BY: Josh Pies, Chief Attention Getter
I have a theory about this… What it takes to be the “World #1” or “World’s Best” at anything is blood, sweat, tears and LUCK. Think about the great actors (you know, the rich ones with big headlines). Brad Pitt – there’s only 1 Brad, right? Maybe.
Brad Pitt is a fine actor and the ladies seem to appreciate his looks, too. Is he the only one who could have taken his place in society as Brad Pitt? There is undoubtedly a more handsome and talented male on earth who could beat Brad in an act-off (if that were a thing, I suppose). His power was in the blood, sweat and tears he poured into becoming an actor PLUS the nearly impossible to man-handle matter of LUCK. Sure, his perseverance likely put him in a place to be “seen” but sooooooooo many others have that same story. He won – but luck played a big role in that.
Why pick on Brad? It could have been any superstar – Jon Favreau? Sure. Kevin Feig (super producer). Even Speilberg. They had luck on their side which paired with talent to pave the path to the top in the world.
What about Dov S-S Siemens? Never heard of him, huh? Most haven’t. He’s a film & tv producer who has real industry cred but he made his mark as an educator. In fact, as I came up through the ranks I took his DVD course on producing feature films and used much of what I learned to eventually produce movies. As far as I am concerned he is a rock star – but he’s a star IN MY INDUSTRY. You may not know him and not need his talents but MANY do and he’s made an amazing career empowering people in his niche.
So many people aim for being Brad (or some name droppable). They want to unseat the king – or, befriend and become peers with that king. So unattainable. If that’s you, please also start buying lotto tickets – the odds may be better for you.
There’s a FAR BETTER PLAY.
Remember what I said about Luck? You can’t manhandle it – that’s what I just said. But the truth is YOU CAN GUIDE LUCK if you are willing to adjust ego. What if you aimed not for being “king of the world”? (That was a Leo Decaprio quote, I know… not editing to remove Brad… ). What if you aimed for defining your own world and then choosing the throne for yourself? What if you guided yourself onto a path where a throne was waiting for you?
What I’m talking about is niching down. They say that “the Riches are in the Niches”. What if you define your niche so tightly that you can be the #1 because you’ve narrowed your focus?
If you do the work to be dialed in on your niche, you have a real shot at being #1 Top of Mind in your category and THAT is where the ROI sets in.
Ok, so how do you niche down? I like to give you actionable tactics in my content so here’s a tidbit for you. Here a few steps to consider:
First: Name Your Industry
This is your TOP LEVEL title that if you were king of the industry you’d be crazy rich. For IT, it’s Bill Gates or Steve Wozniack or someone similar who has the throne. If you are in IT, they are the king, not you.
Second: Name Your Gift
This is what you bring to the industry that is uniquely you. Unfortunately, most people cannot rattle this off. I suggest starting with thinking about your CV (resume) and getting that out of the way. What is your education? What is your job title? What do you ACTUALLY do? And, this is key, What do you REALLY do?
What you actually do is what the job title fails to express. What you really do, that is what in your heart you actually bring to your world.
Third: Explore the Gap
Explore what gaps in service and expertise exist around you and what you can do to fill those voids. It is HIGHLY likely that your unique perspective is needed where you are and in myriad other places like where you are. Who you help is your “tribe” and there’s going to be more than enough within this niche tribe that you can become the proverbial king who magnanimously and unrelentingly brings value to the tribe.
My friend Mike Kim has a 3-question rubric to help personal brands that I appreciate. It goes as follows:
- What pisses you off?
- What breaks your heart?
- What is the big problem you’re trying to solve?
The gap will become more clear if you can work through Mike’s 3 Questions. What pisses you off is the injustice you see. When you say to yourself – it ought to be like this-not-that – you’ve found it. Why ought it not be like this? Because something is wrong, something is breaking your heart. The big problem you identify needs a solution. Find a way to fill the gap with your solution.
If you can be clear about your macro industry and where you currently fit within it PLUS you can identify what you are uniquely gifted at and ADD clarity about your passion and solutions… you have the niche you can own.
You are far closer to having Luck on your side when you do the work. In fact, Thomas Jefferson once said, “The harder I work the Luckier I seem to be”. Guide luck today – do the work to figure out who you are to your niche. Become not the Brad Pitt of your niche – no, just become the guide your niche needs. The riches are in the niches and your guidance will be rewarded.
As a final thought -you may wonder, “But Josh, what does this have to do with content creation, advertising and branding? That’s what C47 does, right?” It has EVERYTHING to do with branding and content.
Niche content is the ONLY thing that works. People need absolute clarity on what it is you offer to the world and how THEY will benefit from listening to you. The more deliberate and targeted you are with your niched down content and brand image the more people will know how to respond to your gifts and offering. All brands serve their audience – even celebrity fans serve by way of entertainment and the fascination of fandom. Your job is to identify who you are to your audience and deliver value relentlessly. The ONLY way to become number 1 in your niche is to do the work of presenting yourself – your ideas and solutions – with clarity.
Wanna be #1? You can. Discover your Niche. Do the work.
About the Author:
Josh Pies is a video advertising & branding expert. He’s spent most of his life work-shopping ways to get attention – be it sales for his first business which he started at age 4, customers for his property services company at age 23, or laughs and viewership on his first National TV Show at age 26 where he was producer and head writer. He believes in getting attention and loves the power of modern content creation for what it can do for businesses and personal brands.
Josh is the executive producer of C47 Film Associates. C47 Films has produced one feature film which is available on Amazon Prime, three TV Series, eight documentaries, and TV and web ads for brands as various as Kodak, The John Maxwell Team, and the US Department of Labor. Josh Speaks at events on the topics of video branding, how to stand out as a professional, and the power of purpose. Josh lives in Orlando Florida where he, his wife Shannon nd their three amazing kids play on the beach or in magical castles as often as possible.