Niche Marketing Should Be Like Selling Shovels to Miners - Demand is Supreme

In the 1850s in California, during the great gold rush days, anything having to do with gold mining sold easily and rapidly. Without tools the miners were helpless. Not much could be done with hands alone. Shovels were at a premium. You could ask almost any price for mining tools because the demand was so great.

I am not suggesting price gouging, but the principle for successful niche marketing is the same today. If you go where the demand is greatest, the value of the product will be reflected in the amount of sales. Outside of gold and possibly a few other precious metals, value is never inherent in the products themselves. The value is relative to the need. A market can only be created when there is a need. The need may only be a perceived need, but it is a need nontheless.

Some niches are perennial successes, while others are fads like the pet rocks of many years ago. The important thing is to be at the right time and right place with the right product. Wow, how do we do that? Wasn't that a brilliant conclusion? That one statement if applied properly could make you a millionaire! So, what are some of the key factors you should consider in picking your niche?

1. Keep up with what the key marketers are marketing. Imitation is the greatest form of flattery and if is working for the marketing greats, it might just work for you. I am on so many email lists of top marketers that I can't keep up with all the offers. I even buy one occasionally. I am more interested in products they sell than the systems they promote. I learned early that many of the top marketers make more money off their systems than they do off of products that appeal to buyers outside of the entrepreneurs themselves. I am not knocking the success of the marketers, but merely pointing out that not all entrepreneurs can follow these top marketers lead and be as successful as they appear to be.
2. It is not necessary to sell a product that you personally like. This statement is contrary to what some teach. It is more important to have a product with a large demand from others regardless of whether it is a product that you yourself use or even like. If you are selling an informational product, it is likely to be on a topic that you like, but what others need is much more important than what you like.
3. Start small and think big. It is better to set up a series of websites that each produce a few dollars a day to start with than to spend considerable time and money making one website that you feel is going to make you thousands a week. Those sites do exist but they are not the norm.
4. Be persistent. This factor alone will lead to more success than all others combined. It is a small percentage of internet marketers that succeed in their first few attempts, but it is these few who get the most press. Don't worry about how fast you grow and profit, but spend time perfecting the offers that are working. Time is in your favor.

There is no one answer to niche marketing. Any marketing, like life itself, is a continuous learning experience. Look for goldminers to sell shovels to.

Dr. Lamar Ross, a cultural anthropologist by training, has a special interest in training individuals for expatriate living and providing information on unique travel destinations. He is an author, educator, photographer, internet entrepreneur, and international traveler. He has lived in the United States, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and India and has traveled extensively in 29 different countries. His pensionado visa for Panama has been approved and he will be spending more time in Panama in the near future. He speaks both English and Spanish fluently and has a basic ability in several other languages. For more information on expatriate living, check out the blog Expatriate Traveler Notes. Check out also his Webinfopreneur-Com Blog for more on information marketing.