Find Your Freelance Niche & Define Your Services

1. Introduction: Hey, welcome to this class on Find Your freelance Niche and Define your services. I'm Donna, that's me in the Image on the right hand side, and I'm going to be your tutor throughout this entire course. What are you actually going to learn in this course? You're going to identify what you're genuinely good at. That's always a really good start. This isn't just about skills, but also what kind of energy you bring, what makes you feel accomplished, that kind of thing. Then we're going to look at understanding the value behind your abilities, recognizing patterns in your own strengths, and discovering what clients may actually pay you for. So why does this matter? You cannot choose a niche until you know what you can bring to the table. That's why we're going to look at your skills so that can be your starting point. This is going to form the foundations of your freelance career. Without knowing what you're going to bring to Terbl, you can't really choose your niche, I always find. Some people just jump into a niche thinking, that's going to do, that's me. When they find out that actually that doesn't suit them as a person, it doesn't suit their skill set or anything like that. That's what we're going to break down in this course. Let's get started. 2. Understanding your skills: So in this lesson, we're going to look at understanding your skills. So let's delve into the first category, your core skills. These are the abilities that come most naturally to you and they're what you can confidently deliver right now. Think of skills like copywriting, social media scheduling, admin work, graphic design, and customer service. These are your bread and butter. They're the skills you've honed over time and you can rely on without hesitation. Category number two is supporting skills. These are the skills that enhance your core abilities and help you perform at your best. These ones will include things like research, organization, communication, attention to detail, tech confidence. Each of these skills plays a crucial role in boosting your effectiveness. Consider how these skills integrate with your skills currently. Then the last category is your growth skills. These are the skills you want to learn because they'll increase your value. For example, SEO, email marketing, Canva design, automation tools, video editing. They're about creating more value in your career journey and giving you that potential to grow even more. So let's skip down to it. Step one. What I want you to do is write down three to five core skills that you have. Ask yourself, what tasks do I naturally do well? What have people praised me for at work or in life? What could I deliver as a paid service today? Step two, list your supporting skills. Think about what makes you effective, reliable, or easy to work with. What qualities can you bring into those skills? For example, you're organized, quick learner, creative, detail oriented, good communicator. Then think about step three, adding those two to three growth skills. These are the skills that you're really excited to learn and that will boost your freelance value. These will help you in your long term niche and your opportunities in the future as well. So let's dive into how your skills can create real client value. The key takeaway here is that clients aren't just buying task, they're purchasing the benefits these tasks provide. Let's look at a few examples here. For example, one, the skill is writing, the benefit is click communication. Client result, the brand looks more professional. Example two, skill as social media. The benefit is consistent online presence, the client result, more visibility and engagement. Finally, example three, skill organization, benefit, smooth stress free system, client result. They save time and avoid feeling overwhelmed. Try it now with each of your core skills, choose one and write down three ways it will benefit a client and write down the client result two. This will help you define your services later on as well. So let's dive into why this step really matters when choosing your niche. There is a lot of people out there that will jump straight into things and not really think about it, and then they burn out very quickly. This class is all about trying to find something that works for you, using skills that you have, interests that you have, and trying to grow them into a service that clients will want as well. I'm just going to cover off why this step really matters. So first of all, by understanding your skills, it will help you to choose the right services. You build offers based on your srength, not just guesswork. I like doing this, you did it in a job, but actually you don't. Two, it narrows down who you should help as well. You skills will naturally match with certain groups of clients you'll find. Three, it'll build confidence as a beginner. You see how much you can already bring to the table. It's nice to have that confidence because when you go in to talking about your business to potential clients, having that confidence will really help you because you've already got this key skill set. Number four, creating a niche that fits your abilities. You skills become the compost for the rest of the class really. This clarity right at the start makes your services and niche for far easier way to define. Overall, you are basically finding what works best for you in the long run when it comes to it and utilizing the skills that you have created and the ones that you're going to build up as well, those growth skills as well. Take some time, write down the core skills. Write down all the various types of skills as well, list them all down and keep it in a notebook or on your computer or somewhere because you will refer