Should You Niche As A Webflow Freelancer: Niching by Industry, Offering or Skillset?

After the last year, I've done over 50 interviews with Webflowers. Some have niched by industry, some have niched by offering type, some have niched by skillset, while others haven't niched at all. So, right off the bat, I want you to read this with that in mind. Niching isn't necessarily what you have to do to get clients but it can help depending on your situation.

In this article, we'll cover:

1) What are the different ways you can niche as a webflower?

2) Do you have to niche?

3) What are the pros and cons of niching?

4) How might you approach niching if you think it's for you?

Alright, let's dive in.

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What are the different ways you can niche as a webflower?

1. Industry-Specific Design

Fungi Dube ​(episode 47)​ is particularly interested in I’m a Brand and Webflow Designer, Design Mentor and Pan-Afrikanist who is passionate about elevating Afrikan narratives through modern design. She therefore has a very clear target audience who find her because she is the expert.

2. Focusing on a Particular Functionality

Mael Ruffini (episode 53) is the go to Three-JS and Web-GL Webflower in my head. Why? Because his projects often include the most spectacular 3D shapes that just take things to the next level. It's not like he's attempting to attract specific industries but simply attracts by the portfolio style he has.

3. Offering A Particular Type Of Service

Dylan Harrocks (episode 49) who runs Nexus Creative has a subscription based model for his services. Interestingly, he wrote on Twitter:

"Before pivoting to the subscription model last year, I had ran a traditional agency for 3 years, some months I’d make $15k and then most less than  $3k, this wasn’t good for my mental health, and without financial stability I was unable to hire the talent I wanted and scale.

In addition:

- Time was wasted on long sales cycles and proposals.

- Friction would be created by the “that’s not in scope” conversations.

- We didn’t have a clear product to sell which made it so hard to market.

Now:

- We have amazing relationships with our clients.

- It’s so easy for our clients to get sign-off from their FD or CEO when it’s smaller commitment.

- Small changes can be actioned quickly without having to give them a quote.

- Recurring revenue enables me to make riskier business decisions.

-Consistent workload means we can always be on top of it and scale in accordance.

Check out the full tweet here.

4. White Labelling

Tony Seets is the white-labelling man in the Webflow space.

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White-labelling is like being the superhero behind the scenes. You create outstanding Webflow websites, but the agency you're working with gets to put their name on it. It’s like Batman doing all the work and Harvey Dent taking all the credit. But hey, it’s a win-win!

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Agencies often partner with talented freelancers when they're swamped with work or when they need specialized skills. This is where you, the Webflow whiz, step in. You do the magic, they do the marketing, and bada bing, bada boom, a perfect partnership is born.

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The white-label route can be a great way to work on diverse projects without having to hunt for clients yourself. You won't be the face of the finished product, but you'll get to do what you love: crafting killer websites with Webflow.

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So, if you fancy becoming the web design wizard behind the curtain, white-labelling might just be your perfect niche. After all, who doesn't love a good secret identity?

Do you have to niche?

Nope.

Ilja Van Eck (episode 52) found he was particularly interested in pushing simple animations to make things that were truly special. Rather than niching by industry, he simply focussed on what he was passionate about - little interactions that made the user smile, or easter eggs hidden in the project. He’s now got a thriving freelance career working with clients and agencies who particularly want his attention to detail and how he pushes designs that extra 10% to make them outrageous.

Similarly, Jordan Gilroy (episode 55) from Kin Studio has no industry focus because he believes he would get bored working on one particular industry. He explains how he had agency experience doing repetitive tasks and how it killed his creative spirit and as a result, he wanted to avoid repeating that experience.

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So, straight answer? No, you don't have to niche down as a Webflow freelancer. But let me tell you why you might want to if you're starting out and when you haven't already got a network of contacts.

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See, when you specialize in a certain area, you become the "big fish in a small pond." You're no longer competing with every other Webflow freelancer out there—you're only competing with the ones in your niche. That means you can charge higher rates, attract more clients, and build a reputation faster.

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Pros & Cons of Niching

So, let's break it down, the good, the bad, and the niche-y of being a specialized Webflow freelancer.

