Niches in a Nutshell��������������������������

KAREN MILLS

JD, RDN, LD

GUEST AUTHOR

“Niche” has been a business buzzword for years, and you can barely read a post or article about entrepreneurship without encountering the word� Niche is just another way to say specialty, focus or market segment� Is niching something you should consider for your business?

WHY NICHE?

As entrepreneurs it’s easy to fall into the trap of chasing every opportunity� Some dietitians enjoy being generalists and like the variety that comes with it� But, ask yourself: Do you really connect with every client and project? Niching allows you to be selective� You choose exactly how to spend your time and energy� It guides your continuing education selections and the pursuit of any certifications� Having a niche allows you to develop expertise� You appear more authentic, can develop rapport with your ideal client more easily and are seen as a trustworthy specialist that clients want to hire� Niching can also help guide your marketing efforts� When your services are specific, you can tailor your messaging to attract the type of clients you want to serve� Tailored marketing focusing on specific, niche keywords can also impact search engine optimization (SEO) by increasing your rank in search engine results� Niching differentiates you from the crowd of other dietitians and nutritionists� When you niche, you not only focus your practice, you lessen the competition�

HOW TO NICHE.

Nutrition is a part of every person’s life, and every facet of nutrition can be niched� There are so many options! How do you begin? Consider these questions when determining your niche:

1 What are your passions? Are you excited about gut function or working with the elderly? Maybe sustainable agriculture is your calling�

Start by making a list of your interests�

2 How can you frame your passions

in the context of a problem to solve?

For example, if your passions include vegans and athletes, a problem to solve might be how to optimize athletic performance for vegans�

3 What is your skill set? Are you great at counseling, writing or social media? Can you develop recipes? Your skill set becomes a list of what you can sell�

4 What are your marketing segments? Marketing segments are categories that your target market can be divided into and can include geography, demographics, firmographics (demographics for businesses) or client characteristics such as values or behaviors� Perhaps you live in the Midwest, you are passionate about the challenges faced by vegan athletes and you have a talent for recipe development� These are all market segments that you can target and combine to create your niche�

5 Is there a market? Using your market segments for guidance, perform keyword research, check social media and look at online trends� Is your target market asking questions or looking for solutions to a problem you would like to solve? If not, or if there are too many experts already answering the questions, this niche might not be profitable� Consider your other passions or skills� Using the focus questions, you can identify your ideal client, what problem you want to solve for your ideal client and whether you have the skill set to solve those problems� If there is a market, then you have found your niche�

CHANGING YOUR NICHE.

Over time, passions and markets change, so reevaluate your niche every year� Are you still excited about your niche? Is your business expanding? Revisit the focus questions� It is okay if your answers have changed� Businesses, markets and people grow and evolve� Don’t be afraid to pivot your niche when the time is right� The competitive advantages a niche provides can lead to a successful and fulfilling business�

Karen A� Mills, JD, RDN, LD, is the owner of TheHealthyCulture�com� She writes, speaks and assists clients in developing their own Healthy Culture - a personalized nutrition, health and wellness plan that considers time constraints, family traditions, culture, health concerns and budget� When not eating her way around the world, Karen is hard at work at her home office in Oregon�

Make a Name For Yourself: Crafting Your Brand As A Dietitian Speaker

JESSICA SETNICK

MS, RD, CEDRD-S GUEST AUTHOR

"FIND OUT WHO YOU ARE AND DO IT ON PURPOSE." – DOLLY PARTON

Professional speaking requires a platform - a concise description of you as dietitian, speaker, and message and mission you bring to the stage� Your Unique Speaking Platform – your USP – is more than a bio and better than a CV� It’s a few sentences that summarize what someone gets when she/he hires you to speak� An effective USP gets event planners to hire you and audiences to line up� No two USPs are the same� Whitney Trotter, Kristin Williams and Leslie Schilling all speak on the intersection of religion and disordered eating – each from a different background� Jill Castle, Yaffi Lvova and Anna Lutz all talk about child feeding – each in a different format� I found those examples in a quick glance at DietitianSpeakers�com; in each of those niches are dozens more amazing dietitians bringing those topics to life in unique ways� Maybe you’re one of them with your own amazing USP� Or maybe you’re questioning how to differentiate yourself, worrying you’ll never break into an already crowded field� If you’re in the worrying group, I’ve got good news: dietitian speakers are not in competition� The world needs many more dietitian speakers, and beyond that, every dietitian brings something different to the stage - a special blend of expertise, experiences and flair� Put that one-of-a-kind recipe into words and you’ve got a USP that’s yours alone� No one can be a better you than you – you’re guaranteed the Oscar for Best Performance as Yourself�

A USP isn’t one quality or characteristic; it reflects the whole package of you as a speaker� It might include an obstacle you’ve overcome; why you became an RDN; perhaps the heritage you embody; the unusual things you’ve done and the mundane mistakes you’ve made; the things that surprise you about nutrition; the quirks that make you relatable to others� There are many interesting things about you� Which qualities mesh with your mission as a speaker? Those belong in your USP� If you’ve already given talks, ask your biggest fans what they liked or review your speaking evaluations� If you haven’t spoken yet, think aspirationally� What messages will you impart? Why do the listeners need to hear them? What changes will the world make after hearing you present? An effective USP isn’t just a résumé of your past; it contains your dream of what you want to give the future� Once you’ve got your USP, it isn’t just for others – it guides your decisions too� It’s easy to be tempted by an opportunity that isn’t a good fit� Your USP reminds you to be selective so that everyone goes home happy� The more you realize your own uniqueness, the less you need to be a commodity that takes any job that comes your way� Your USP is a living document� Like your speaking skills (and hopefully your paycheck!), your USP will evolve and grow as you refine and hone your style, mission and ideal venue� As your USP becomes more sharply focused on your skills and goals, you’ll find yourself saying a confident “yes” to opportunities that fit you well and recommending someone else for the ones that don’t�

If you’re a dietitian, Jessica Setnick, MS, RD, CEDRD-S, is your biggest fan� A combination cheerleader, trusted advisor and friend who won’t let you take a live mic into the bathroom, Jessica shares her lessons learned over two decades as a speaker in A Dietitian’s Guide to Professional Speaking: Expert Advice for Pitching, Presenting & Getting Paid! She lives in Dallas where she has the best job in the world – consulting with other dietitians about eating disorders, public speaking and passive income through continuing education courses, like her own bestseller, Eating Disorders Boot Camp