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Last week I shared all about the benefits of niching down. One google search on how to grow your business and you'll get a multitude of articles and posts about the value of niching down and why it's great for business.
But when we are talking about the hair industry, there are DEF pro's to niching down especially when it comes to you marketing strategy, however, there are also some cons to this.
I have found that industry vets are typically more opposed to niching down and newer, greener stylists are more open to it.
As someone (with 22 years behind the chair) who was against this in the beginning, and then implemented a niched down strategy for my EDUCATION platform, I see the benefits to both sides.
At the end of the day, the most important thing is to be open minded to seeing ALL sides to any topic, in this case- niching down- and then making a strategy based on the EDUCATION + RESEARCH that you have done and NOT based on mere opinions that you may have.
Very few, if any, people talk about the cons of niching down, especially in the hair industry. I want to offer some perspective for you here. Im not saying niche down. Im not saying don't niche down.
What I am saying is weight them out and decide what's best for your business. Last week, I wrote about some of the pro's of niching down, today I want to highlight some negative implications that I can foresee from niching down, so here we go.
1. Turns potential new clients away.
If you only do a specific look or a certain thing, this has the potential to turn new clients away. Because, for example, if all you talk about and all that you do is extensions, they wouldn't even think about you if they are looking for a color service or a highlight service.
We assume our clients know what we offer but I can't tell you how many times I've had clients ask me if I do certain things because I don't talk about it and I don't post about it. Here's another example, lets say there's a potential client who has been following you on social media and they love your work and your personality but all you talk about and post about it dimensional color, but they want a beautiful rich red, they wouldn't think to reach out to you. Just something to consider here.
2. Skillset in other areas weaken/diminish.
They say that repetition is the key to mastery, so often times, when we do something repeatedly, day in and day out, we become masters at it. But..what about all of the other skills that we have acquired or need to learn? If you don't hone in on your other services or talents, chances are you are going to get a little rusty...and when the time comes when you may need that particular skillset, you might find yourself on the struggle bus. Which leads me into my next point..
3. Trends and popular looks change.
If you have been in the industry for 10+ years, you'll know that the trends and what clients are asking for change over the years. Some services that we never thought would come back, are coming back. If you become a master at only balayage and you don't understand the art and placement of foiling, you're going to find yourself in a challenging situation. When you box yourself in with a particular niche of service...inevitably when that trend is no longer popular, then what?
Stylist friends, remember in the early 2000's all we did were dramatic A-line cuts and chunky highlights? How challenging was it to force ourselves to change our foiling patterns or learning how to paint with balayage instead?
All I'm saying is be mindful that the popular looks and trends WILL change over time, make sure you always get with the times and don't box yourself in. In the short term, it will create immense success..in the long run it has the potential to box you in.
4. Repetitious and Mundane
Doing the same thing day in and day out, in the beginning, can be so exciting. After all, we typically niche down to services we really only ENJOY doing so it makes sense that we're thrilled to be doing what we love. After a while (for some people, it's a short while..for others, it's a long while) but it can become so repetitious and mundane. Doing the same thing, the same look, the same colors over and over and over and over again...this can get super tedious, it can reduce your creativity and eventually lead to burn out.
5. Niching down IRL vs Social Media
THIS is what really matters the most. I think by now, we all know and understand the value of social media and how niching down on social to attract your ideal- high ticket- clients is essential for business growth. But that doesn't have to mean you niche down IRL. I know plenty of stylist who are very niche specific on their social, but their books are filled with ALL kinds of different services.
Hope this was helpful and insightful!
Until next time,
Araz