wulfster1234 asked:

NicheTrends.net The key to niche market research is finding the needs of your target market. Watch over my shoulder as I dive into market research for a niche. Need more ideas? Download a free report on hot niche trends on http

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Susan Hutson asked:




A niche market is a specialized market segment where you cater to the demand of products/ services that are not currently being supplied to by the main suppliers. It is essentially a narrowly defined market segment.

Why establish a niche market?

Simply because of the great advantage of being the sole supplier – a monopoly, or a single dominant supplier – in your target market. Small businesses may be unaware of that particular niche while large businesses won’t bother with it. The trick is to capitalize on this and develop a niche market where customers are accessible and which isn’t already owned by an established vendor.

Why Niche marketing?

Niche marketing is a very effective means of advertising as it focuses on a specific target group. Unlike other forms of marketing which tend to focus on the entire market niche marketing centers around one particular market segment. This focus on a particular market segment enables you to address the unique requirements of that target group. There a few guidelines to follow when carrying out niche marketing:

1) Meet customers’ unique needs.

Product features and benefits must have a unique appeal to your target market (market niche). You have to provide a tailor made product that will satisfy the unique requirements of your customers. A good starting point is to consider all possible product/ service variations that you can offer.

2) Say the right thing.

It’s important that you speak out to your audience in their language when reaching out to your new market niche. This is to say that it’s critical to understand how your target market works and communicate with your target market as a member of the group not as an outsider. Product features may need to be altered including basic elements apart from carrying out a separate campaign for your new niche.

In situations where the new niche market isn’t affected by demographics (changes in language or customs, an understanding of the key issues of your member’s is still needed to succeed. For example, an online business, which caters to men’s leather goods, wants to also target working women.

As it is with men, they too prefer the ease of shopping online but in their case, they would like more content as they are then able to make a more comprehensive evaluation of the products and the company which markets them. The Web marketer needs to alter the way of communicating by way of expanding its site along with revising its marketing campaign in order to successfully generate more sales from the new niche.

3) Always Test-market.

Prior to taking your next step, perform an assessment of your direct competitors that you’ll encounter in your latest market niche. By doing this you will be able to determine an action plan of how you should go about positioning your products against them.

In order to obtain a good overview of the situation, it’s best that you carry out a competitor analysis by evaluating competitors’ brochures ads, and Web sites, while keeping a lookout for their key sales points, pricing policies, delivery and customer service for instance.

4) But what if there is no existing competition?

As hard as it’s to believe, having no competition at all doesn’t mean all is well. True, this might suggest that other companies haven’t as yet been able to come up with the product or service which this niche wants to buy. On the other hand, it may well be that various companies have attempted and failed in penetrating this group. It’s a good idea therefore to test-market your products carefully in order to determine the market’s response to your products or services and message.

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John Bradley Jackson asked:




Niche marketers should price their products and services based on the value received by the customer: it is the customer’s perception of value that counts. If you calculate price based on cost and/or the competition, you are not in a niche market or you are pricing incorrectly.

Niche market customers buy your product or service because it is different from the other options available. That difference is your value and it can be worth a premium price. Value is subjective and not every customer will need your product’s unique benefits, but this is how niche marketing works. As a niche marketer, you focus on serving a market segment that has been overlooked or underserved; the value or difference you add is your special knowledge of their unique needs.

The value can come in the form of unique product or service features that you add. That value could come in many forms, even prestige. For example, Tiffany’s is a “prestige” brand for jewelry; people buy jewelry at Tiffany’s because of the brand. Yet, diamonds are diamonds. You can buy the same quality diamonds at Costco, but you don’t get the prestige buying experience. For the Tiffany’s customer, it is worth the price premium to walk out the store with the Tiffany’s bag or box.

Value based pricing is determined as the highest amount that a customer will pay for your product or service given the unique value that you offer when compared to the other alternatives. By giving the niche customer exactly what they want, there are no other real alternatives. If that is the case, price it accordingly.

John Bradley Jackson brings street-savvy sales and marketing experience from Silicon Valley and Wall Street. His resume also includes entrepreneur, angel investor, corporate trainer, philanthropist, and consultant. His book is called “First, Best, or Different: What Every Entrepreneur Needs to Know About Niche Marketing”.

Check out his website at: www.firstbestordifferent.com or his blog at www.firstbestordifferent.com/blog

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wulfster1234 asked:

NicheTrends.net If you’re stuck trying to find niche ideas for your niche marketing, here are some free tools that I use to find hot trends that may help you as well. You can also download a free report of the hottest niche marketing trends of 2008 at http

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Benjamin Seow Chu Yan asked:




When internet marketing was first catching on there were fewer people to target. Consequently the internet marketer could simply market to anyone on the internet without having to worry about things like industry niche and so on. There was simply no need for targeted marketing. Back in those days the range of products too had a nearly universal appeal that again meant generic marketing for the whole net. The only concern was to reach as many people as possible regardless of any demographic variation.

