One of the questions I often get when talking with folks is “OBM specialized enough or should you niche further”. This is a great questions because I don’t think there is an easy yes or no.
Being an Online Business Manager is a presumed expert skillset a niche of it’s own. So drilling down further isn’t really needed. As not everyone can be an OBM or even really grasp the fullness of what the role in-tells (which is why we have the Certification Training.) The expertise of an online business manager is that of an operational manager, which includes, project management, team management, process management and metrics. These are not area’s that are often represented efficiently in an online business. So being an OBM, in and of itself, is a specialty.
In the OBM community we talk a lot about understanding your strengths and really showcasing where you shine. If your experience is in marketing and your strengths are in communication you may highlight that you are an Online Business Manager specializing in Marketing. You are still responsible for operations but you have an added skill to bring to the table. In the same way, every OBM still has to do marketing so it’s not as though those who don’t see this as a specialty are abdicated of this responsibility. It just means you have additional skill or talent in that area. Same with being a team leader, it might be that you are really skilled with PM and team development and as an OBM that is where you want your expertise to shine. Great! Then showcase that in your marketing but again if you are the OBM the whole picture is the expectation.
If you are trying to figure out how to best define your area to shine. Which by the way is a great way to stand out from the crowd and get noticed. I would encourage you to do these 3 things:
- Take the StrengthsFinder Assessment – this is a great tool for helping you determine where you are strong and how to best create services around your strengths.
- Look at your past work experience. Where have you really shined and what did you truly love doing? It is often funny to me when folks go online all of a sudden they no longer see value in the work they have done the past 20 years. It still has great value and those experiences are something to highlight and build on!
- What are your competitors offering. Take a look around the web and get a really good idea of what others who are serving your same market are offering and packaging their services. This is important in being relevant when you both market and speak with potential clients.