Breaking into a niche

18 replies
I think the sports niche and fitness niche are my calling as far as being able to discuss something daily and being able to write articles about without struggling.
Now that I have somewhat generalized my niche I want to get a start sooner than later. I've read that you should never start with a site , so where should I begin?

Whenever I close my eyes and visualize myself within internet marketing with this niche I see myself making YouTube videos , running social media accounts giving links to my articles, game predictions, breaking news and etc.. I'd also like to start blogging but if i'm writing articles wouldn't that somewhat be the same thing?


Basically what i'm asking for is somewhat of a blueprint to point me in the right direction to get my feet on the ground without failing.
#breaking #niche
  • Profile picture of the author Devid Farah
    Originally Posted by Ccitrano View Post

    I think the sports niche and fitness niche ...
    Those are MARKETS and huge. Which one you prefer? Id start with one.

    Originally Posted by Ccitrano View Post

    I've read that you should never start with a site
    Huh? .. This is nonsense.

    Why you shouldnt start with a website?

    You can setup a blog with wp in minutes and being in business already. Write , say 2/3 posts per week as you start and start getting traffic to it. As soon as your blog becomes popular and start getting visitors, you'll want to setup an optin box giving away a free offer(related to your market) and start building your list.

    There are many free ways to drive traffic to your blog/website. Start with them if you dont have a budget.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8579333].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Ccitrano
      Appreciate the quick reply!

      I dont recall the exact source but people were going on and on about not starting from the website first. To me it seems starting with the website to have something to send people to would be the general first step or so , correct me if im wrong.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8579356].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author Devid Farah
        Originally Posted by Ccitrano View Post

        Appreciate the quick reply!

        I dont recall the exact source but people were going on and on about not starting from the website first. To me it seems starting with the website to have something to send people to would be the general first step or so , correct me if im wrong.
        Please be careful who you take advice from.

        Having your own website is the best thing to start. U kiddin me?

        You can already start branding yourself and start populate your blog with your OWN content/posts and attract visitors on your website. Everything has a process, take your time.

        You have to know that paid traffic is the best way to skyrocket your presence on the net and your income to the next level but since you are new i suggest you to start getting popular using FREE traffic methods.

        There's classified ads, web directories submission, social networking. the simple forum marketing strategy, blog submission etc. There are over 600 FREE traffic strategies you can choose from.

        Here's what id do; id choose some methods and id build a traff plan to follow each and every day for at least one month. Its all about consistency.

        Build authority and trust thru your blog and only after you got some credibility start getting subscribers on your list. Build your list asap.

        Master all these important aspects.

        Good luck!
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8579464].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author rizy
    Dang read a few newbie posts, but imp sorry to say this newbie is completely lost, and I'm a newbie lol.

    YOU ALWAYS START WITH A WEBSITE!
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8579476].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
      Banned
      Originally Posted by rizy View Post

      YOU ALWAYS START WITH A WEBSITE!
      I don't.

      Not by shouting it out in block capitals, and not in any other style, either.

      I start with a traffic-generation plan, and at least the beginnings of an autoresponder series. Without those I have nothing that leads to income, and those are the time-consuming parts that require all the careful research and planning.

      I'll need some sort of website at some point too, of course, but it might be just a 2-3-page blog, to start with. I'm a full-time affiliate marketer, so for me, the website's a very small component, by comparison, which takes very little time, and its importance in the overall scheme of generating income is greatly overemphasised. It's certainly not "where I start".

      Just my perspective, but I think the OP was perhaps rather well advised, here, in the first place.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8579573].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author Steve B
        ccitrano and Devid,

        Some of the confusion about where to start with Internet marketing may be due to understanding what experienced marketers call "niche research." In addition, I believe that your web site purpose may also hold some keys to how you proceed.

        First, your web site purpose.

        If you want to build a blog and share your ideas, thoughts, and conversations with the world then it's OK to get started with your platform as Devid has mentioned. I concur with Lexy that a traffic plan, at the outset, will be very helpful and will have an important bearing on the type of platform you choose.

        Niche research.

        If you're contemplating a money-generating venture then starting out of the gate with a web site might not be the best strategy. You may end up having to re-do, greatly modify or start over from scratch if your site doesn't "mesh" with or contribute to your optimal money making strategy.

        For instance, you may decide that you want to sell physical goods (something like an Amazon store). Is it best to welcome your traffic to a blog page if this is your strategy? Probably not. But if your blog is already the main focal point of your web site, your typical options for your store are as a subdomain, a link off site, or a subsection of your blog, none of which are optimal (in most cases) for an online retailer.

        The same thing could be said about other types or purposes of web sites.

        Niche research (in very simplified terms) is all about starting your business by finding a hungry audience, figuring out what they want, and then determining how you're going to position your business to meet that need. In this scenario, waiting to put up a site so you have an appropriate domain name and selling platform makes perfect sense. Niche research doesn't have to be lengthy, costly, or drawn out.

