Out Of The Box Niche Selection

When it comes to niche marketing, one of the things people often have a hard time doing is choosing a topic. To be blunt, it does not have to be difficult. Some people assume if money is to be made, then it must take hard work. Well, when it comes to the Internet, working smarter pays off more than working harder.

To select a niche start out by thinking in general terms. I’m not referring to topics. ‘Cars’ is a general topic, but to start, try being even more vague to find the really juicy niches. Think of what people are looking for when it comes to cars – then drop the specifics. After you are done you will some solid niches, and they don’t have to do anything with cars.

Here’s what I mean. This is off the top of my head, so bear with me.

Make a list of what people want to know about cars. Such as…

How to get better mileage.

Where to get the best deal.

What to look for when buying a used car.

How reliable are they?

How to fix your car.

…and so on.

Now that you have your list, look for the most general parts of it. In the sample above we have the general terms of, ‘how to’, ‘where to’, and ‘what to look for’. Enter these terms in your favorite niche research tool and you will find all kinds of niches you wouldn’t have thought of on your own.

That’s one of the things ProHotList does for you. They not only explore the nitty-gritty specific niches, but also expose some general niche marketing meta-ideas, too. Check it out and you’ll see what I mean.

Remember, this little out of the box technique means you’ll be working smarter, not harder. The niches you find this way just may surprise you.

Why Your Niche Matters

Selecting the right niche is one of the key factors in how successful your online business will be. That is why research is a vital step before making the full jump to Internet marketing. This is the first in a series on why niche research is important and how to go about it.

 The niche you choose must be one people are interested in.

While it may sound obvious that you should be sure there is a market for whatever you are offering, too many people ignore this step.

Guessing does not work here. Fortunately, with the Internet it is relatively easy. Check to see if there are any of the following related to your niche…

• Forums – If there are several forums, it’s a good sign, but even more important is how active each niche-related forum is. If there are only 4 or 5 people and a dozen or so posts that were last made two years ago, then it is a clear sign that someone else probably thought there was a market when there wasn’t one. On the other hand, if there are dozens of forums with 100s of members that are making posts several times a day, then you have found an active niche.
• Blogs – The nice thing about the Internet is that anybody with minimal time and know-how can express their interests to the world. Blogs are one way to do it. However, just because you find one blog dedicated to making homemade, fruit-flavored peanut butters doesn’t mean there is a market for it. Take a hint from the suggestions above and look for a blogroll that lists many related blogs, along with comment activity to determine if you have found a niche with good potential.
• Articles – The key for using published articles is to look at the sheer volume of them. Chances are these articles are pointing back to a sales page of some kind (be sure to check where the links go, don’t assume). And the more articles, the more likely they are leading to actual sales. The only thing better than a big market is a hungry market that is spending money.
• Websites – Each of the above are technically websites, but I am referring to websites that are built specifically to cater to the niche you are researching. What hints are you looking for here? Ad links, affiliate products, current information (check for a current copyright date, e.g.), and any other signs of activity. It’s much easier for a site owner to keep things up to date if they are helping his or her business grow.
• Current products – Some niches just don’t do well online, so you have to do a bit of background work to check what’s really going on. It is possible several people got the same bad idea and tried to build a product around it. If you find negative indicators to a product’s success, it’s possible the niche may be to blame. Again, this is not the time to guess one way or the other. Be sure to check for related forums, sites, blogs and articles to see how all of the pieces fit.

These are just some of the ways you can go about researching a niche. It may seem time consuming, but it takes a lot more time to keep chasing niches that don’t produce results. Take the time to do the groundwork and you will be setting yourself up not only for niche success, but niche domination.

ProHotList is a site that does this kind of research for you. It’s a valuable tool for anyone that understands the importance of choosing a niche and deriving profits from it.