What Does "Lifestyle" Even Mean? | Learning To Narrow Down Your Niche
Understanding exactly where you want your platform to go & the direction of the audience you’re looking for is critical in any type of creative growth. That’s what we’re going to talk about here!
Now—you might not admit it, heck, you might even say it’s something else. However, we all know growth is what gets us collaborations, sales and movement (for an account being used for business and/or influence). An audience that’s willing to watch, listen and react is #Goals.
What happens when we aren’t even really sure what we want to post about, or who we want our “ideal audience” to be?
Narrowing down you audience or your “niche” can be a lot more simple and to the point than you may think. I always have the same follow up question when someone asks me what their niche should be.
Well… what do you love?
I told you—simple. I promise you, there is an audience for EVERYTHING. Love candle making? I’ll bet you my teething toddler that there are thousands of accounts you could engage with that love candles too!
What if what I really love— my current audience won’t relate too?
Great! This means at least you know what you want your niche to be—you just need a different audience. You’re probably thinking I am crazy. Start over? New followers? AH! Here’s the thing though— if you aren’t willing to do what it takes to have a platform that is the most authentic to who you are — you aren’t in this for the right reasons.
Hey, I’m not saying shut down your account and start a new one— what I am saying is this. A truly engaged audience is following you for YOU. Not for who they want you to be. I think we can all agree — nothing makes us hit the unfollow button quicker than a phony.
Think about it this way. I am not sure I would find any joy in being forced to produce content about racecar driving. I mean, not only do I know as much about racecars as I do about brain surgery— but it’s just not something that intersts me. Like, at all.
So if you’re not into fashion— you shouldn’t feel forced to post about it just because everyone else does.
So how do you curate a feed that is authentically you?
3 Pillars
Maybe you’ve heard this before—maybe not. Either way, it’s true and mighty important. The three pillars make up your major three content topics within your blog, IG, Facebook, Pintrest— all of it. You brand should be one well rounded set of platforms that all reflect who you are and what you love. Cohesively.
Pillars can include —
Motherhood
Homeschooling
SAHM
Working Mom
Single Mom
Breastfeeding Advocate
Sleep Training Advice/Tips
PPD/PPA
Fashion
Affordable Fashion
High Fashion
Kids Fashion
Health + Wellness
Meal Prep
Working Out
Oils
Vitamins
Beauty
Make up
Hair
Skin care
MLM Product(s)
Inspiration / Quotes
DIY
Home Decor
Mental Health
Animals
Politics
Marriage
Career
The list could really go on forever. The point is—3 is your max. And they should be pretty specific. More than three and your auduance is going to feel overwhelmed and never know what to expect from you. I know we all want to be spontaneous, but save that for the bedroom. On your social platforms— people want to know what to expect from you.
When your post comes across my timeline— I should be able to say “Oh! That’s Suzy! I want to engage!”
Cohesiveness in your feed comes from several different aspects— including your aesthetics (that become almost a part of your brand design) your pillars and your timing.
You know who else expects you to be consistent — your clients. The companies that have carefully selected you to represent their brand. A company that sees inconsistencies in content is unlikely to offer a gig— or multiple.
3 Across Content Planning
Now you know your 3 pillars. What happens next? Any big time blogger (and Pam) will tell you that the name of the game to stay sane (and not wanna throw in the towel every time you run out of ideas ) is content planning. Unlike meal planning— this is something I can actually somewhat handle. Content planning doesn’t just mean finding the right photos or the “perfect” captions— it means being strategic about what and when you’re posting. Companies can appreciate your dependability and should, ideally, almost predict when their sponsored ad is due; if you are consistent with you posting.
The easiest way I’ve found to make sure I’m covering all my pillars is what I like to call — 3 ACROSS CONTENT PLANNING. That is, covering your three pillar once every three posts.
Assuming my three pillars were— let’s say
motherhood
fitness
fashion
This helps make it seamless to decide what to post about when you’re at a loss, gives your audience what they are looking for from you and allows brands to identify you as a good fit for their product or service. Now— unless your OCD fashion gets the best of you, this won’t happen perfectly every single time, and that’s ok!
The idea of consistency is not mutually exclusive to perfection. Give yourself grace as you learn and find your rhythm.
Finding Your Niche Audience On Instagram
Now that you know your niche, you know how to articulate your pillars in your content— how do you find your ideal audience specifically on Instagram?
I know this is about to blow your mind. It’s something new, innovative, hot off the press. Are you ready?
H A S H T A G S
I know I just rocked your world— but stick with me. Hashtags are there for a reason. Funny enough, they actually serve a VERY important purpose on a post. Following specific hashtags within your pillars is going to help you identify and engage with like-minded accounts. This is game changing. If you aren’t using hashtags to find new accounts, you’re missing out!
As you’re going through your daily engagement goals, your idea is to be on a mission to meet and build relationships with people within your own niche! How much time are you setting aside on a daily basis to grow your business? A little tough love? This will always be the truest form of genuine growth— no matter how many times the algorithm changes.
That’s all for now— ladies!
For one on one coaching, pitching and collaboration assistance, email pamela_pbaez@yahoo.com to get all the deets and special deals!
xoxo