How would you monetize a niche like welding or classic car restoration?

I just typed "affiliate car restoration"
into Google and got 179, 000 results.

"affiliate program car restoration"
returned 47,000.

This is just me because I am not
into cars, but I have always thought
that this was a huge niche.

A friend of mine just travels the country
appraising restored cars and makes a very
nice living.

If they aren't buying anything from you now anyway, does it matter if they unsubscribe?

Why not find the best car restoration affiliate program you can, one you think is really useful and worthwhile, and make one mailing about it, (tastefully, but NOT apologetically) and see what happens.

People who don't "live" online like IM'ers are often not aware of what's available to them, and can be quite pleased to be pointed to something really valuable that they would not otherwise know about. Maybe the guy who wants to buy parts will be happy not to have to do all the research to find a decent place to buy from.

You can't know whether your assumptions are true until you test them.

I help run a popular one make classic car forum here in the UK. The ways we have monetized it are:

Sponsorship ads: We have around a dozen or so sponsors who have banners around the site. Each banner costs $500 per year. Very cheap considering there are thousands of regular users of the site.

Shop: We sell merchanise in the shop. Mainly TShirts, hoodies etc, but also stickers for the car windows. We did venture into rollcages, strut braces etc, but are in the process of knocking it on the head due to supply problems.

Membership: Members can join the site and become a member, and get discount off shop items, tickets to shows. They also have their own private room. This only costs around $25 a year. (yes, year!)

Ebay: We have integrated a modified version of BANS into the site, which only shows auctions relating to the niche. This provides a couple of hundred dollars a month in commissions.

One of the sponsors is an insurance company, and they also pay us a commission for anyone buying via the site.

We are currently revamping the site, and will look down other avenues in the future.

I used to be a welder. Went to IM because of the toll it was taking on my health. I ended up taking a detox that removes the heavy metals, and toxins welders breath in. (It has an aff program). Welders won't really be searching for solutions, but if you make them aware there is something that can help them you have a buying market for sure....

Aaron

Consider using Answer Analyst (AA). Jonathan Leger is the creator.

AA will search the web for questions that are being asked for the keyword that you give it. For example, if your keyword was welding, AA would find questions that people are asking about welding.

Once you have these questions, you could build an AdSense site, or find affiliate products to sell, or capture the lead and sell it to someone in the biz.

So, you could create multiple streams of income, based on specific keyword phrases already being discussed on the web.

All you have to do is look in your yellow pages for a list of local welders. Then contact them and ask if you can interview them. Think of some questions...topics etc.

Do it by phone or in person. Take a microphone and get it all down. Then create mp3 files or burn them to CD...you have an instant product. Then create an ebook out of it ...you have another product. If you video them you have the visual side. You could strip the audio out of the video and offer that as a seperate product to the video. That way you are offering more value.

Most people will be flattered you offered to interview them.....if they are reluctant to do it offer them publicity in your ebook or even pay them a small fee.

I did find a company on CJ that sold paint and bodywork supplies. As soon as I went to their website I thought I just entered a casino or an arcade. Even if they had the best deals on supplies, no one would be able to figure out how to buy them.

I have not exhausted my quest for a good way to monetize this niche, especially now after so many warriors have given me great suggestions.

Due to the weight of most welding supplies , it would be hard to compete with local sources from the point of shipping alone .

Now how to videos for beginners to expert might be something you could direct , star in , and produce yourself . Might want to filter the direct shots , burned eyes are not good :-)

The same thing would work with cars also .

being creative is some times difficult but can be done with practice, just find some creative option as I already read here. and educate people about it also sell the e-books with that topic.
It will give you an edge over the others that you also know the designing along with welding.

Matt,

I've been enjoying reading your thread. It's ironic you started it when you did because I've I was preparing to start a like minded thread when I came across yours.

I'm a bit of an eccentric In that I've built a couple of custom vintage military trucks that I use for daily drivers. These trucks are hobbies but considering where I live in Northern Minnesota they are also a way of life. I put up a small shell of a website on one of these trucks under Civilianized M-35 Kaiser-Jeep 2-1/2 Ton Multi-Fuel 4x4 Monster Truck several years ago that does little more than show pictures. I'm not in the process of finishing and optimizing this site. (Please note that I have nothing to sell here so I'm not spamming the system --- I offer the URL as an example).

Given that my market consists largely of diesel mechanics that know what they are talking about and can therefore spot a poser from a mile away I didn't feel comfortable entering into this market until I had thoroughly paid my dues and could not only talk the talk but also walk the walk. I've built the ultimate 4X4 truck.