back to them at some point throughout this class. But also it will help with your project and at the end of this class, you should be looking back going. Yeah, that's me to a T, that is me, and I want to go forward with this niche too. 3. Turning skills into services: Let's look at turning those skills into services. So in this part, I want you to do a full brain dump. Don't filter, don't overthink, list everything you could offer based on your skills. Get a notepad out, bit paper, anything, do load of scribbles, however you want to do it. Even list on a computer screen, on a Word document, however you want to do it, just write them down all the services that you could do with your skill set. There could be things like Admin task, calendar management, Eboo organization, blog post, Canvas designs, and so on. You may not offer all of these, but this is a really good starting point to think about your potential. Let's explore some more questions that can help spark those ideas for turning your skills into services. First question, what tasks feel easy for me? Take some time, write them down. Question two, what have I done before at work or at home? This could be pretty much anything from organizing a family event to managing a work project. Remember your experience matters no matter where it comes from. Finally, think about what tasks do people ask me for help with? This is actually a really strong indicator of what you're good at and what others value in you. These questions are designed to open your mind to possibilities, not just list down what you think you could offer. Really think about the bigger picture both in your work life and your personal life too. They both really matter. So let's focus on what you truly enjoy doing. Let's identify the strongest services that you can do. From the full list, highlight the services that tick these three boxes. One, you enjoy doing them because enjoyment equals sustainability and less likelihood of burnout, which is a very big thing at the minute. Two, you feel confident delivering them now. You don't need to be a perfectionist at them just competent in doing them. Number three, someone would benefit from them. Ask, who would this help? Why does it matter? This will really help identify which ones are going to be more successful than others as well. Spend a little time just making sure that you can take all three boxes for each of the services you read down because this is just narrowing it down at this point. And for, there's another fourth point, you can explain the value clearly. If you can describe what it does for a client, it's a good service. I do find that some people try to offer a service, but they don't really fully understand what they're trying to offer, keep it simple. The simpler, the better, it's clear, it's focused, and clients will understand it better as well. So I've broken down a few options, some examples for you just so that you can understand the skill, the task, and the client benefit. We've briefly touched earlier about the client benefit, but this is what is going to hook your clients in at the end of the day. Example one, the skill it could be writing. The task that you can use is create weekly blog posts, and the client benefit is keeping the website active and improving SEO. That's actually a really good one at the minute, to be honest. Then example two, the skill, the thing that you love doing is organizing. The task could be managing an inbox and calendar management, the client benefit is saving the client hours of admin time, which a lot of clients don't have the time to do. Three, skill is social media knowledge, so you know a lot about it. The task could be creating and scheduling content and the client benefit gives the client consistent online visibility. Choose one of your top skills, turn it into a clear client friendly service using this formula. Skill, task, client benefit, and list them down. You could do this with all the ones that you've been taking off as well just so that you get an understanding of skill set, basically, and that will help you in creating your first service. So as you develop your first service list, remember that clarity is really important. Your service list should be simple, avoid overwhelming your clients. Focus on a few core services, showcase your strengths. You might be really tempted to offer loads of loads of different services, but actually keeping it simpler will benefit you a lot better. Be specific, make sure clients understand exactly what you have to offer and also practical. Offer services, you can deliver immediately. You don't want to be saying, I can do SEO, but actually that's a growth skill, not a skill core skill that you currently have right now. You want to be able to hit the ground running basically. I've got a few examples up here, a really strong list is something like weekly blog writing, Inscram content creation, basic admin and inbox support. That is a pretty common one you'll find everywhere actually for virtual assistants in particular. An example of a week service is saying anything to do with social media, admintas, creative work. It's too vague, it's too broad and it's really hard for clients to understand what is it that you can actually offer them. By saying that you could do a weekly blog writing post, that tells me what the client's going to get out of it. Aim for clarity, not scope. It's better to offer three clear services than ten vague ones, and it's also really hard to market that as well. 4. The Simple Niche Formula: So we're going to cover off the simple Niche formula. Let's dive into the first component of the niche formula. Your audience, this is the group of people you want to support. Think about who you're passionate about helping. This could be small business owners, coaches, creatives, or