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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.

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