On this week’s Dear Katie, I was asked a question that a lot of creators have: I feel like everything has been said online before and no will care what I have to say in my content. Maybe I’m in my head. Do you have any suggestions?
So many people start out in this position.
It’s not uncommon for people to not have a following at first. So, they lack confidence, and the first few pieces of content they create – or even more – don’t hit it out of the park.
You might think that if you just keep creating content, it will be easy for you to stand out.
Unfortunately, that’s rarely the case.
So what is the difference between the people who really stand out?
Those who build a loyal following and have people who care about what they have to say?
It’s as simple as this:
They differentiate themselves from the competition.
And the easiest way to do this is to focus on content that solves one problem for one niche in one way.
Every industry has a problem. I talk to firm owners daily, and they say things such as, “I help a lot of business owners with accounting, taxes, business growth and more.” Even if that’s the case, that’s not how you want to approach your online content creation. You want to get specific.
Le me give you an example.’
After I got married, we learned that my husband had severe scoliosis that went undiagnosed growing up. He needed a 14 disc spinal fusion, and who did we look for online?
A general surgeon? Nope. A spinal surgeon? Not quite.
I looked for a spinal surgeon for adult patients with scoliosis, and this is the professional we entrusted for his surgery. We needed to travel from Kansas City to New York. We had to wait longer to get an appointment. But that didn’t matter. I only wanted my husband to go to the best surgeon.
As a firm owner, you might be thinking, “If I get this specific, I’m going to cut out a lot of people that I could serve.” And that’s true. You will cut out a lot of people being this specific, but that’s a good thing.
If you appeal to everyone, you appeal to no one.
Choose one specific problem that you want to solve with your content creation and focus on it. In the future, you can expand over time, but for now, focus on a singular problem for one niche.
You know the problem you solve, but who do you solve it for?
Let’s go back to my surgeon example above. During my research, I may find the best scoliosis surgeon for:
All of these appeal to different sets of people.
The same idea will apply to your niche. You need to appeal to your people.
Let’s say that you help 7-figure law firms reduce their taxes.
If you write content about how to decrease taxes as a business owner, you may not necessarily get my attention if I’m a law firm owner.
But if your content is focused specifically on helping 7-figure law firms reduce their taxes, then you’ll absolutely have my attention.
Again – if you try to appeal to everyone, you appeal to no one.
And I know you might be able to help many niches, but the goal here is to make your content stand out online.
Niches will help you humanize your content, and this approach is how you do that.
So far, you’ve defined your problem and niche (a.k.a. the people you solve problems for).
But what’s your “way?”
Your unique positioning in the market is how you do things when solving that one problem for one group of people.
If you’re reducing taxes for 7-figure law firms, what’s your process? What’s your secret sauce? Is it a 3-step process, a complex strategy, or some other method?
Here at Leaders Online, we implement the 4C Method (Choose, Connect, Converse, Create) to help accountants increase their influence, impact, and income.
Here’s what this approach looks like for us:
We focus on helping firm owners grow their businesses and brands using the 4C Method. And we create our content with this in mind to catch the interest of our ideal clients.
As you can see, the key to getting people to care about your content is to differentiate yourself online – and you can do just that by following the steps above.
And, that’s a wrap on this Dear Katie question.
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Now I want to hear from you. Do you have a question?
Until next time, cheers to your success!
Katie
Focus on solving one specific problem for a particular niche. This targeted approach helps you stand out and attract the right audience.
Identify who you want to serve and what specific problem you can solve for them. The more specific you are, the more likely you are to engage your audience.
While it may seem limiting, narrowing your focus allows you to connect more deeply with your audience and build a loyal following.
Clearly define your unique process or method, such as a specific strategy or framework, and communicate it consistently in your content.
Create content that directly addresses the specific challenges and needs of your chosen niche, using language and examples that resonate with them.
Develop a content calendar and stick to a regular publishing schedule. This helps you stay organized and ensures you consistently engage your audience.