even busy professionals. The key is to be specific. When you clearly define your audience, you make it easier to tailor your services and communications to their needs. Remember, your niche isn't just about what you offer, it's about who you offer to. As we continue exploring the simple niche formula, let's focus on the second component, the problem. This is the challenge your audience struggles with and understanding it is crucial for connecting with them effectively. Here are some common problems your audience might face. No time, no visibility, lack of organization, overwhelm, inconsistent content, confusing systems. These challenges resonate with many people and by identifying them, you show empathy and understanding of their situation. It's about recognizing their pain points and being to articulate them clearly too. Now let's dive into the final piece of the puzzle, the outcome. This is the result you help your audience achieve and it's crucial because it defines the value you offer. Consider these examples, helping someone gain more time, achieve better organization, or establish a consistent online presence. These are tangible outcomes that resonate with people because they address real needs and aspirations. When you combine your audience, the problem they face and the outcome you deliver, you create a strong clear niche. This is the essence of the niche formula. Audience plus problem plus outcome equals your niche. So I'm going to share with you some interesting real niche examples. Example one, consider this. I help wellness coaches who struggle to stay consistent on social media, creating engaging weekly content that builds trust with their audience. Notice how specific and targeted this is. It's about addressing a clear problem with a tailored solution. Now let's look at another one. I help small business owners who feel overwhelmed with Admin by organizing their inbox calendars and day to day tasks. This niche offers clarity and practical support showing the value of the organization. Here's another one. I help bloggers who need support with content, create polished articles that improve their SEO and grow their traffic. It's focused on results which is critical. Each of these offers a unique problem and a targeted outcome too. What makes a good niche? It's a vital component of successful business and strategy and it begins with clarity. That is the point of a niche. A strong niche should be clear enough that anyone can understand it in just one sentence. This clarity ensures that both you and your potential clients are on the same page from the beginning. Next up is be specific. You're not trying to help everyone by defining a specific group with distinct need, you can provide more targeted solutions. Now, let's talk about the importance of niche being needed. It's crucial that the audience genuinely struggles with the problem you're addressing. This necessity creates demand for your expertise and your services too. Additionally, your niche should feel natural to you. It should leverage the skills and strengths you've identified earlier too. If you're passionate about what you do, it will shine through and it will resonate with your audience. People will know that you're interested and have an interest in the industry and the niche that you currently have. It's really important to convey that to the clients as well. Lastly, the ability to explain your niche easily is key. If you find yourself stumbling over words, it might be time to refine your niche. A strong niche is the bridge between what you do and who needs it most too. Hopefully you've learned a lot from this lesson and take some time, work through what we've discussed about niches and things and about defining them. Think about how you would basically introduce your niche in one sentence only two. 5. Choosing your best niche: In the assassin, we're going to look at choosing your best niche. Let's dive into the niche clarity test. This is your roadmap to evaluate the niches you've brainstormed. First, ask yourself, is it clear, can you sum it up in just one sentence? Next, assess whether it's specific. Does it target a particular type of person or business? This specificity is crucial for connecting with your audience. Now, consider the relevance. Does the problem matter to those you're aiming to help? Alignment with your skills is key. Reflect on whether it matches with what you've identified in lesson one. Finally, excitement, does the prospect of supporting these people energize you? Remember, if your niche takes most of these boxes, it's likely it's a strong option. Use this checklist as you evaluate each version of your niche. It's not just about finding any niche, it's about finding the right niche for you and those you serve. Now let's dive into reading each niche Olb. This is a crucial step in the process. As you do this, pay close attention to several key areas. Notice if there's any part where you stumble or if you have any version that seems too vague or overly complicated. Pay attention when you're doing it. Which one feels the most natural to explain when you think about it? Which version boosts your confidence when you say it? These are important indicators that you're on the right track. Remember, when you read your niche out loud, it should resonate with you, feeling both clear and authentic too. Ask yourself, can you vividly picture the person you're aiming to help? Can you describe their problem with precision? Crucially, do you know the outcome that you can provide? Often the best niche will simply click as you speak about it. Embrace this task, it's about finding that sweet spot where your passion and your expertise meet the needs of your audience. Now that you've assessed your niche options, it's time to pick one to start