Hi Everyone! I just started my VA business and I have been reading a lot of your posts about finding your niche. I have also read a lot about establishing your target market. My question is how is the best way to narrow down who you want to target....???

Thank you
Jessica

Great question. This is one that I was looking into researching myself. Can't wait to hear the response.

Jessica,

Narrowing your target is as simple as getting more specific with the details. For example if your target is work-from-home moms, you could narrow by classifying them as:

with children in school
in business for 3+ years
who are life coaches
who vacation 2 weeks out of the year

You see my point, really dig down so that you can target your message. In this example you would craft your message for this group who has more uninterrupted daily time, probably ready to grow, still enjoys time for themselves, etc.

Your niche on the other hand has nothing to do with your target but what services you will concentrate on. Several niches are: transcription, WordPress or web design, internet marketing, or any specific category of services.

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Lee Drozak

thank you for explaining this. i thought they were the same thing.

Holi Mother of Smart Phones! THAT is the answer I have been looking for!

Thanks!
Tex

Great information. Thank You for the clarification.

As a side note, something I am learning here as well that I want to add - narrowing down a target market may seem like you are shaving off tons of other business but in actuality it's helping you to attract MORE business by putting your marketing efforts to much better use and really reaching the audience you are trying to reach. I think sometimes for me when I am trying to define my target market I worry that I'm cutting off potential clients by not including them in my target market, but I have come to realize that that is the wrong way of looking at it. I still have freak out moments where I'm like but what about abc and xyz?? Until I reign myself back in and realize I'll reach more potential clients if I focus more of my efforts on a specific target rather than just trying to reach EVERYONE with no real direction.

I know what I WANT to do and I'm not sure if that is a niche or if there is even a market for it, but I will definitely narrow down my potential clients that will suit what it is I want to do. I attended a workshop the other day about starting up your own business and the presenter said that college/university business study students can undertake market research and surveys for you as part of and practice for the course they are studying. You just need to speak to the lecturers and find out your options. I am going to use the opportunity to see if there is a market for my 'niche'.
Thank you for the advice ladies.

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Susan's VA

I am also thinking on how to narrow down my market but come to think of it, narrowing it down may have its disadvantages too. What if they need your services but you excluded them in your list...

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Marie 1971 - your personal assistant

A lot of it boils down to what you want to offer, and who you want to work with.

The wrong people will call you for the right service, and the right people will call you for the wrong service.

You can help cut down on those types of calls by researching who uses the types of services you want to offer, or what kinds of services your target market requests the most.

If you say, "I'd like to work with realtors," then your next question is 'why?' and your second question is, 'what kind of help do they need?' You then find out that they might need help with website updates, or listing flyers, or uploading photos, or sending out follow-emails and info packets.

You can specialize even within a specialty.

And don't be surprised if your specialties or services change over the course of the first year or two. Sometimes your market will mold you, other times you'll find that you really enjoy a service you didn't initially offer and make the move to that. A VA I know started in social media and ended up doing SEO and training other VAs in social media instead.

You have to get started in order to fully find your calling. Take it slow, do your research, and take notes with every call and every client to see how people are viewing you and if it's in alignment with what you are setting out to do.

Gower

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