Things have changed drastically with the internet population increasing every day. Today the internet has become specialized as it tries to reach specific segments of people. Products too have become user-centric. All of this has resulted in a desperate need for focus in marketing because an ill defined target means advertisement campaign budget being wasted as the wrong audience will be viewing the ads.

Niche advertising has become the reality of internet marketing today. There is no percentage in general marketing. There is a plenty of size variation within niches. The key thing is that all niches have peculiar defining characteristics and demographic appeal that defines the marketing strategy that will work with them.

A good internet marketer always looks for undeserved niches. This means that the best niche to advertise in is one that falls within a common pool of the demographic appeal but has yet to be discovered by other internet marketers. Finding such niches is becoming quite difficult but once you have found an undeserving niche and you have the means to cater to its needs then you are in good business.

This is how niche internet marketing works. By finding an undiscovered niche and then catering to its requirements. Sometimes it may seem that you have found a new niche but that is not the case. You need thorough research to confirm that the niche you are going to work with is truly underserved. You must also double check to make sure that your products and services will appeal to this niche. Only then should you start thinking on developing your product.

This is not as easy as it sounds because every step will require extensive research and confirmation that things are indeed as they appear to be. Any lapse in this process means that you will have spent a lot of time and money on trying to work with a niche that was not meant for you at all.

What you need to keep in mind is that even if the going is tough the end result is well worth every bit of effort you make. Niche marketing is the most rewarding form of internet operation that anyone could do. It is difficult yes but nothing pays as well as niche marketing.

Niche marketing works well because there is no sales resistance. Your prospects are simply waiting for you to make them an offer and help you sell your product. There is also no competition because you will be the one to have discovered the niche. No one else knows about it and hence no one is marketing to it.

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Shonika Proctor asked:




Niche Marketing, it is one of those things that is so simple that it is complex. The understanding of the niche market and the customer that fits the profile for that market is one of the main reasons why small businesses excel, yet the lack of understanding of it one of the top reasons why small businesses often fail. Many people do not understand 1. what it is or what it means and 2. the power of it when paired properly with your target customer and leveraged with the business brand.

So what is a Niche?

It is a specialized product or service for a special profile customer. i.e. a Doggie Day Care. It is a day care only for dogs and not for pets in general and the only people who could benefit from such a service are people who own dogs.

People may think to themselves, why would someone want to ‘limit themselves’ or narrowly define their market? But think of it this way.

How ‘Big’ is Your Small Number?

If you are in the clothing industry (t-shirt business) for instance think of the two ways you are likely to make money. First you could mass produce t-shirts overseas and sell them for a high mark up. Think of selling t-shirts on street corner stands in popular tourist cities and the Wal Marts across the nation. They sell for less but you can sell them in mass quantity. Or on the flip side you can sell limited edition products. Sell less shirts that market to a specific gender, race and income profile person. This is a niche.

Think of this, by our very nature, we often start small businesses with a niche in mind. Say you have worked in a certain type of corporate industry for many years and you get that entrepreneurial bug. You say to yourself, ‘The people who run this company are clueless. They are missing a big opportunity by not offering our clients XYZ service or product’. So you go off and incorporate your business and you start your business with that niche offering in mind. But then between getting sidetracked by trying to learn the business of running a business which you were totally not expecting and getting your marketing collateral and website in place, you realize that now 3 months have already passed and you haven’t even been soliciting new clients. Now you are worried that your 3-6 month savings is going to run out, so you go into panic mode and start getting goofy and desperate. You tell everyone you meet you can do the same services that your other company provided but for a cheaper price.

Yes, perhaps you can do all that stuff, but the question is: Why would you want to overwhelm yourself like that? And better yet, why would you devalue yourself at the beginning. When you offer a niche service, it means you are an expert in a specialized field, hence you are worth more. Even though capitalism is the way of the U.S. the people who are most successful in their respective niche markets did what they had a passion for doing and learned how to solve a problem. Although many businesses understand what their niche is from the beginning but the disconnect is they don’t usually understand how to position or market their niche or how to find their ‘target customer’. So instead they start expanding their business model and begin offering too many services and products that ultimately their target customers get confused and begin to compare them to the likes of their former employer or companies that have a stronger presence and credibility and store front. In order to avoid getting lost in the sauce, you have to focus on a smaller market not a larger one. You can either be the big fish in the pond or the little fish in the sea.

How Do I Figure Out My Niche?

1. Do something you love and the money will follow. Do not think of popularity of a trend or something that ‘can make a lot of money’. Do what it is you really like to do, whether it is offer one specific product or service. In the end if you truly love doing that thing, on the days you are not feeling so upbeat about business, your love for that thing you do will help to keep you inspired and motivate you to find a way to make it work out. (this is your niche)

2. Solve a Problem. Think of the problem you solve for the marketplace by offering their product or service. People don’t like to be sold, but they love to buy based on something that brings value to their livelihood or solves a problem. (this is your value add)

3. Identify who could benefit from this product or service: Detail everything about the profile of your target customer including gender, age, race, socio-economic background, the color of their shoes, whatever common things you can think of regarding your customer. (While some of these factors may vary from business to business, this more or less becomes your target or profile customer).

