Passion + Niche = Profitable Domain?

29 replies
Really nervous... This is my first post and first internet marketing leap, but here it goes... So, I've been studying internet marketing for quite a while now. There's a lot of confusing information out there. I have a bad case of "Paralysis by Analysis". The only way I see out is to get in action. Everyone says to start with a passion, find a niche, then build a good website around that. Right? Well, one of my passions is a niche. It's drones. I was gifted a micro drone for christmas. It was all good and fun until a breeze suddenly crashed it into a tree. Now, I pretty much just surf the web and look at drone videos, pix, for sale, etc. Then the idea hit me. Put all this internet marketing studying to work! From what I understand a good domain name has your top keyword in it. So I started typing in domain name ideas into GoDaddy. I found Top Ten Drones For Sale .com is for sale. This looks like a good domain name. It has my keyword, a call to action, and has a top ten - I could sell ten different drones! I could make a website with everything top ten about drones. Top ten news articles, top ten drones, top ten kits, top ten RTF - that means ready to fly, top ten accessories, and on and on and on... The only thing is, it's kind of expensive. But from what all the sales and marketing gurus say nothing is too expensive if you can double it. I could even have a top ten high end drone list. Selling a couple of drones on that list would probably pay for the domain. Like I said, I'm getting in action now, and seeking advice. What are your thoughts on this domain name? Should I bid on it? Would you bid on it? Thanks, in advance... A total noob.
#domain #niche #passion #profitable
  • Profile picture of the author BigFrank
    Banned
    Sorry for being negatory - but I have a better idea for you. Flap your arms real hard and fly to the moon. Ideas are great, but worth nothing. You have outlined 6 months of work that will need to be implemented, Can you do all of that?

    Do you have an estimate in mind of how high you are willing to bid on that domain name? Are there any bids, now? Is there anything hotter on the planet right now, than drones?

    A lot to think about.

    You will now see my post followed by dozens telling you that is you simply believe in your idea, you will achieve your goal. Those folks don't really care if you live or die. They just like to hear themselves talk with no regard for you, at all. I suggest you ignore them lest your quest end in personal disappointment and financial ruin.

    But hey, - it's your life. Do what you think is the most prudent. :-)

    Cheers. - Frank
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    • Profile picture of the author BravoJoe
      Wow. Maybe this joining a forum idea wasn't such a good idea...
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      • Profile picture of the author Tom Addams
        Originally Posted by BravoJoe View Post

        Wow. Maybe this joining a forum idea wasn't such a good idea...
        Don't take it personally. You made a great post. We're getting a lot of inane threads created by newcomers and it irks some of the regular members. Your post wasn't inane, at all. Frank's advice, God love him, was more like tough love. lol He's a straight-talking guy is all. A lot of us see newcomers arrive and they've been fed pipe-dreams that give them unrealistic expectations. Our local antidote to that is Frank. lol

        Tom
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      • Profile picture of the author The Niche Man
        Originally Posted by BravoJoe View Post

        Wow. Maybe this joining a forum idea wasn't such a good idea...
        Please, lose that attitude as quick as you can. If one persons opinion can turn you around from anything, including coming here you may be in the wrong business.

        The key to using this Forum "correctly" is to ...
        • Take all the information you get, including the critical.
        • Then do your own research
        • Apply your common sense
        • Test the information your research gives you
        ... To form "your own" conclusions!
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        • Profile picture of the author BravoJoe
          Thanks, Niche Man. Yah. That's why I didn't tuck my tail and cower off into the distance... again. Your post just opened up this thought for me, "Maybe this is why they say to pick something you're passionate about.... because you're gonna have to fight for it." I'm trying to soak it all in. Frank's warning and Tom's advice have given me lots to think about. But man, ya know... BuzzFeed has a gazillion lists that get TONS of hits. Maybe I could write an article for them about top ten drones whatever and link to Top Ten Drones For Sale .com in my signature? From what I understand, writing articles is a good thing to do....
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  • Profile picture of the author Tom Addams
    Frank - don't hold back. Tell us what you really think!

    Joe,

    What you're describing has legs. Well . . . wings. (Couldn't resist.) And I rarely say this of ideas from IM newcomers. You've done your research.

    Now for the bad news. Frank - though meek and mild - makes some very valid points. I don't agree with all of them, but one of them stands out, and that one I do agree with it, wholeheartedly:

    "You will now see my post followed by dozens telling you that is you simply believe in your idea, you will achieve your goal. Those folks don't really care if you live or die. They just like to hear themselves talk with no regard for you, at all. I suggest you ignore them lest your quest end in personal disappointment and financial ruin."

