Niche Marketing

What is it?

Niche Market ‘a business that focuses on a niche market is addressing a need for a product or service that is not being addressed by mainstream providers. A niche market may be thought of as a narrowly defined group of potential customers…..niche marketing:An often used technique for affiliate marketers. By seeking out smaller segments of larger markets, a website can be developed and promoted quickly to uniquely serve a targeted and usually loyal customer base, giving the affiliate a small but regular income stream. This technique is then repeated across several other niche websites until a desired income level is achieved.’ Source: Wikipedia.

Meeting the demand

In marketing, a niche refers to a service or a product that occupies a special area of demand.  It is that small corner in the market that accounts for a certain kind of specialty concerning an unmet customer need.  To be able to attract a strong, solid market, the choice of a niche product should ultimately complement the website one owns.  It is through this scheme that he is able to generate a specific market for the niche product he is trying to sell.

The Strategy

Niches are involved in niche marketing, the process of finding market segments that are small but potentially profitable nonetheless.  To maintain a profitable quantity of sales, this marketing strategy relies on increasing the loyalty of customers so that their corporate objectives will be met or surpassed.  Illustrative of this is the fact that the quality of the product or service sold will generate customer satisfaction and, consequently, customer loyalty.  The result is profitability garnered through a solid market base that trusts in the ability of the product or service to really deliver.

One of the great things about niche marketing is that it encourages those who indulge in it to be unique and one-of-a-kind.  Here one is not forced into the lion’s den and made to compete against established marketers.  He is made to occupy a strong and secure position that ultimately wins him a real place in the market.  Niche marketing differs from other online marketing strategies because this particular quality allows it to operate almost autonomously and without having to contend with corporate sharks that tear each other to pieces.

Discover your niche

One of the most important things that should be thought over by those involved in this type of business is the niche business that is going to be involved in the process.  It is important to consider the type of business that one is going to work on to be able to ensure himself of the success that he hopes to have.  It is also important for him to know everything about the niche business at hand.  Learning the tricks of the trade in is one of the things that one could do to make a niche business prosper tremendously.

Being able to reach the niche market is another consideration to make.  In doing so, one should know the exact phrases that people are searching for.  The use of tools such as the Keyword Analyzer can help a lot in knowing the type of keywords that should be used to make the business profitable. Targeting the right keywords does a lot in making this type of business soar.

Customer satisfaction

Those who engage in niche marketing know that determining the potential of a niche before doing everything else is a must if one wants to save all the time and effort that might be wasted if he plunges into everything head on.  Building a niche marketing site that proves to be profitable should be done after an unsatisfied customer demand is identified, and marketing the site appropriately by reaching out to customers the best possible way is what niche marketers should consider if they want their business to reach skyrocketing success.

Niche marketing is the only system capable of filling up a gaping hole in the market by catering to the unsatisfied needs of customers - needs that are usually not given notice by those in the big league.  Through niche marketing, one is able to gain a foothold in the market by being a needle in a haystack.  From small beginings big businesses grow.

Zo Nicholas

Understanding Your Target, the Customer

Having designed a beautiful website or blog you think that you are going to attract clients, right? but unless you really know what your customers are looking for you or what they want to buy, it is most unlikely your going to be make sales or make money.

A Website is like a storefront which must attract customers with things they want to buy. So what are they looking for, best deals, best buy, discounts, bargains or a real must have at any price product?  Spending time researching your target, is time well spent.

Once you have  grabbed the customers attention your next task is to get him/her to either make that purchase or to optin to your mailing list, newsletter or must have special offer. Once there you can proceed with the follow up. A good way to get a response from your mailing list is to email your existing clients and ask them to complete a survey or even ask while they are browsing on your website. Ask them about their choices. Why do they like your products? Do you discount prices or offer coupons? Are your prices consistently lower than others? Is your shipping price cheaper? Do you respond faster to client questions? Are your product descriptions better? Your return policies and guarantees better than your competitor’s? To know your customer you can check credit card records or ask your customer to complete a simple contact form with name, address, age, gender, etc. when they purchase a product. All part of your customer service.

Does your website give enough contact information?

 
Selling from a website allows your customer to buy your products 24 hrs a day from anywhere around the globe. Always provide contact information, [compulsory in many countries eg: Germany, the Impressum] which should be visible on every page of your website, complete with mailing address, telephone number and an email address that reaches you.

People may need to contact you about sales, ask questions about products, general information or technical problems on your site. Provide your customers with enough options like credit card, PayPal or other online payment service so you never lose a sale and keep it simple. There is nothing more infuriating for customers that being taken from one page to another countless times and never the pay button, and you the seller also want to hear the ‘kerching’ symphony; keep it simple and make sales.
 
Zo Nicholas

YouTube battles on

Following up on the YouTube legal battle vs Viacom that has hit the headlines in the past few days, one has to ask the question, is ANYTHING PRIVATE THESE DAYS? is there no ‘users privacy’ these days? or is privacy a thing of the past.

When joining all these different free video sites, dare we put our information in? Are all users tarred with the same brush that they are there to view ‘illegal’ copies of films etc. If you are no connosieur of the film industry, how is the viewer to  know what is pirated and illegal and what is not. So, where does the responsibility lie, with the viewer to question everything before watching, with the video publisher or the program owner to verify and monitor all uploaded videos?

Why do people join Youtube - for a laugh, for a bit of fun, to show of their creativity, for a bit of exhibitionism or a way to let of steam? Many and varied reasons, thats for sure, but beware, big brother is watching YOU.

Latest  twitter on the net:

Twitter vs Technorati:
Technorati is losing ground to Twitter, the new boy on the block. You can read the LATEST news and decide.
We wait with baited breathe to see the outcome.

Its time to join Twitter and tweet and  Twhirl  all day long with family, friends and colleagues.

Zo Nicholas