Note: 1, 2 and 3 essentially make you your elevator speech.

4. Wherever They Go, There You Are. Think of the places those specific customers congregate, socialize, interact. Think of the publications they read, their online and offline shopping trends and habits and start spending more time in those places. You should know as you have spent a great deal of time with this type of person. They should all be found in common places. If you are struggling be more specific about #3. (This becomes your short and long term marketing strategy).

5. Empower people. If you want to become a powerful person, you must empower others. People often think when they ‘give away’ important and valuable information or resources that people will use it ‘against them’ and they will become powerless. On the contrary, both your customers and your competitors will see you as a resource and ultimately they will build trust in you.

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Todd Ash asked:




The word “niche” comes from a French word that means to nest. Niche marketing is targeting a product or service to a small portion of a market that is not being readily served by the mainstream product or service marketers. Nearly every business fast food chains, convenience stores, even Wal-Mart was begun to fill perceived voids in the market place. However, niche marketing usually refers to small or moderate size businesses or farms that produce a specialty product or service for a limited segment of the market.

Market niches can be geographic areas, a specialty industry, ethnic or age groups, or any other particular group of people. Sometimes a niche product can be a variation of a common product that is not produced and marketed by the main marketing firms.

Niche markets may be ignored or discounted by large businesses due to what they consider to be small potential; this in turn is part of the process that makes the niche market available to smaller businesses. The key to capitalizing on a niche market is to find or develop a market niche that has customers who are accessible, that is growing fast enough, and that is not owned by one established vendor already.

Niche marketers are often reliant on the loyalty business model to maintain a profitable volume of sales. The term “niche” was first used by ecologists to describe a species’ position and use of resources within its environment. When used in business the term implies a situation or an activity perfectly suited to a person or a given type of personality.

The answer for most agents is a target of 500-1,000 homes. Focusing on a niche market enables you to reach the consumers with the frequency and quality to generate the awareness required to win business. That is the power of focus. Because an agent runs a very small business in comparison to the entire real estate market, it is critical to identify a niche and serve it properly. First, there are plenty of niche markets to choose from. There are literally thousands of underserved niche markets within real estate and more developing every day.

Focusing on a niche market enables you to reach the consumers with the frequency and quality to generate the awareness required to win business. Because an agent runs a very small business in comparison to the entire real estate market, it is critical to identify a niche and serve it properly.

The alternative, attempting to market yourself to an entire geographic region, for example, is the fastest way to waste money in real estate. There are literally thousands of underserved niche markets within real estate and more developing every day. A market is underserved if its needs are not being sufficiently catered to by the currently available service providers.

Another man makes a million dollars a year selling educational material to the carpet cleaning niche market. Yet another sells reports to small businesses to the tune of $25,000 a month. Take a look around the Internet niche markets are thriving. Practically every product or service sold on the Internet is part of it’s own unique niche market a specific field or area of interest. Plenty niche marketers do just that. For example, one man makes an easy six figure income from his website teaching self esteem to children through Karate.

Directories are also broken up into categories for you but there are also niche directories that focus even more on a specific niche. You can usually find niche directories by searching Google or any search engine you like for a specific keyword about your business. Some examples include: MySpace, Facebook and You Tube. Many social media sites are already broken up into niche markets.

Once you’ve established where you niche community is you can begin to target their needs. All three of the above alternatives to finding your niche markets have to do with getting involved.

To maintain a profitable volume of sales, niche marketers are reliant on the loyalty of customers. To increase the customer loyalty it is important to focus on the quality of the product or service provided, this will generate customer satisfaction, trust in the product or service, and consequently sales. Type in your niche market term describing your product and you will see how many searches for this term and other related terms were done in the past month.

The number of searches per month will depend on the niche market, but in general look for terms that are not higher than 20,000 a month. As a thumb rule, you should look for terms that have less than 1,000,000 searches per month for Google, 400,000 for Yahoo and 250,000 for MSN. Based on the balance between demand and supply you could reduce the number of terms and narrow down your market niche.

Examples are custom welding and hoof trimming. So, one way to recognize the potential for a niche market is to think about those goods and services you need. Many people have hobbies they enjoy, or develop special skills. Sometimes these hobbies and special skills can evolve into a niche market. It is obvious from the table that niche marketing is everywhere. Sometimes the niche served is so narrow that the product is aimed at one small group within a market.

Creating Niche web sites is currently the hottest topic on the Net today. Affiliate Marketers would do well to pay attention to this trend, this present day success system. This Niche Marketing Information Center, is rich with information and is here for you. Niche Marketing is in, as well as Affiliate Programs for Niche Markets. Internet Marketing is so competitve and saturated with thousands, even hundreds of thousands, all trying to sell information products about how to sell information products and be profitable online. Where does it end?

Research and choose your keywords carefully so you can acquire the best domain name for your site. Niche marketing most often includes maximizing the way search engines work to make sure that your web site gets listed on the first page of the SERP’s from your chosen keywords.

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