Why does everyone want to give up the IM niche?

Hey Ron

You make some interesting points...

Personally my journey has been the same as yours... I made my bones outside the IM niche... i've been flogging horse riding equipment, acne products, weight loss and sports for years...from MLM, direct sales, affiliate....

Only now have I decided to step into the IM niche because I feel I have cut my teeth and know how to show people what I have done and am still doing. I am looking at it like any other niche though...

Educate myself (pretty much taken care of).. and then provide abundantly.

Don't listen to those that are choosing other avenues... you'll find niche switching is common all over, it just seems more prolific here because it's an IM forum..

Peace

Jay

I agree with those who say that the Internet Marketing Arena is a tough niche to break into. I think that the big guys have it pretty much wrapped up and all the reasons you mentioned are valid reasons.

The competition is so very fierce and it's sad how so many great products are so undervalued. Promises of easy money have left many people disillusioned and cynical, which makes it even harder to build trust with your target market.

Ron, quite honestly, I'd just be guessing at this because I haven't conducted
any in depth surveys to see why it's harder to sell in IM, if indeed it really is.

I had my best year last year and this year I'm only 4K from breaking it with
3 months plus left to go.

And yet, I want to move away from IM as well.

For more, it's less to do with how hard it is and more to do with all the
negativity around it. I don't find this true in the other niches that I'm in.
Heck, I have some niches that I NEVER even hear from my customers. They
buy the stuff and that's it. In IM, it's different. You have a lot of people
complaining about "this doesn't work" or "why is this so expensive" or "can
you give me your other product with it for free" and on and on.

In other niches, you just don't get this stuff and it's a pleasure. I have
never seen such a stress free business model as when I really dove in
head first into affiliate marketing OUTSIDE of IM. I promote about 20
products that have nothing to do with making money and I average
about $520 a month income for each. Some higher, some lower. Heck, I
don't do as well with my own products, so why bust my tail with this niche?

If I had the knowledge of other things like "debt relief" and stuff like that,
I'd create my own products outside of IM. But I don't. So I don the next
best thing...promote affiliate products.

It's bringing me in over 10K a month so who's to complain?

I guess it comes down to how hard or easy you want it to be for YOU
and that answer is going to be different for everybody.

Some people think the IM niche is a breeze. I don't. I see how much effort
I have to put into it, probably because of all the big names I'm up against.

But outside of IM, heck, most of your "average" consumers don't know
one person selling this stuff from another, especially since there are so
many pen names out there. And even with the real names, how many
average Jane Does know who Dan Kennedy is?

It's just a different world outside of IM. For one thing, you don't have to
prove you make any money with any of that stuff. Sure, you need other
kinds of proof, but it's just not as hard to furnish.

And even in IM when you can prove you earn money, your 10K a month
isn't going to compete with John Reese's 100K a month, or whatever
insane figure he earns. HE'S the person IMers are going to want to learn
from...no matter how successful John Doe is.

Anyway, that's my 2.5 cents on the subject.

i personally consider that to be successful in the IM niche, you have to do it by having "Big guns" behind you, people don't trust testimonials that much anymore and all the stuff, some friends told me that they got emails from subscribers asking them if they paid the guy to do the video testimonial. People don't have the trust they used to have.
Thats why i think its better to work as a team or something, or get some well known marketer(s), not exactly like Reese but around there, and use them as "backup", cus i've seen that people tend to trust products that have X marketer promoting it/co-developing it.
A one man stand in IM seems like a bad idea now.

Most people should be diversified with other niches
and income streams anyway - to rely solely on the
IM niche when it's getting oversaturated is foolish.

When every website you visit is a squeeze page, is
it any wonder that people aren't opening their emails
anymore? They are bombarded with tons of e-mails
in their inboxes every day and they probably don't
have time to open them all.

Even so, there will always be money to be made in
the IM niche because so many people want to get
a piece of the action.

It seems like almost everytime you turn around, there's a marketer who will say I make my money in niche markets and I'm leaving IM and at this time they will have a big "farewell" sale.

Others give up because of all the competition.

You have included almost all reasons that make people to give up from IM. I'd like just to stress on E-mail marketing mentioned by Monetize. We all agree that "Money in the List" but Spam E-mails have compromised the idea of E-mail marketing. So, Internet Marketers cannot communicate with their lists to make sales.

In the IM industry sometimes it is just best to be low profile. There are lots of folks that actually create the high-end IM products and have arrangements with high profile Marketers to do the actual marketing.

Jeffery 100% :-)

Steven,

I really like your post as I really believe its easier to become and expert outside of the IM niche and it is easier to get people exited about things that matter to them.

Health issues
Saving on energy costs
How to deal with debt

There is just more urgency and personnel involvement by the masses in these niches. Its easy to feel good about supplying information to the people who really need it.

Stephen

Ya know, Ron... (IMHO) seems to me that everyone who's responded, thus far (as I type this) has missed a very key element, here.

I think it was John Reese who I heard first say it, "Even Google is in the Internet Marketing niche."

...and when you think about it, he's right and I agree.

