Starting your online business—finding the right niche
Niche marketing tips to help you decide on a profitable niche
How can you compete with the established
websites selling products similar to what
you sell? The answer is simple: don't try
to compete with them!
Rather than trying to compete against
sites that, frankly, have been doing this
much longer than you have, why not market to the very profitable niches that the
big dogs are missing.
For example, let's say you want to build
a site to sell MasterVisions' mirrors.
You try to establish the same identity as
MasterVisions has, using the same keywords,
like etched glass, home decor, mirrors,
coffee tables, etc.
Every time you turn around, though, who do
find above you in those terms?
MasterVisions, of course!
So should you settle for coming in under
your supplier (or, in other cases, under a
larger competitor)? Never! Simply look for
the cracks they haven't filled.
Finding openings that aren't as crowded
Many of MasterVisions' dropship customers
have done just that, branching out into
auctions, or comparison shopping sites
that MasterVisions hasn't touched.
(Note: don't neglect to research whether
there's an opening for you in these before
jumping in, though. The dropship customers
that pioneered these niches are, themselves,
pretty well established in them.)
Finding openings by targeting themes
Others have looked for niches by focusing
on the themes of the artwork MasterVisions
carries.
While MasterVisions has a strong presence
in some terms, there aren't the resources
to compete in other profitable niches that
their products fill, such as western decor,
dog decor, dolphin decor, even firefighter
decor.
Finding a niche in something you love
Find a niche you love rather than just a
product to sell. Find a niche where you
can provide useful information as well as
products. And find products that your keyword research shows definitely fit what people are
looking for, not just something that catches your imagination.
Build your business within a niche and offer
more than just a catalog of products.
Sharing what you know in an area that
people are interested in can bring in
traffic that is not limited just to those
searching for a specific product.
Build a business that gets people coming
back for reasons beyond just searching
for products. Own that niche that the
bigger dogs don't have time or resources
to touch. That cuts down on the competition
enormously!
Finding a niche by thinking creatively
Learn to think creatively. My son is a
professional artist who makes a large
part of his living on eBay. But he's never
listed anything in the Art categories.
When asked why, he says, "Have you ever
looked at the Art categories? Probably
one out of a hundred artists who list
there actually sell any of their work."
Instead, he's found a niche selling his art
in the Mystery Auctions category. He focuses
on filling people's need for entertainment
by creating auctions that are witty,
inventive, and off-the-wall.
He's sold his shadow, items from a trip
to the future, imaginary girlfriends, and
a war against his pocket change. His
auctions always work in a piece of his
artwork in some way. The prices he gets
on eBay are always less than his artwork
is worth, but the publicity he gets always
brings enough people to his site to keep
him busy doing commissioned drawings for
people - at full price.
Don't limit yourself to the obvious
Basically, don't limit yourself to the
what everyone else is doing. Don't look to
compete where the big dogs already dominate.
Look for an angle where you can establish
YOURSELF as the big dog. Once you establish
yourself in a niche, you can always expand it
into larger areas - or simply find
additional niches to dominate.
But be sure to research to find the niche markets targets that are open for you to serve. Check out my personal recommendations of niche marketing research tools to help you find the right niches for you.
Helping you become the successful business owner you want to be.
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