The internet is awash with creative businesses trying to compete with one another. In order to stand out from the rest of the pack and carve out your own niche it’s important to be original and have a clear brand identity so customers can see exactly what it is you offer and why they should choose your services over someone else’s. If you’re thinking of starting your own creative business, here are some useful tips to help you become an online success.
Define your niche
02. Define your Niche
This is a tip I wish I had taken on board from the start, but like many of those starting out, the mentality to offer everything and anything just to start bringing in the $$$ was strongly appealing. While at the time it can seem like a great idea to offer your creative services for every job, in the long run you may start to feel a bit burnt out and even resentful about the services you provide but aren’t passionate about. I definitely recommend defining what offerings you are most passionate about, marketing for this niche, and removing any parts of your business that just don’t light your soul on fire.
As a bit of a background story, my first offering that I culled was one-off logo designs. You know the ones, the ‘I just want 1 x logo, nothing else, as it will be cheaper and all I need’. I just found that those clients tended to only want a quick fix logo, weren’t committed to the process, were after a cheap job, and would end up coming back any way for submarks and icons and patterns anyway. So I said BYE pretty early on to that service!
04. Outsource/Refer as soon as possible
This sorta builds upon Tip 2. Know your strengths and weaknesses, and yes definitely up-skill where you can – but if there is something within your business that just sets your teeth on edge and you dread having to deal with it, then it may be time to suck it up and outsource. While it can seem like a big expense, back yourself and remember it actually works out better for your time and productivity levels. Outsource a process and use that time on the parts of your business you are passionate about!
I refer all my copywriting to Anita over at Wordfetti where possible, because I am not a word wizard and even though I could probably take some classes and learn (I do love writing, just not for other people), it’s just better to pass stuff to the experts and you’ll get better content back that actually makes sense and is professionally done. I do this for photography, business mentorship and comprehensive website development as I know my skills lie in branding and website design, and there are professionals I can send my clients to for specific needs like these.
1. Find Your Passion And Purpose
Knowing you have passion is one thing, but giving it purpose is another. Passion is engrained on your heart with a carving knife; you just have to be willing to take a look. Deep down we all know our passion and where our heart truly lies. What is yours telling you to do? Does your job align with that passion? If not, how could you change that?
When you use your passion the way nature intended, you start to feel purpose. You begin to see that what you do matters. I am not telling you to sell your house and move to Africa; I am just saying take baby steps towards making an impact.
05. Be Authentic
This one is probably a bit of a ‘duh, of course’ tip, but honestly when I first began my little business, I had every website, blogger, Instagram star, business coach telling me to do this, this and this for success. It was both overwhelming and saddening as I just didn’t think my style of running my business was correct as it didn’t match theirs. It took me a while to see what while having spiffy marketing tactics or by the books sales pitches may work for some businesses, they won’t work for everyone, and best practice I have found is just be authentic to you and your business!
Connect and network
I do find surrounding yourself with like-minded business besties (they don’t have to be in the same niche as you) helps you to spring board ideas off, vent to, share highs and lows, and pass on/gain knowledge from, leaving you feeling motivated, inspired, and supported.
Joining a supportive community online like a Facebook group can be a great place to start, as it takes the pressure off face to face meetings if you can’t find a business bestie in your home town, and you can connect with people from all over the world (this is how I met my copywriter!). Or turning up to local networking events or conferences.
fter you have analyzed that gut feeling of yours and realized it was more than just a daydream, it is time to make a plan. You need to begin to build a plan to put that passion to work. How can you create a business focused on this central mission?
Our mission at Boss Project is to help people realize their dreams and put them into action. We do this because we are passionate about people! We believe you have dreams worth achieving. We want you to wake up every day empowered to do what you love. We educate thousands of creative entrepreneurs (just like you) through our 180+ blog posts, free online workshops and through the Strategy Academy. We strive to create a path to achieving your goals and reward yourself with a purposeful and profitable business.
At Boss Project, it is so much more than just a cute Instagram feed or being popular. We strive to harvest a community built on giving. You can sit with us. We are about helping businesses become brands that make a difference. We’ll give you the kick in the butt you’ve been needing to grow your business, simplify and streamline your life.
Take your own mission and put it to work. Our first suggestion would be to build your own business plan. Never majored in Business in college? Don’t worry, there are lots of helpful resources out there to help you get started.
You shouldn’t feel the need to perfect these things right away. A start is a start, and at least you’ll have something to work with at first. Your main focus should be bringing in some revenue so that, if the time comes, you can outsource things like graphic design for your logo, a social media manager, and our Squarespace for Business templates and mini-course to show you how to DIY your own Squarespace website.
5. Generate Buzz
You aren’t building an arch. No one just lines up two-by-two. You are in charge of generating buzz for your new business. I am a huge fan of doing this the organic way rather than paying for publicity. Especially when you are starting out, it doesn’t necessarily make sense to pay for someone to see what you are up to. The more you are ignited, the more your audience will be excited. Shout it from the rooftops, a.k.a. your social media platforms.
6. Plan a Launch
Things are about to get very hectic!! Instead of pulling your hair out with no plan or direction – build out a marketing schedule centered around your launch.
Start by identifying where your dream clients or customers hang out, whether it’s on a certain social media channel or in Facebook groups. Then, get to talking! Network and find the chance to talk about your launch any chance you can. Showing that you’re excited and that it’s a big deal will help make others get excited about it, too.
Observe. A pitfall of the boom in the creative sector is that thousands of designers/writers/directors are entering the workplace at the same time you are. There is a solid chance that your skill will be instantly diluted once you join the industry. Graphic designers, for example, are a dime a dozen, and if you do your research you’ll see that becoming an interactive media designer — someone who can do graphics in addition to sound, animation and digital effects, is a more valuable skill set.
Seek out professionals in your industry and note what they are doing, how they’re doing it and most importantly, what you can offer that is different. What does this industry need right now? What is unique about my approach that’s seldom done? These are good starting points.