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The Pros:

1. Less Competition: By focusing on a specific niche, you're essentially reducing the pool of competitors. Not everyone will be offering what you do, which raises your value in the market.
2. Better Pay: As a specialist, you can charge higher rates. After all, you're not just a Webflow freelancer; you're an expert in a specific aspect of it.
3. Reputation Building: Over time, you'll build a name for yourself within your niche. This can lead to word-of-mouth referrals and repeat business.

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The Cons:

1. Limited Clientele: When you narrow your services, you also narrow your potential client base. This could potentially lead to periods of less work.
2. Less Variety: If you love tackling different types of projects and enjoy variety, you might find a niche restricting.
3. Risk of Overspecialization: There's a danger of becoming too specialized, which could leave you vulnerable if demand in your niche decreases.

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So, there you have it. Niching down as a Webflow freelancer has its pros and cons. It's all about weighing your options and choosing the path that suits your goals and style of work the best.

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How might you approach niching if you think it's for you?

Diving headfirst into the client pool without having a clear idea about what you enjoy?

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Hold your horses there cowboy! It might be helpful to first ask yourself what you really enjoy doing.

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Too many people say ‘I make beautiful and functional webflow websites,’ as if that’s a reason to hire them

So if you want to get clients as you’re starting out, I want you to dig in a bit deeper and ask yourself what really lights you up about making websites.

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The reason why I ask these questions is because people want to hire experts rather than generalists. They want to know you have a depth of expertise solving their particular problem because you have done it many times before.

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How do you become an expert then?

You find something that you enjoy that you can get lost in - something that others don’t understand how you can do it for so long. You have a happiness leverage which means you are excited to work on that problem far longer than other people which means you know more about the thing than others.

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Ilja Van Eck (episode 52) found he was particularly interested in pushing simple animations to make things that were truly special. Little interactions that made the user smile, or easter eggs hidden in the project. He’s now got a thriving freelance career working with clients and agencies who particularly want his attention to detail and how he pushes designs that extra 10% to make them outrageous.

Dexter Washington ​(episode 2)​ of Crafted Studios is all about clean, minimal, editorial like design influenced by his background in photography. The studio is known for interesting layouts and smooth animations that delight the user and so he attracts clients looking for his design aesthetic.

Fungi Dube ​(episode 47)​ is particularly interested in I’m a Brand and Webflow Designer, Design Mentor and Pan-Afrikanist who is passionate about elevating Afrikan narratives through modern design. She therefore has a very clear target audience who find her because she is the expert.

Lizzie Curtis ​(episode 40)​ is passionate about social impact and she particularly enjoys and focusses her efforts on working with charities and NGO’s leveraging the power of no code tools. She is known as an expert in this area since she’s interested in it, has pursued that and now gets clients in that niche.

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So, to re-cap, these people have leaned in to what particularly lights them up whether that’s an industry they’re particularly interested in serving or a Webflow skillset they particularly love, they have become experts and then known for the thing they do particularly well, which has attracted clients.

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Their portfolios are authentic reflections of who they are and as a result, they attract clients, they do good work because they are passionate experts, they get referrals from other people who are like those clients and the process repeats.

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Too often, portfolios become random work mosaics, lacking focus. Remember, your vibe attracts your tribe. A jumble of bakery logos, hairdresser websites, and wrestling insignia hardly showcases your true passions or value.

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So, ask yourself: what ignites my fire? What is going to get you out of bed in the morning?🔥

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Try and look at where you naturally find yourself interested when others aren’t. That’s a good indicator that you’re finding your secret sauce - the thing that you may find your happiness leverage in.

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This will take time. It’s not easy to find this out necessarily and your interests may change over time. However, when your starting to find your feet, trying to figure out what you particularly enjoy will help lead you to find clients that really align with you.

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Rather than choosing a particularly niche industry from the get go, ask yourself what you enjoy and the niche may find you! Only then, will the group of people you can serve and will pay you to do what you do will become clear.

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IMPORTANT. It’s not just about catering to specific group who has a lot of money - do not fall in to this trap because you likely got in to creative work because you enjoy creating. Whenever I have followed money, it hasn’t gone well. Listen to Alex and Balerein warn of the problems that come from just chasing the money in ​episode 48 here!​

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Embrace your happiness leverage; don’t cram square pegs into round holes by chasing high-paying jobs devoid of passion. Cheers to clarity and success!
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I hope this helps Webflailers!