    The majority of newcomers fail.

    These are some of the reasons:

    http://www.warriorforum.com/main-int...s-quit-im.html

    Now, I'm not saying any apply to you. After having read your post, and given the majority of other newbie posts, trust me, you're an elite newbie in comparison.

    I only bring this up to highlight 2 very important issues:

    1. Time
    2. Money

    If I've said it once, I've said it 398.8 times: spend both wisely.

    Anyway, some food for thought. The last thing you want to do is blow a lot of money, waste a lot of time, only to find out that IM is the wrong move for you.

    Some advice...

    1. Don't buy the domain.

    It's lousy. I can sell pretty much any domain, but that one? Let's just say, I'd struggle. The metrics are weak, I doubt there's any related domain sales history for similar domains, and you'd have trouble locating a perfect buyer. Not that you'd want to sell it. You're considering it for usage. But these things bear thinking about. If you buy it, you'd be purchasing a domain with little value and weak metrics. If you want a better domain (that you can register for 99 cents), let me know. I bet I can find you one in 5 minutes.

    2. Reviews

    The straight review model doesn't get discussed that much on a daily basis here. We talk mostly about list building, membership sites, so on. Is it a good model? It's a killer model. What concerns me, though, is the market for drones. I'd be worried that your only decent resort would be these 2:

    1. PPC
    2. SEO

    Neither of which are newbie-friendly.

    The review model is, as I say, a good one. You might just want to reconsider what you review.

    As far as site structure goes, most review sites are pretty much like your traditional blogs. You'll find it harder to grow a list, but if you use good opt-in placement and a pop-up and a decent incentive join gift, you'll make it easier.

    Your aim as far as traffic goes should be to build up passive channels. These are great for reviews.

    A few to consider:

    1. Videos (Youtube + Daily Motion)
    2. Forums
    3. Social Groups

    If you want to spend money:

    1. PPC
    2. Media Buys (start with Fiverr, cheap and some nice deals).

    And lastly - before you do anything: make a plan. This is one of the big reasons for failure. No plan. Your plan should outline literally everything you intend to do. Obviously. But it's a good way of seeing problem areas before you get cracking.

    Cheers,

    Tom
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    • Profile picture of the author BigFrank
      Banned
      Originally Posted by Tom Addams View Post

      Frank - don't hold back. Tell us what you really think!
      I'm on fire, today. lol
      Now for the bad news. Frank - though meek and mild - makes some very valid points. I don't agree with all of them, but one of them stands out, and that one I do agree with it, wholeheartedly:
      Joe - Tom is not big on hyperbole. What he is trying to say in his usual well-reasoned and tempered manner, is; "Frank is a totally genius. The only thing larger than his intellect is his brutal honesty. While his words can pierce your dreams like a dagger, his aim is to save you from yourself and the inane suggestions that you will soon be bombarded by."

      That is all. lol

      Cheers. Frank
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      • Profile picture of the author Tom Addams
        Originally Posted by BigFrank View Post

        I'm on fire, today. lol
        Joe - Tom is not big on hyperbole. What he is trying to say in his usual well-reasoned and tempered manner, is; "Frank is a totally genius. The only thing larger than his intellect is his brutal honesty. While his words can pierce your dreams like a dagger, his aim is to save you from yourself and the inane suggestions that you will soon be bombarded by."

        That is all. lol

        Cheers. Frank
        Joe - I think I left out "humble" from meek and mild.

        Frank - That's precisely what I meant. Just didn't want to embarrass you. Sweet, delicate flower that you are.

        Tom
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        • Profile picture of the author BigFrank
          Banned
          Originally Posted by Tom Addams View Post

          Frank - That's precisely what I meant. Just didn't want to embarrass you. Sweet, delicate flower that you are.

          Tom
          Skunk Cabbage - The Putrid Wetland Wildflower. lol

          It's actual name and it grows freely in my neighborhood. Go figure.

