When you begin to build your career, you will do whatever it takes to make it work.

You may say yes to any opportunities that arise. And, you will do work you hate, just for a small amount of recognition. Or, maybe you will try to get your work scene on every single social media platform. In fact, you could consider yourself a jack-of-all-trades and try everything all at once.

While we admire the drive and dedication you have to your craft, it’s time to hit pause and take a step back. Instead of spreading yourself thin by doing too much, let’s narrow down the trajectory of your path.

When talking about your skills, you don’t need to hit every available target. Instead, you need to determine which outlets are the strongest and will have the greatest effect for sharing and marketing your work. In a sense, you need to dig deep and find what drives the work you create and what sets you apart from your competition.

So, in order to reach new heights in your career – this is why finding your niche actually brings more success than broad marketing.

Finding Your Niche, Means Optimizing Your Results

When we talk about determining your niche, what we are really trying to emphasize is the creation and development of your personal brand.

For example, let’s talk about a photographer. If a photographer shoots every type of project available – portraits, still life, sports, food – it may seem as if they have a lot to offer. Yet, this isn’t always true.

This isn’t to say that they lack skill as a photographer, but their expansion of too many industries leaves little room for developing expertise.

Imagine what their marketing initiatives would look like, a website with several different categories and filled with images that all have a different style and vibe. Since photography changes based on your subject, the elements would never really fit together.

Instead of using broad marketing to show everything they are good at, this photographer would be better off choosing a subject matter and focusing their efforts toward it. Once they have developed a definitive subject matter, then they can do everything in their power to market to a niche category of people.

By developing this focus, you will have greater results as a creative. You will be able to focus on what you are truly passionate about and drive all of your energy toward it. When we narrow down the available options to choose what works best for us, we are able to optimize and see the results of our efforts as a success.

A Niche Gives You A Personal Style

To bring us back to the idea of branding, a niche helps develop your personal style as a creator. By determining your subject matter and marketing your work to reflect this – your own style will shine through and be a representation of your work.

As a creative individual, your personal style is everything. If your work lacks a cohesive look or feel to it – people will question your experience. In fact, 9 times out of 10 – a client will choose another individual who has a defined vision, over one who lacks unity and a creative voice.

Your niche is the key to creating the style you want to express through your work. By saying to yourself,

I know who I am and I want my work to reflect that.

You are already carving room for yourself to grow within the professional world. It’s easier to market yourself when you truly believe in what you sharing with the world.

Focus On Being Great At One Thing, Rather Than Subpar At Several Things

The final aspect to remember about finding your niche is that it allows you to find out what you are great at.

There’s no true success in being a catch all creative that lacks a definitive direction. Yes, you can have multiple skill sets. But, these skills should align with one another, fit together and express a common, unified theme.

If we pursue what we do best, we can focus on being great at one thing, rather than being subpar at several things. Finding your niche allows you to nurture and grow your strengths in order to develop work that reflects your creative abilities.

So, instead of marketing yourself to everyone and trying to do whatever it takes to find success – give yourself a small break. Take time to find your voice, develop your style and find a niche that represents your work. Once you have the direction and vision, there’s nothing that can stop you from achieving the creativity and career you want.