Anyway, throughout the building of this truck I've kept full documentation files with back-up digital pictures. A complete history on how to build and care for one of these vehicles will be included. It will include everything from mechanical rebuilding, welding, painting wiring, modifying, even licensing and insurance. There will also be some youtube eye candy video of the truck in action.

I never thought about it before reading this thread but a welding tutorial/course would go well on this site and no doubt many others. Most of the people that undertake projects like mine are old hat diesel mechanics that know their way around the mechanical side but not everybody knows how to weld and many that do could use some lessons. Being able to weld sheet metal is also very important. I mention this because you might be able to sell rights to your tutorials OR use them to get traffic from other sites which would allow you to sell advertising. The old axiom "My kingdom for a crowd" rings true. If you can draw a crowd (traffic) you can sell advertising.

I wouldn't discount affiliate sales. As you know, road salt destroys the older vehicles. Check into a product called Waxoyl (I am not financially connected to Waxoyl).

Perhaps you might want to concentrate on one particular vehicle that is currently popular in the restoration theater. In doing so you could seek out niche parts dealers to sell advertising to. If you niche in on a specific vehicle (say a1950 Mercury or a Model A Ford) you could create specific info products.

The site wouldn't let me post a URL --- Sorry About That.

Here is another picture:

My personal niche is similar in style to the welding niche - it's electronics. specifically guitar electronics. THERE IS money to be made - you can't stop at one product. You need to have multiple products that you can sell... or at least recommend for affiliate income. Then, develop more products within your niche. But the key is to build the base - build your newsletter base. Figure out all the different products that a welder may be interested in, then supply them with that product or a WAY to get that product.

bw

Ernie, those are some seriously cool trucks. I don't know much
about old vehicles but I love the look of the big trucks from the
1950s and before. The diversity of design is really neat.

Maybe my husband uses the internet more because of me, but he's bought auto paint kits off ebay, a dent puller off ebay, a dvd of how to rebuild a specific transmission off ebay, and bought a buffer and pads through Amazon.

Someone else we know buys wrecked semi's off the internet and turns them into logging trucks and dump trucks.

If you find neat rebuildable cars for sale on ebay you could add those to your newsletter too, right? I think you get a commission or some kind of payment when you do that.

-Valorie

Oh, and that reminds me of someone's post or blog where they said they don't use advertisers on their site, they use "sponsors". Makes you look bigger and you get taken a lot more seriously.

So before they were able to sell advertising on their site, they put up a square for a "sponsor" which was really just an affiliate program for their niche. That way if someone was interested in purchasing the new, improved titanium welding helmet, they could click on the square to check out their products.

Also, if you do reviews of specific products for your niche with a link to the product detail page, you're bound to get some commissions from that. If nothing else, you'll be providing your readers with useful information which will encourage them to come back.

And don't forget about forums. Sign up for any that are related to your niche and see what they're talking about. You'll get all kinds of ideas on what would be useful to create or offer.

That way if you do have a review for anew improved titanium welding helmet for someone who just lost weight in time to get married, you're likely to really cash in -- ya sure, you betcha (being from Minnesota originally, I figure I can get away with that every once in awhile.

So cool that you made this post Matt. I was out at a buddies Dads house and he restores old cars...turns them into hotrods to be exact.

I told him he should have a TV show. He's old and cantankerous...he said "Nahhh...go on"

I said "you should have a website. He said "nahhh...go on".

I said "people buy stuff from websites...YOU buy parts and tools from websites. You could have a banner for Jegs and if someone orders from there...YOU get commision for it"

He said...... "pull up a chair smarty pants".

If you are anything like he is, you likely have TONS of great info in your head that car buffs would love to have.

Sit down with a notebook and write out all the thing you know how to do that you didn't know when you were 5.

weld
source rare parts online
find cars to restore
rebuilt a carburetor
bleed brakes
change a master cylinder
Remove suspension springs without killing yourself

I bet your list could go on and on and on.

SO...monetize this old car niche by:

trolling car forums, taking note of what people are asking how to do, prepare information products (ebook, audio,video) and sell it to them.

Have a blog where you have banner ads (Jegs cart parts, JC Whitney etc. anywhere with an affiliate program)

Put a link to your car blog in your signatures at all the car forums...write posts about cars, post videos etc. When your blog is getting lots of visitors, sell ad space on the blog to companies. That way you get paid weather anybody clicks or not.

Keep pushing the car site and approach suppliers or tool companies...say "my site gets 25,000 views per day. I'll use your tools/product exclusively for $xxxx per month, you provide the tools and a banner ad".

Get picked up by a TV show like Shadetree Mechanic or something.

Oh yeah....don't be like my cantankerous old buddy...share your passion and it will come back to you.