          Cheers. - Frank
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      • Profile picture of the author BravoJoe
        <lump in throat><takes a big gulp>

        Ok. Thanks Tom for 'splaining me what Frank was saying. All I got was "STUPID IDIOT! STUPID IDIOT! STUPID IDIOT!" After getting the feelers hurt, here's what I see... Frank is trying to protect a noob from utter disaster. Didn't offer much in the way of assistance or development other than to flash the red siren and deafening alarm of a tornado siren warning of disaster. So, thanks for that Frank. Tom, glad to know that my post isn't inane. I feel like I have to go back to square one. But there's something about that domain name that from what I understand has a ton of potential. Maybe it could be a part of a group of sites that compliment each other. Again, something that I've learned that's supposed to be effective. What do you think?
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        • Profile picture of the author BravoJoe
          BTW how do I do that thank you thing. I see you guys thanking each other. I wanted to do that too but can't figure it out.
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          • Profile picture of the author LynnM
            Originally Posted by BravoJoe View Post

            BTW how do I do that thank you thing. I see you guys thanking each other. I wanted to do that too but can't figure it out.
            One more post and you should get a button showing up alongside the Quote & Reply ones.
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        • Profile picture of the author discrat
          You just got to believe. Just believe. Whatever you set your Mind to ... you can do.

          Its really nothing more than transforming your inner self and most inner desires into reality by taking that first step off the cliff of Life and letting go of all your safety nets . Just practice on a simple, existing plane of thought and nothing more

          Once you reach that level of keen self actualization, the law of attraction will make its way to you. Almost in a automatic and natural manner

          But you must first let all that mental garbage in your head go.
          Break those chains that bound you

          Once you do this , you will find that ever elusive thing we call Success.

          It will ooze out of the very pores of your skin. And drive you to a state of euphoria that you never thought humanly possible

          Can I get an Amen, brothers
          Frank ? lol
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          • Profile picture of the author The Niche Man
            Originally Posted by discrat View Post

            You just got to believe. Just believe. Whatever you set your Mind to , you can do.

            Its really noting more than transforming your inner self and most inner desires into reality by taking that first step off the cliff of Life and letting go of all your safety nets . Just practice on an existing plane of thought and nothing more

            . Once you reach thatlevel of self actualization the law of attraction willl make its way to you.

            But you must first let all that mental garbage in your jead go.
            Break those chains that bound you

            Once you do this , you will find that ever elusive Success.

            It will ooze out of the very pores of your skin. And drive you to a state of euphoria that you never thought possible

            Can I get an Amen, brothers Frank ? lol
            Hallelujah brother (hands raised)
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          • Profile picture of the author BigFrank
            Banned
            Originally Posted by discrat View Post

            Can I get an Amen, brothers Frank ? lol
            Straight from the Church of Jonathan. Hallelujah, brother. :-)

            Cheers. - Frank

            P.S. You did leave out, 'build a list, scale-up, rinse and repeat.' Without those, you will never achieve success. Well, maybe if you just believe a little harder!
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          • Profile picture of the author Tom Addams
            Originally Posted by discrat View Post

            You just got to believe. Just believe. Whatever you set your Mind to ... you can do.

            Its really nothing more than transforming your inner self and most inner desires into reality by taking that first step off the cliff of Life and letting go of all your safety nets . Just practice on a simple, existing plane of thought and nothing more

            Once you reach that level of keen self actualization, the law of attraction will make its way to you. Almost in a automatic and natural manner

            But you must first let all that mental garbage in your head go.
            Break those chains that bound you

            Once you do this , you will find that ever elusive thing will call Success.

            It will ooze out of the very pores of your skin. And drive you to a state of euphoria that you never thought humanly possible

            Can I get an Amen, brothers
            Frank ? lol
            This.

            Cheers,

            Tom
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        • Profile picture of the author BigFrank
          Banned
          Originally Posted by BravoJoe View Post

          <lump in throat><takes a big gulp>

          Ok. Thanks Tom for 'splaining me what Frank was saying. All I got was "STUPID IDIOT! STUPID IDIOT! STUPID IDIOT!"
          Not at all, Joe. Never my intent, except for when I type those actual words, which I only do when required.
          After getting the feelers hurt, here's what I see... Frank is trying to protect a noob from utter disaster. Didn't offer much in the way of assistance or development other than to flash the red siren and deafening alarm of a tornado siren warning of disaster. So, thanks for that Frank.
          You have a valid complain, but that is NOT what I do. I'm an old man. I don't limit my advice to this forum. My services are required in many other places so I am always to and fro. I'll do the dirty work, since I'm fearless in that regard, but you can and will have to depend on Tom for sound advice. We both have our clearly defined roles and I rarely step on his toes by imparting good advice in public view. He's a lot younger and has the patience. Additionally - his experience is more IM-centric where mine is a bit more 'old-school.' I believe it's equally as relevant, when I do offer it - but I just don't have the patience for it. I generally reserve that for when someone PM's me for honest input. I will always respond to any serious query if I believe I can help you in any way. When I feel as if I have nothing important to offer you, I will always strive to put you in touch with someone whom I believe can help you.

