chat and I will help you get a clear plan of action to success on your terms.