How can one market any product/service on the Internet without being involved in Internet Marketing?

All of the scenarios you have posted here have their level of truth; but not just in the Internet Marketing niche. I've been doing business on the Internet since '97; from supplying research paper writing facilities for college students -- to running a marketing campaign for Fubu's annual bash thrown in Miami -- to teaching individuals how to drive traffic to their web sites... and I've run into one or more of the above scenarios in each area.

(again IMHO) I think the real problems surrounding the IM "niche"; meaning the selling of Internet Marketing materials, teachings and tools are as follows...

• There are very few vendors who practice tried and proven Business 101/102
• There are very few vendors who practice tried and proven Accounting principles in their business model(s)
• There are very few, (if any), "marketers" in the IM niche that have actually studied in an accredited environment; such as a true "business school".

All of which constitute a certain level of chaos when it comes to doing business on a wide scale; as Fortune 1000 to Fortune 100 businesses have figured out over the last three or so centuries.

If more IM'ers were to actively practice the principles that have been taught in business schools such as Stearns and Harvard; (and even less accredited institutions); we would find more conglomerates and truly innovative; (instead of 'reactive'); products in the IM niche.

Yet, until we do, your above stated scenarios will hold more true than not and something I remember hearing Howie Schwartz say while we ate at an Italian restaurant in Vegas, "... one of the biggest problems with the IM niche is that there's no new money coming in...", will be true.

Just my 2¢
PLP,
tecHead

Cause the IM niche is small. People want to do something bigger or different.

I'll probably get flamed for saying this but I don't care...

How the h*ll can someone have 50 (FIVE - ZERO!) products out that teach people how to make money online yet can't pick a good niche?!!!

What does he recommend in his products and why doesn't he follow his own advice?!!!

Truth be told, the MMO niche is FULL of con artists that couldn't sell water in the dessert and have to rely on unsuspecting n00b's to pimp their wares (hey... look at all the money I make each month and you can QUICKLY AND EASILY do the same!)

Only thing is... they omit the fact that they make all this money (that's IF they even make any serious coin) by selling exclusively MMO products and then recommend to their customers to pick a niche, e.g. gardening, and do as they do and get ready to 'stuff their bank accounts with cash')

Pathetic...

One reason that wasn't touched on that I think plays a major role in moving to non-IM niches is simply that society (friends, family, acquaintances) look upon "money making opportunities" on the internet as a playground for scammers and rip-off artists, and as an Internet Marketer, that indirectly affects your relationships with the people you care about most. It may not be on a conscious level, but it's there. Just like when you hear uncle Fred is a used car salesman... it paints a picture in your mind that may be far from the truth, but it does affect how someone is perceived.

Expensive? No its not. Most people are also VERY lazy and expect push button success. If real life isn't like that then why would they think otherwise online? And like I said it is not expensive. Daniel Molano's awesome WSO proved that you can make a living online using free traffic tactics. But the rub is that most people don't actually want to WORK after their WORK. I can remember many times when I was up til 3 in the morning after my day job coding websites. And I was successful. The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary.

I think the reason why a lot of marketers are moving away from the IM niche is because of the sheer work you have to do to sell. Compared to other niches you don't need to do a lot of work to sell. Most of the guys who want to move away from the IM niche are the people who did not do well in the market.

I think the IM market will always be profitable, its like the lifeblood of commerce in the internet.


Money Siphon System

I have taken a similar step to you Ron going from non-IM to IM. To be honest I've done OK in both and feel that often there is often a lot of "smoke and mirrors" going on when people make BIG DRAMATIC announcements about leaving IM. In a similar way to musicians making their last records before retiring, only to then record another 6 months later!

Yes, IM is too competitive and unprofitable. You should all get out of this niche now.

Seriously, though, IM is one of the most ravenous markets out there. There will always be new techniques.

As long as there's an internet, there will always be TONS of money to be made in the "make money online" niche.

Joe

My personal opinion is that people are just tired
of the here is my $34,8345 ClickBank Secret Cash
Machine!

And its some bullshit that is never quite as duplicatable
as the owner seems.

And alot of these guys who sell this shit are supposed
to be "guru's".

I think what you are starting to see is people wanting
the total package.

They will spend $1k-$2k on something that will take them
from their current situation to actually making money.

That includes mindset. Because reality is it doesn't
matter how many "e-books" you buy many of them wont
work for your if your mindset is screwed up.

So thats why I think you are seeing such a big gap
between the Frank Kerns, John Reeses, Eban Pegans,
and the guys who sell that "Clickbank Cash Machine
bullshit.

It's the QUALITY.

There is still plenty of room to make it in the IM niche for
someone who wants to actually put a quality course
together, and not some bullshit quick ebook and try
to get "gurus" to send it to their list, and brag about how
much money they made later.

Daniel

Ron,

I appreciate your thoughts. I too love the IM niche and think that as long as you provide value to people, you can make money in any niche.

However, if you think of it in another way, you should rejoice, because for every ONE person who quits the IM niche (in search of "greener pastures"), you have ONE less competitor.

Arindam

P.S. Just thought to crack a joke at your expense