with. The choice should feel clear and achievable, something that matches your current skills and has genuine demand. Remember, this is just a starting point, not a lifetime commitment and a lot of people think, I'll stick to one thing, and I will stay there. No, you can change, you can grow, and you can change the services and your niche as well. Here are some important reminders. You can refine your niche as you grow and you can specialize further over time. The key is to focus on what fits right now and prioritize clarity over perfection. Once you've selected your niche, everything else will start to align. Your services, the message, the content, and the offers will all come a bit clearer too. Choosing a niche is a powerful step that simplifies decision making and sets the foundation for your future too. So what happens after you choose your niche? Well, once you've chosen your niche, it leads to this. First, you can talk about the service where you know exactly who you're servicing, you can tailor your services precisely to meet their needs. Second, a stronger personal brand emerges. Specialists are more memorable than generalists and having a clear niche will make you stand out a lot more. Third, marketing becomes way easier. With a defined niche, you know exactly who you're speaking to allowing you to target your messaging effectively. Finally, it boosts your confidence, you'll move forward with clarity and direction, leaving you less room for guesswork. This clarity sets the stage for crafting compelling pitches, which we'll dive into in the next lesson, too. 6. Crafting your two sentence pitch : So we're in the final lesson and we're going to look at crafting your two sentence pitch. You pitch should answer two questions. What do you do and who do you help? Use this format. I help put in your audience whoever it is, with specific problem insert your specific problem in there. The few examples are, I help small business owners stay consistent online. Simple as that. I help coaches create clear and engaging digital content. Nice and simple. I help busy entrepreneurs manage daily admin tasks. Simple. Think about the people you serve and the specific challenges they face. Sentence two, what outcomes do you create for them? Use this format again, so they can benefit result transformation, include it in that bit after it. An example is so they can save time and stay organized so they can feel confident showing up online, so they can grow their audience without stress. Keep sentences short and easy to say. This is your two sentence pitch. You've got the first part and then this is the second part. Here's a few examples of some pictures. First of all, I help wellness coaches create consistent social media content. This gives them more visibility and builds trust with their audience. Example two, I help small business owners with blog writing and content planning. This saves them hours each week and boosts their SEO. Example three, I help busy founders manage their inbox, calendars and Daily Admin. This allows them to focus on growing their businesses. These examples clearly demonstrate how a simple structure can effectively communicate your value. So let's dive into creating your own two sentence pitch. Start with the first sentence by identifying your audience and the problem you solve for them. For example, we've just shown you this example earlier, which is I help audience with problem you solve. Then in the second, you do articulate the outcome or the benefit that your audience gains. Make sure when you come to doing the pitch, it is clear, concise and focused on the client. Use everyday language, avoid the jargon, keep the sentences nice and short, focus on the client, not yourself, and make sure the outcome is clear and meaningful as well. You've probably put that all together now. You've got your two sentence pitch and how it can significantly impact people. Well, where can you use this pitch? Some going to tell you. Firstly, you can use it in your discovery calls with clients. This is a chance to create a very strong impression. You can get these from, for example, people that have clicked on your website or your sales page, that type of thing. You can even add it as a two line text anywhere on there as well, on your LinkedIn profile, on any social media platform that you currently use. You can even incorporate it into email signatures, which it's a nice subtle touch as well. If anyone gets your emails, they're like, that's quite interesting. And you can pretty much put it anywhere or you can say it as well in networking events, community meetings or in a printed leaflet that you send out to different businesses, you can pretty much put it anywhere you like, but put it in places or talk about it to people that is relevant to what your niche is to be fair as well. But it's really important just to throw it out there everywhere. So if people do come across your social media platform, they'll see. If they talk to you in a discovery call, that's great. I mean, you can verbalize what it is as well. It's nice it's quick, it's simple, and it's straight to the point. This pitch will help you when it comes to freelancing massively because you know what your niche is, you know who your audience is, you know what the problem solving. You can feel confident enough when you're talking to people or you're putting it anywhere, that is your message. That is what your skill set does and what you offer as a whole. So I really hope you've enjoyed this class. I want you to head over to the project bit, fill out the project, and pop it into the project upload bit so I can see your lovely two sentence pictures to show that you've enjoyed this lesson and you've learned a lot from it too. I will see you in the next course as well that I've got out.