        Your business might be best monetized with an affiliate site, a membership site, a niche product site, or any number of other types of sites depending upon your purpose and strategy. With any of these types of sites you can still have a blog, but setting it up to be optimal requires some planning.

        In summary, my feeling is that you should first do some research and have a plan that will help you to identify the best type of site for what you're wanting to do. Then when you understand where you're going and what vehicle (type of site and method of monetization) will best take you there - that's the time to decide on setting up the site.

        I hope this makes sense.

        The very best to you,

        Steve
        Signature

        Steve Browne, online business strategies, tips, guidance, and resources
        SteveBrowneDirect

        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8579611].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author Kecia
        Originally Posted by Alexa Smith View Post

        I don't.

        Not by shouting it out in block capitals, and not in any other style, either.

        I start with a traffic-generation plan, and at least the beginnings of an autoresponder series. Without those I have nothing that leads to income, and those are the time-consuming parts that require all the careful research and planning.

        I'll need some sort of website at some point too, of course, but it might be just a 2-3-page blog, to start with. I'm a full-time affiliate marketer, so for me, the website's a very small component, by comparison, which takes very little time, and its importance in the overall scheme of generating income is greatly overemphasised. It's certainly not "where I start".

        Just my perspective, but I think the OP was perhaps rather well advised, here, in the first place.

        Didn't you say in another thread recently that you no longer use squeeze pages much either? If you don't have that or a website, how do you begin with building a list in a new niche?
        Signature
        KeciaHambrick.com - Blogger. Content Creator. Social Media Enthusiast.
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8581281].message }}
        • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
          Banned
          Sorry, Kecia - I've only just seen your questions now that the thread once again found itself on the front page.

          Originally Posted by Kecia View Post

          Didn't you say in another thread recently that you no longer use squeeze pages much either?
          Yes, I don't use squeeze pages at all, and probably won't again, mostly for these reasons.

          Originally Posted by Kecia View Post

          If you don't have that or a website, how do you begin with building a list in a new niche?
          I do have a website. I have a prominently incentivized opt-in on the content-rich landing page (which in my case is almost always the home page) of a content-rich site. Apologies if my wording was confusing, above.
          {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8608656].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Tim3
      Originally Posted by rizy View Post

      Dang read a few newbie posts, but imp sorry to say this newbie is completely lost, and I'm a newbie lol.

      you always start with a website
      Ummm - Fail - Always start with a plan

      I have silenced your comment :p
      Signature

      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8579631].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author Devid Farah
        Originally Posted by Alexa Smith View Post

        I start with a traffic-generation plan, and at least the beginnings of an autoresponder series. Without those I have nothing that leads to income, and those are the time-consuming parts that require all the careful research and planning.
        Definitely agreed, Alexa.

        No traffic, no income.

        This is why it is so important to crank out a very detailed traffic plan that you can spread over a month at least and follow it each and every day. Consistency is the magic word here. If you are on a budget, start with free traffic methods. Then RINSE and REPEAT.

        But problem is that people are led to believe that all it takes is to create a website put it online and traffic will come by itself.

        Some people are not willing to take the time and do the necessary work. And then wonder why they are not succeeding.


        @Steve,

        we tend to overcomplicate things that only take few minutes to get started.

        Its so easy, and for this reason we overcomplicate pretty much everything.

        I was literally astonished when the op said "I've read that you should never
        start with a site"? Huh? NEVER?

        He already stated that would like to break into the sports or fitness market and sincerely you and i both know that sports and fitness are multi billion dollar industries. I already know there's a HUGE demand here. Its evergreen.

        Originally Posted by Steve B View Post

        For instance, you may decide that you want to sell physical goods (something like an Amazon store). Is it best to welcome your traffic to a blog page if this is your strategy? Probably not. But if your blog is already the main focal point of your web site, your typical options for your store are as a subdomain, a link off site, or a subsection of your blog, none of which are optimal (in most cases) for an online retailer.
        This depends on which business you wanna start. Of course you drive traffic directly to your amazon store, but he didnt mention physical products but i see that you are referring to them.... i was talking from the perspective of an info product creator.

        Personally i wouldn't suggest to a newbie to sell physycal products today.

        Originally Posted by Steve B View Post

        Niche research (in very simplified terms) is all about starting your business by finding a hungry audience, figuring out what they want, and then determining how you're going to position your business to meet that need. In this scenario, waiting to put up a site so you have an appropriate domain name and selling platform makes perfect sense. ....
        ... you can still have a blog, but setting it up to be optimal requires some planning.
        Niche research is essential and critical and one of the first steps to building a successful online business but here he already has an HUNGRY audience in both sports and the fitness market. There's more than enough profit potential here to meet his financial goals, especially if he invest some money to get his business off the ground.

        The best thing you can do is to target a very specific area. Take diets, for example, huge market. You can target vegan diet or more specifically "vegan diet for people on a very limited budget".

        Now, setting up a simple website can take some minutes, everybody can do that... but building a professional one that shows your potential customer that you are serious about your business with a strong personal brand, optimized to show up in the search engines, capturing subscribers(as i was saying above) or facilitate ecommerce takes time and dedication.

