Is your website targeting a niche market?
Whether you are following the advice of top Internet Marketers
or if you just happened to have a business that caters to
a very specific target audience, you must be able to find
them, and they must be able to find YOU.
One of the joys of niche marketing is the luxury of tapping
into a favorite hobby, occupation or expertise and building
a business around it.
If you are expanding an existing off-line business by setting
up a webpage you may find your most valuable contacts right
in your store. Make some brochures or cards that announce
your online presence, or ask customers if they'd like to
sign up for your online newsletter.
Now you can contact your customers about new products,
industry news or specials with no postage costs or time
consuming envelope stuffing.
Invite your subscribers to recommend the site to friends
who are interested in the topic. Even better, have a place
on your website to 'tell a friend'. Your visitor will enter
their own email address and name as the sender of the message
to avoid spam complaints. Warning - do not start emailing
the invitee unless they sign up personally for your newsletter.
Niche sites will really benefit from a newsletter. Create
a small free gift, such as a special report or how-to manual
that they will receive with their subscription. By providing
valuable information related to your topic you will gain
the trust of subscribers. By contacting them at least several
times a year - up to once a week if possible - they will
always be reminded of your website when looking for information
or products in your niche.
Create a website that has informative content. Incorporate
the keywords (words or phrases visitors type into their
search engines) into the content to improve your place in
the search engines.
Write articles that will set you up as an 'industry expert'.
If you don't feel capable of writing them yourself you can
hire a ghostwriter. End the article with your name, a comment
about your business and a link to your website. Submit your
article to relevant websites or ask if website owners would
like to use your contribution. Be sure they agree to keep
your name and website link intact.
You may find discussion groups that cater to your market.
Involve yourself in their conversations and attach a signature
with your website address if the policies permit. Do not
advertise on these groups, however you may be able to offer
your free item when the situation allows.
Try to determine where your market is. Are they parents?
Retirees? Home owners? Pet lovers? If you are selling art
supplies you may find hobby sites will cater to your audience.
If you sell information for do-it-yourself projects you
should show up in home decorating as well as financial sites
('Save Money on Home Building Projects!' for example).
Always look for new opportunities and offer your best,
the rest will follow!