          Additionally, you popped in on one of those days where I was already on a roll and you got tsunami'd. I'll never be accused of being Mary Poppins, but I'm rarely that rough on a newbie. After reading my post, again - I don't think I was really that rough on you, though

          That said, take anything I say in stride. It's well known that I'm one head bump away from potted-plant status.

          Cheers. - Frank
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        • Profile picture of the author zdebx
          Originally Posted by BravoJoe View Post

          <lump in throat><takes a big gulp>

          Ok. Thanks Tom for 'splaining me what Frank was saying. All I got was "STUPID IDIOT! STUPID IDIOT! STUPID IDIOT!" After getting the feelers hurt, here's what I see... Frank is trying to protect a noob from utter disaster. Didn't offer much in the way of assistance or development other than to flash the red siren and deafening alarm of a tornado siren warning of disaster. So, thanks for that Frank. Tom, glad to know that my post isn't inane. I feel like I have to go back to square one. But there's something about that domain name that from what I understand has a ton of potential. Maybe it could be a part of a group of sites that compliment each other. Again, something that I've learned that's supposed to be effective. What do you think?
          That domain is total crap. Forget about it.

          When choosing a domain, you want it to be BRANDABLE, you want to stand out, be easily remembered, be unique, etc.

          Some examples would be, droneland.com or maybe droneworld.com or possibly dronezone.com....Yeah, I'm not too creative, but you get the point.

          However, drones seem to be a very tiny niche, so you might want to re-consider it and go for something bigger. You should sign up with Google Adwords here > https://adwords.google.com/KeywordPlanner

          And use their keyword tool to find the volume of main keywords per month. Don't get too hang up on numbers, but you just want to make sure that there's a demand in your niche and even better do some Google'ing looking for your competitors and see how many sites come up.
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          • Profile picture of the author BravoJoe
            Thanks, zdebx. I've already looked at Google Keywords. AR drones and gopro drones are two products that get lots of searches and are two of the top ten drones that I could sell. I dunno. I guess I'm just stuck on the top ten thing. I don't see anything out there like that right now.... "Top Ten" + drone stuff. I have a bunch of links to stuff that I could easily turn into top tens. Then again, I like lists like that.... But on BuzzFeed, those kinds of lists get lots of hits... ???
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        • Profile picture of the author Tom Addams
          Originally Posted by BravoJoe View Post

          <lump in throat><takes a big gulp>

          Ok. Thanks Tom for 'splaining me what Frank was saying. All I got was "STUPID IDIOT! STUPID IDIOT! STUPID IDIOT!" After getting the feelers hurt, here's what I see... Frank is trying to protect a noob from utter disaster. Didn't offer much in the way of assistance or development other than to flash the red siren and deafening alarm of a tornado siren warning of disaster. So, thanks for that Frank. Tom, glad to know that my post isn't inane. I feel like I have to go back to square one. But there's something about that domain name that from what I understand has a ton of potential. Maybe it could be a part of a group of sites that compliment each other. Again, something that I've learned that's supposed to be effective. What do you think?
          Glad we haven't scared you off!

          Having top ten / 10 in a domain can be great (it's a popular way of branding review sites) but I believe drones are likely your problem. I have no doubt you can get sales. You'll just be limiting yourself in several ways:

          1. Perhaps not an evergreen market
          2. Not desperate buyers
          3. Relatively small target audience

          You don't have to have all of those 3 items, not at all. But they help when you're starting out - anything that makes life easier can help out.

          Here's an example of a pretty decent review site:

          http://www.datingadvice.co.uk/

          An ideal setup for the strategy that I outlined above.

          It sounds like you're dead-set on drones, and I can understand entirely. You love them and you've dedicated imagination and research to the idea of a business with them. What I'd suggest is exploring a couple of 2 provisional things:

          1. How you'll monetize.
          2. Where you'll get the traffic.

          Where I totally agree with you is your idea to make a business from a passion. I've been meaning to make a thread about this for a while now. It truly is the ideal.

