It’s Monday — that means it’s time to open up the mailbox and answer YOUR questions!
So… You’ve picked a niche — but is it any good, and if so, how do you find the clients in it?
It’s Monday… Which means I’m digging in my Mailbox, to answer YOUR questions.
Today’s question is from a new copywriter… Looking to get started… Who wants to know if their niche is a good one. And then, how to get all the clients he can handle…
First though: this review came in over the weekend, for my Value-First Funnel Strategy training. Thought I’d share…
“For the past few months, I’ve been promoting blog posts or lead magnets willy-nilly, with no real thought as to how this helps me sell (while the content is still good for authority or credibility building, that’s a different matter). So it’s not so much the process (though still helpful!) as the mindset behind why you’re doing this or that that was the big takeaway for me.”
— Dean Mackenzie
Everything you do should have a reason. Everything. When I have clients requesting edits 6,348 words into a 10,000-word promo, you might think I could just let them have it. Most often though, there’s a discussion, because that copy is there for a reason. So too with EVERYTHING in your marketing.
Learn more about the Value-First Funnel Strategy at BTMSinsiders.
On with today’s question…
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Hi Roy,
I have just completed the AWAI Accelerated Program. I am brand new to copywriting. I feel my best niche is B2B writing white papers and case studies. I have extensive knowledge in commercial fisheries and the home building field. How do I find companies that specialize in these fields and is there a demand?
Thank You
Peter
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First off: You’re in the right place…
It’s really easy for someone who gets really excited about “the six-figure opportunity” in copywriting to find themselves drawn like a moth to the flame of a popular niche like financial publishing.
Nothing wrong with financial publishing, or the other big direct response niches. And, in fact, I kinda like the field — most of the time. And, there’s a ton of opportunity in them, for the copywriters who have the drive to go after it.
But if you have “extensive knowledge” in a field, that’s probably a good place to develop your copywriting chops.
And, if you’ll excuse the stinky jokes… Picking a niche as specialized and off-the-beaten-path as commercial fisheries could make your life easy… Like being the big fish in a small pond… Like shooting fish in a barrel… Like… Oh, I’ll get on with it.
Here’s what I’ll tell you…
You’re giving yourself a pretty big advantage by choosing these specialized niches up front.
You have a more focused audience to reach out to. You can use their language. And you should be able to specialize in a way that will only increase your advantage though time.
But are they good niches?
How to decide if the niche you picked is worth it…
Do these niches hold any promise for copywriters?
In short, I don’t know. But probably.
You have to have some conversations. AND, you have to be willing to NOT call yourself a copywriter, as much as that may feel unattractive to someone who just responded to an ad promising the copywriting lifestyle and then went through the program.
Let’s start with the homebuilder niche.
I’m certain there’s a TON of business there. It’s a HUGE market, spread out to every city and town in America, and around the world.
The question isn’t so much if they need copy, as what they’re most interested in, and what they’re willing to pay for. And it may not be copy, by name.
Case studies? Probably. White papers? Maybe. But who are you selling to? Are you selling to the people who sell to homebuilders? Or are you selling to the homebuilders themselves, to help them get projects?
Seems like especially with a niche this big, you need to get really specific. For example, you could specialize in selling green building products to local and small regional builders. The case studies could focus on understanding green building products, their advantages, and how to communicate that to homeowners who may have to understand why they’re worth a premium.
Suddenly you have a very specific more narrow group of clients you can target. (Green building products manufacturers.) You also have more focused messaging.
As for commercial fisheries, I know nothing about the field. I’m sure it’s a big field — serving pretty much every grocery store and restaurant — but it also seems like it would be a smaller industry.
Again, are you helping fisheries sell the fish? To whom? Or are you selling supplies and equipment to the fisheries? Understanding it at that specific level will help you focus.
What to do once you’ve reached this level of focus…
Once you zoom in and really start to realize:
— What you’re really looking to help sell…
— Who’s buying…
— And who’s selling…
Then you should have a much better SPECIFIC idea of who you’re going after.
Which will make the whole process easier.
For example: let’s say you want to go into the “commercial fisheries” market. Let’s say you wanted to write case studies for gear for that market.
You could start by searching the internet for “commercial fishing gear.” That gets you a page of retailers, selling the gear. Then, you could browse their sites, looking for the brands they sell (which you probably know many of already, if this is a market you’re into).
Pick some of the bigger brands, or brands who sell particularly interesting/complex gear that might need case studies.
Then, search for those brands.
Figure out which are using copy kind of like you want to write, and make a “short list” of companies that might be good clients.
Next, reach out and have some conversations…
You’ll have to find out who the marketing managers are.
Again, homework helps. Call in to the company, and ask who handles their marketing. Or, do some research on LinkedIn.
Research is a critical copywriting skill — call this practice.
Then, reach out. Tell them you’re looking to help companies like theirs with case studies for their products, and see if they use case studies.
There’s a process you use for this.
It mirrors the sales process.
You’re trying to figure out what their challenges are in getting those case studies out the door. Then, their case for hiring it out.
You also want to know the value of the case studies.
And from there, you could build an offer.
If you can have a dozen conversations, you’ll learn a lot.
What you may find…
You have to try to have a few conversations. One doesn’t tell you anything about the market. Better if you can have at least 10, even better if it’s 20. That gives you a better feel.
You may find harried marketing managers who are happy to hand it off.
You may find penny-pinchers who won’t spend on outside marketing help.
You may find that they’re only working with agencies, and want to keep it that way.
You may find all sorts of things.
But you really have to have the conversations to figure out what the market looks like, and how interested they are.
And, listen. Because they may tell you they don’t want case studies, but they want blog posts. Or product descriptions. Or whatever. And then you have to decide how much you wanted to write for that market, or how much you wanted to write case studies, or…
Final thought: I just went through the classic How to Master the Art of Selling by Tom Hopkins. In it, he revealed the biggest secret to selling, and overcoming sales slumps when you inevitably have them.
GOYA: Get off your [anatomy].
In other words, follow this process. Do something. Make the connections and calls. You’ll be surprised just what you find. Even if you don’t find exactly what you were looking for, the simple act of looking may easily lead you to somewhere that fulfills your deeper goals..
Yours for bigger breakthroughs,
Roy Furr
