Affordably Simple Marketing™

Specialization: Striking a
Love\Money Balance

Are you getting the type of work you want? Jobs which are both profitable and fulfilling? If not, perhaps you haven't chosen the right specialty. No matter where you are in your career, choosing the right specialization is a difficult but extremely important decision to make; one that will continue to evolve throughout your career. Artists often think that to survive, they must go after every possible kind of work. In our experience, this is simply not the case. Being a generalist can actually work against you - it makes standing out amongst the competition almost impossible. By specializing, you face much less competition while, at the same time, focusing yourself on developing your expertise in manageable areas.

Don't think of specialization as something you do once in your career, think of it as a balance scale with professional fulfillment on one side and commercial success on the other. What's your ideal balance? You may need to experiment to see what works for you; the scales don't have to be even. How much work are you willing to do only because it pays well? How much work are you willing to do simply for personal and artistic fulfillment? Achieving the right balance is the key to developing your ideal specialization, one that will bring an optimal love/money balance to your professional life.

---

Principle 1:

Specialization is required for commercial success

You absolutely must specialize. The reality is that there is so much competition in the industry today that you will find it difficult to succeed by being a generalist. If you do not stand out from all the others, you become forced to compete exclusively on price, which means that you have to be the cheapest to get the job. This only leads to the devaluation of your work, and may greatly impact your potential income. The key is to become better than average at something and make sure your market knows what makes you different. Because you can't possibly be good at - or well known for - everything, you are forced to focus on becoming as skilled and experienced as possible in a specific niche. That's why it is vital that you find your niche and own it – really own it.

The challenge is to find the right niche, one where you can stand out commercially and prosper. Don't restrict yourself to traditional concepts of what a niche should be: niches can be more than simply landscape, portrait, food, still-life, etc. Any specialization that can apply to an identifiable range of clients is a valid niche: take, for example, an actual photographer who describes their niche as "tabletop product shots, involving small industrial parts arranged in graphic patterns". It is important that you feel connected to the niche that you decide to specialize in; you don't want to be doing something you are not invested in. If you're looking for a place to start, consider the various possible combinations of the following:

• Client type
• Style
• Style
• Geographical area

---

Principle 2:

Specialize in the areas where you have a competitive edge

In order to be competitive, you need to specialize in areas where you have an edge. To start, consider your skills and background and think about your past experience and the clients you typically work for. With this in mind, answer the following questions:

• What are your core skills?
• Of your core skills, which set you apart from the others?
• Which of your skills could you further develop to make them above average?
• Are there industries or types of clients that you understand better than others?
• Are there industries or types of clients that you are interested in and that you could develop a better understanding of?
• Do your skills, in particular those you excel at, lend themselves to specific industries or types of clients?
• Have you already built a reputation for yourself in a particular industry or geographic area?

The key is to find the right combination of areas that lets you stand out from the others. To build a distinctive brand, you need to leverage your experience and particular skills so you are considered for the quality jobs you really want. Wherever you decide to specialize, make sure that you develop your skills and experience to the utmost. You should always be striving to get better. And in this constant quest for improvement, you will be spending your valuable time becoming more competitive.

---

Principle 3:

Specialize in the areas that you are passionate about

Artists often struggle with doing work that is artistically fulfilling versus accepting work that simply pays the bills. Rather than thinking of this as an eternal struggle, use your passion to inform your specialization. Chances are that the work you like doing is also what you do best. That's why it is important to find a way to incorporate this into your commercial specialization. Perhaps you develop a style that is very satisfying to you and can be applied to a range of industries that you typically work in. Perhaps you apply your passion for working with a particular subject matter across a number of industries in a number of different styles and situations. You are only limited by your creativity.

If you are unsure of where to specialize, areas you are passionate about are a good place to start. Consider the following questions:

• Are there specific styles or approaches that you enjoy?
• What types of clients do you really connect with?
• What subject matter do you prefer working with?

If you feel you have a strong answer for any of these questions, then you have a good starting point for crafting your specialization. Obviously, very few artists are lucky enough to do only the work they love. So start with what you love doing and evolve your specialty as you continue to seek opportunities to make money. In this case, you will need to continue your experimentation with the love/money balance. Your scales may temporarily be tipped towards the money side, but as you build the skills you need to truly shine, you can reach your optimal balance.

---

Principle 4:

You can have more than one specialty

Are you having trouble choosing only one area of specialization? As long as you can excel across multiple specialties, there is no reason why you have to have just one. Just remember that whatever you choose, you need to stand apart from others to be competitive. You also have to take care not to spread yourself too thinly, as you will likely need to promote yourself differently for each specialty and this will require a larger marketing investment.

In particular, it is worth considering specializing a little differently on a local level than on a national one. Think of it this way: you already have an edge in your local market – you live there. You can build personal relationships more easily, as you can actually visit potential clients and get that face time that those living on the other side of the country just can't afford. As a result, you can be a little more general in the types of work or subject matter you work with. On a national level, it is very difficult to build relationships at the same level so having a unique style and focus is essential to build awareness.

Once you have identified your specialization, you will be in a far better position to market yourself competitively and stand out from the crowd. You can use your chosen specialization to make your marketing program even more powerful - by introducing segmentation. In the next article we'll show you how to segment your audience, based on your specialization, to personalize your marketing message and get more out of your investment.