          Cheers,

          Tom
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          • Profile picture of the author BravoJoe
            Well, Tom. I'm not totally deadset on drones. Just decided to put all my studying to work. Just got passionate about combining drones with my other nerd-hobby-research... internet marketing... Afterall, they say that when you're looking for a niche, you gotta pick something that you're passionate about. So far, here's one of a gazillion things that I learned today... Passion is one thing. Monetization (did I use that right? monetization = how to make money from a passion) is another. From what I see here, maybe my passion won't = monetization?
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            • Profile picture of the author Tom Addams
              Originally Posted by BravoJoe View Post

              Well, Tom. I'm not totally deadset on drones. Just decided to put all my studying to work. Just got passionate about combining drones with my other nerd-hobby-research... internet marketing... Afterall, they say that when you're looking for a niche, you gotta pick something that you're passionate about. So far, here's one of a gazillion things that I learned today... Passion is one thing. Monetization (did I use that right? monetization = how to make money from a passion) is another. From what I see here, maybe my passion won't = monetization?
              There's money to be made, no question about that. I just wouldn't advise it for your first project. You'll just be making life harder for yourself. However, if you're willing to wait longer for a pay-off, then go right ahead. On the plus side, having looked briefly at the market today, there are plenty of in-roads. Tip - a few well-ranked videos (long-tail buying keywords) directed at review pages would start to build up some nice passive traffic. I'm seeing plenty of weak spots where videos can slide in and out-rank. Overall - actually a nice market. Upshot though: quite a bit of work, longer than typical payoff for a newcomer.

              Tom
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              • Profile picture of the author BravoJoe
                Videos, Tom. That's what its really all about in this niche, right? Video is the biggest thing from what I'm seeing in my research so far. Flying a drone is one thing... I get the same rush from flying an RC controlled single prop airplane on a Sunday morning with the guys from the RC aircraft club. But everyone is interested in video. Pix are old news. Video clips are what's hot. Especially when they catch something cool like a fire or a wreck or sharks.
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  • Profile picture of the author NeedBucksNow
    You might be able to do something with this website, and it looks like a cool hobby but I had to look them up on amazon just to see what they really were. It looks like they are selling pretty well on amazon but if you decide to get the website, you are going to need a web designer to make it as professional looking as possible. Just do a quick Google search and you'll see what your competition already looks like. I would say you'll have to put in a ton of work to get to the top of the ranks of Google for this and it might be the only way I can really see you making enough sales for this to be profitable. If you really have a passion for them and are willing to make informative articles and videos about them for 1-2 years without expecting to make many sales from it, I would say to go for it. It takes time to get much traffic from Google but it is much easier to work on something that you enjoy and this helps gain new readers
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  • Profile picture of the author BravoJoe
    Doh. Saying thanks happens with the big button that says, "Thanks." In addition to all I've learned today, I've learned how to do a thanks here. :-)
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  • Profile picture of the author Tom Addams
    DroneAircraftForSale.com

    Available to register.

    fb99mxmr01 : Global code for Godaddy @ 99 cents.

    Slightly better metrics:

    droneaircraftforsale.com | Domainindex.com

    Given some digging around and some knowledge of the market (and the right keywords), I'm sure you could find even better. I noticed a lot of unfamiliar keywords - but they're definitely buying phrases.

    Tom
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    • Profile picture of the author BravoJoe
      Originally Posted by Tom Addams View Post

      DroneAircraftForSale.com

      Available to register.

      fb99mxmr01 : Global code for Godaddy @ 99 cents.

      Slightly better metrics:

      droneaircraftforsale.com | Domainindex.com

      Given some digging around and some knowledge of the market (and the right keywords), I'm sure you could find even better. I noticed a lot of unfamiliar keywords - but they're definitely buying phrases.

      Tom
      Woah. what's that 99 sent thing? What is Domainindex? Unfamilar KW? I thought that was a no-no... gotta put in the most popular search terms?
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  • Profile picture of the author jbsmith
    Yep - agreed, videos would be great. Specifically a mix of content and review videos.

    Content videos around:

    1. How to select them
    2. How to fly them
    3. Where to fly them (top tend neighborhood locations)
    4. Advanced techniques and tips
    5. Updates on new ones

    I would start producing videos, host a blog to house them, launch a FB and perhaps even Instagram page (due to the possibilities around visuals with this hobby) and then work on a review site - build a following and then forward them to your review site is the key.

    Jeff
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