        All these things require work and dedication and can be learned along the way.

        Best.
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8579928].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author bloggerd
    Are you going to try and hit all the Markets or you going to niche down an target percific area.

    You could start with the

    - who (who do I want to target) like mentioned above I'd choose one to start with one area
    - marketing plan
    - website/ autoresponder
    - create your own free report/product etc


    That's just my opinion...
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8579707].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author jasondinner
    Choose one and focus on that until you have the process down to a science, then get into the other niche and apply your process.

    Yes, you probably want a website, but it's not mandatory to begin.

    My recommendation based on my personal experience of kicking the back door open and infiltrating niches I have no business being in is to start with Facebook and work backwards from there.

    You can build a massive reach and funnel all of those people wherever you want them to go.

    At least that's what I did. It's not the only way, but it has been extremely effective for me.

    And its much faster than relying on Google, Youtube, guest blogging, and Twitter combined to build up an audience fast.
    Signature

    "Human thoughts have the tendency to transform themselves into their physical equivalent." Earl Nightingale

    Super Affiliates Hang Out Here

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8580799].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author seobro
    It is a great niche to be in. However, competition is serious. Mostly you are fighting big names. Those have a lot of green. Personally, I prefer to find a niche that is very narrow. That way I can grow. Hard to expand when you are going up against major companies. Look for a small sub segment that you can live in. Best strategy is to conquer a niche that is micro size. Most companies will just ignore em.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8582718].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author wholesale blogger
    Great thread and hits on exactly what I am thinking of now.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8608613].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author brettb
    These niches are big but small players can do well in very competitive niches. I've been ranking forums and small time guys do have wildly popular forums in bodybuilding and even credit niches - just think what their AdSense checks must be like each month!

    Also if you have a new IDEA then you can really muscle into a new niche, like Sexy Mandarin did with language learning (a horribly saturated niche, or so you would think).
    Signature
    ÖŽ FindABlog: Find blogs to comment on, guest posting opportunities and more ÖŽ




    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8609205].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Rod Cortez
    Originally Posted by Ccitrano View Post

    I think the sports niche and fitness niche are my calling as far as being able to discuss something daily and being able to write articles about without struggling.
    As already mentioned, these are large markets, not niches. Think of niches as narrowing a market. Let's take the Fitness market as an example, it has hundreds of niches, many of which can be further narrowed down.

    "Six pack abs"
    "Six pack abs for men who have lost more than 50 pounds"
    "Flat Abs After Pregnancy"
    "Bodybuilding For Teenagers"
    "How To Add 25% to 40% To Your Vertical Jump"

    In terms of niches, think of people's (or organizations) needs and/or wants.

    Now that I have somewhat generalized my niche I want to get a start sooner than later. I've read that you should never start with a site , so where should I begin?
    As Steve already mentioned, and I hate to write this but, it depends.

    The challenge with questions like yours is that they are way too broad to really give specific answers. A lot of it depends on what you're interested in or if you see a need or a gap in the market place and you want to fill it by solving a specific problem or meeting a certain need.

    For example, when I first started sending traffic to CPA offers, I didn't use any websites. When I first began writing for Kindle, I didn't have a website (though I quickly put up one up since the website became part of my marketing funnel for each pen name that I used).

    So it's going to depend what kind of business you're going to start on what monetization model(s) you're going to use.

    Whenever I close my eyes and visualize myself within internet marketing with this niche I see myself making YouTube videos , running social media accounts giving links to my articles, game predictions, breaking news and etc.. I'd also like to start blogging but if i'm writing articles wouldn't that somewhat be the same thing?
    Think of it as you're writing content and you're releasing that content on different plaforms.

    Basically what i'm asking for is somewhat of a blueprint to point me in the right direction to get my feet on the ground without failing.
    Some might disagree with me on this one, but with so many different ways to make money online there are probably thousands of "blueprints" out there. I mean, just look at the electic advice you're getting in this thread alone.

    Without knowing more about you, your skillset, your budget, you level of motivation, etc. it's not easy to give you any kind of blueprint. My own personal marketing bias has been to create my own products over the years, but I know that's not the only way to make money.

    RoD
    Signature
    "Your personal philosophy is the greatest determining factor in how your life works out."
    - Jim Rohn
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8609404].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author john12
    The first thing is to start a blog (which is a website) on one of the niches you mentioned..and start interacting with people who are interested in the niche. Another option is to start a Facebook fan page on that niche and generate likes, and comments by posting regularly or running FB Ads to start things off.
    You can then concurrently branch off into email marketing after you have built a subscriber base, and offer them affiliate products or create your own products. This whole process will take some time, and your willingness to learn a lot along the way.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8609460].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author fin
      I think a brandable domain name and the right permalink structure are all you need.

      After that you can jump into it and see what direction the wind takes you. Obviously you can help things along by targeting a small section of the market where you can hit an angle no else is covering.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8609630].message }}

Trending Topics