3 Ways Niche Branding Obstructs Goals

Anybody remotely interested in online content development, website creation and of course blogging has, by now, likely learned about niche branding and the benefits it provides to “niche down” to a small level. All of that is very true, and a jump-start to monetization. Clearly it works – but for me, trying to niche down was my kryptonite. 

Since I surely can’t be alone in that, I want to share my perspective on niche branding and how it’s only right for some people, in some situations. For others, it’s okay to go broad, and go your way.

Consider the 3 ways appreciation for niche branding was thwarting my goals, and may be doing the same to yours!

1. The Niche Branding concept creates decision overload.

I am an admitted victim of constant analysis paralysis.

It’s something I work on daily now, and know is one of my ongoing challenges.

Just as any trait that could be seen as a weakness, I have turned it into a strength in my career. For example, micro-analysis and several iterations of “what – if” and “what could go wrong” are fantastic traits for a $100+ million dollar credit underwriter.  What they are not good traits for is someone with 100-million ideas, hobbies and side-hustles.

The more I listened to experts and pros, the more I learned what I should be doing – and being a long time academic, I wanted to do the right things. 

After executing in-depth research across several categories before seeking out the niche my voice could make the most immediate impact in, my decision tree grew to be five times larger than my original passion-project topics I was trying to narrow down.

2. The Niche Branding concept becomes the ultimate excuse.

For some folks, choosing a niche brand makes it easier to start. It provides a clear, structured, intentional focus. If you are writing about knitting sweaters for tea-cup sized dogs, you can quickly define your target audience, where to find them, how to connect with them, and what products they will need if and when you look to monetize your website. 

If you want to write about work, life, and how to find balance in between, you quickly find that you are suddenly in the realm of “lifestyle bloggers”, an overrun segment filled with innovative, adorably-quirky millennials with charisma, character, and high social media usage.  

For me, the analysis paralysis I talk about above was the ultimate excuse to never actually start. I’d use all of the brainstorming techniques I knew, and research others I wasn’t aware of yet. 

I have thousands of pictures and notes from travel I’ve been antsy to share for years so I would start a travel concept, but then I’d turn around and realize that I could add more value to others through several aspects of business, especially the overwhelming world of finance to those who haven’t studied it. 

Going back and forth and trying to perfect the niche sent me down a path of one step forward, two steps back. And ultimately, it became a crutch to lean on when asked, “Why haven’t you started yet?” 

3. The Niche Branding concept causes loss of focus on why to write. 

By trying to niche down and define exactly what my site would be and why I would develop it, I lost focus on the reasons I decided to take the steps and begin in the first place. 

It was because I love to learn about new things constantly, and I know I can’t be the only one out there. 

It’s becauseI don’t want to be pigeon-holed into only learning and growing in only one area of my career. 

It’s in-spite ofnot having a singular point of niched-down, value-adding expertise. 

But because of all that, I have come to realize that it’s important to keep your “why” at the top of mind for every project you pursue.

Keep your “why” at the top of mind for every project you pursue.

Recalling the “why” has also led me to realize that the flip-side of the coin is recognizing we all have value added expertise to share in some unique way.

For me, I can advise in how to pivot across various careers, how to connect the dots for employers when you are changing industries, and how to continue to grow in other fields when your current job has you focused in a singular area of expertise.

With the overwhelming amount of help we can get through websites, social media and now podcasts, it’s not helpful unless you are actively taking action. 

With the overwhelming amount of help we can get through websites, social media and now podcasts, it’s not helpful unless you are actively taking action. 

Don’t let your research and understanding that you shouldhave a niche brand stand in your way of starting any brand at all. Trust me, I’ve been there. To the degree that I’ve owned about five domain names for two years, and have just now finally launched this one. Why? Because my name won’t change, my stories are true, my writing is my own, and my “why” is to connect and share the resources I over-analyze for myself with those around me, so you can skip that step, and get right back to action as you thrive in your own pursuits! 

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