| What's all this hubbub about niche marketing? Why is | | | | likened to the trunk of the tree having branches |
| every successful marketer preaching niche marketing | | | | leading away from it including: |
| as being vital to your profitability as a marketer online | | | | - Deep Sea Fishing |
| or offline? | | | | - Salt Water Fishing |
| In answer to that, let's paint a little picture... Imagine | | | | - Game Fishing |
| you have an idea for a great product, an idea so | | | | - Fresh Water Fishing |
| great you decide to turn it into a product and sell it. | | | | The smaller branches leading from Fresh Water |
| You're going to make millions so you labor away hour | | | | Fishing include: |
| after hour creating a masterpiece, well... It's a | | | | - Fishing Baits |
| masterpiece in your eyes. | | | | - Bass fishing |
| Hours of feverish activity, a month goes past, then | | | | - Fly Fishing |
| another, and finally the great day arrives when you | | | | The tiny twigs leading from Fly Fishing include: |
| launch your product. You have a superb product and | | | | - Trout Fishing |
| the best sales website on the internet. Another | | | | - Steelhead Fishing |
| month goes buy, then two and... Not one sale! | | | | - Fly Tying |
| In desperation you hire an experienced marketer for | | | | This is a good example of niche marketing because |
| their advice, but what they tell you, crushes you... | | | | people who fish tend to be nuts about the subject. |
| "You don't stand a snowballs chance in hell of making | | | | Drill all the way down to the tiny segment of |
| any sales!" | | | | Steelhead fishing and there are still avid enthusiasts |
| You see you have picked a massive market to sell | | | | who will go to any expense to catch the "big one", |
| to; you are competing against big established | | | | including buying books or e-books. |
| suppliers who are seen as experts. The market | | | | One point worth noting is that any book or e-book |
| trusts them because they are well known and have | | | | on Steelhead Fishing had better be full of useful |
| great reputations. It's David against Goliath only David | | | | advice (i.e. the advice works), so you had better be |
| forgot his sling. | | | | an expert and know what you're talking about if you |
| If this has happened to you, you're not alone. This | | | | intend to write one... |
| little scenario plays itself out day after day. Each | | | | Finding niche markets is not as easy or obvious as |
| month thousands of people find themselves in this | | | | you might think. Sitting down with a piece of paper |
| situation. | | | | and drawing a tree listing all your ideas is NOT the |
| Doesn't it infuriate you to see others seemingly doing | | | | way to go. You are listing your ideas... your ideas |
| exactly what you did, but they make money? From | | | | won't sell! |
| their product launch they bank the profits. Want to | | | | You need to find what your potential customers |
| know what they did differently? | | | | want, and to do this you need to conduct some |
| They found a niche market, created a product | | | | research, here are a few ideas to get you started: |
| specifically for it and they sell that product to that | | | | 1) Visit a few online forums related to your interests. |
| niche only. Don't make the mistake of thinking niche | | | | Take note of the questions people are asking and |
| marketing is something new, savvy marketers have | | | | how many times similar questions are asked. |
| always sold to niches. It's only recently that niche | | | | 2) Visit a few book stores and go to the magazine |
| marketing has been so heavily publicized. | | | | section. Take note of the types of magazines on |
| Niche marketing is the process of finding small | | | | sale. Ask the sales assistant which magazines sell the |
| profitable segments of a much larger market and | | | | most. |
| involves a lot more effort. Established suppliers to | | | | 3) Take a look on eBay and spend some time going |
| larger markets are usually not prepared to spend this | | | | through the categories related to your interest. Take |
| time and effort required to seek out smaller | | | | note of popular items and how often they sell. |
| segments, leaving them ripe for the picking. | | | | By finding a small segment of a much larger market |
| One way of explaining the niche marketing concept is | | | | in which people are actively buying, and where there |
| to picture a tree - it has a big trunk which leads to | | | | are not too many competitors, is the best chance |
| branches leading to even smaller branches and finally | | | | you have of making money from selling your own |
| tiny twigs. Take the topic of fishing which can be | | | | product. |