How to Choose the Best Markets to Sell to...

15 replies
I've seen a lot of folks ask this question lately, so I wanted to
give you my thoughts on what I think are the best markets
to market and sell to.

I remember reading a quote somewhere that said "Problems
are potential markets" and that really stuck out to me.

And it really is true, the best selling markets and niches
are usually those with the largest number of people who are
looking for help to solve a particular problem.

For example, weight loss, health, and fitness is always a huge
selling market.

So is getting rid of certain painful conditions or problems
that can cause someone to feel bad about themselves
(acne, arthritis, etc..)

Also, dating/sex/relationships is another big seller,
since no one wants to be alone. Everyone wants to
find someone to either be with, or fool around with.

Jobs and careers is another one... as well as work
from home/self-employment.

Another is the financial market/make more money.

Bottom line, think of big pools of people that have
problems they want to take care of, asap, and
that's probably a good market to enter.

Then, you just need to be better/faster/cheaper/
more accessible/more unique/different... than those
in the market already.

This is the heart of marketing and selling.

Find out what people want and show them
how to get it.... which is why problems, wants, and
needs are great markets to sell to.

If there's no need or problem to be solved, there's
simply no reason to buy.

The bigger and more painful the problem... the bigger
the opportunity.

So for those who have keep asking which markets
to go after... just try to find the biggest problem
areas in peoples' lives. People don't buy without a
want, desire, or problem.

Now, I know this isn't all-inclusive... there are great
markets that don't fit this criteria... but focusing on
these markets will give you a huge head start.

Always remember, you'll make more money selling
stuff that a lot of people want to buy, versus selling
stuff that YOU want to sell.

Focus on selling to a large base of people
who have urgent problems they want to solve,
and you'll do just fine.
#choose #markets #sell
  • Profile picture of the author PerformanceMan
    Nice post Shawn. Thanks for sharing

    I think picking best sellers in big markets is probably the number one thing that many new affiliates should concentrate on.

    Problems need solving and affiliate marketers are standing by to help!
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    • Profile picture of the author Niko A Berezkin
      Some gold nuggets there my friend.

      I usually go for the "desperate niches" i.e. people have a very seriios problem to which they are actively seeking solutions online. "Get Rid of Acne" "Stop Snoring" "Acid Reflux"

      huge traffic, and motivated buyers...
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  • Profile picture of the author Rod Cortez
    Excellent post Shawn. Another thing to consider aside from the size of the market is also the price points, the competition, the demographics, and finding out what they are really buying (not too hard to figure out with some market research and keyword tools that are out there today).

    Some people do very well selling high ticket items to a smaller pool of people (think commercial real estate, certain luxury items, expensive art work, high-end medical equipment). Others do very well selling a specialized niche product. While many do very well selling in the big three markets (each of these can be broken down into dozens of niches and probably hundreds of mirco-niches):

    * Health
    * Wealth
    * Self-Improvement (i.e. dating, relationships, fitness, stopping divorce, meditation, spirtuality, self-discovery, etc.)

    I'll never forget many, many years ago I was given some well-intentioned advice to stay out of the dating and relationship niches (two very differrent niches) because it was "too competitive" and one of the marketers had tried the "dating advice" market, but had failed at it. Even back then I thought market saturation was a myth for the vast majority of markets out there.

    However, after seeing what steps he took, I decided that he didn't pay closer attention to the distribution channels. He only focused on light SEO and some paid advertising, but completely negelected PPC, having an affiliate program, zero publicity, and about 95% of the other advertising inventory, which he never tested.

    Frankly, his content was average at best, so it was no wonder he got slaughtered against dating coaches who had real-life, in-field experience (and a much better back end).

    So combining all these factors into one's market research makes it easier to pick a market to go into.

    RoD
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    • Profile picture of the author Clark Pearson
      I think it was John Carlton that said to sell a solution to the guy 'with the bleeding neck'.
      Gary Halbert said to sell to the starving crowd.

      Both of these mean exactly what you are saying: find a market with an urgent need.

      Cheers!
      /Clark
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  • Profile picture of the author napoleonfirst
    The best market is one that you can monopolize or at least being a key player. You need to target growing industries as well.
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    • Profile picture of the author Rod Cortez
      Originally Posted by napoleonfirst View Post

      The best market is one that you can monopolize or at least being a key player. You need to target growing industries as well.
      That might be true in micro-niches or very small markets, but in larger markets, this is certainly not true.

      RoD
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  • Profile picture of the author pugsy
    Just find the crowd and put up a good offer. And the bigest crowds are health wealth and relationships.
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  • Profile picture of the author wonderfullife
    Thanks for your sharing. This sentence "Problems are potential markets" is very thoughtful. If we can find a solution for the problem which many people want to settle it, I think we do not worry about how many our targeted customers are. So finding the good market can help us win the customers.
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  • Profile picture of the author retsced
    Cool advice Shawn. Your success or failure can easily be determined before you even create one bit of content. If the niche you enter into has no hungry buyers - it’s equivalent to flogging a dead sheep’s fur to a housewife looking for a mop to clean her Persian rug…it’s just not going to happen. To find out if there's a market for your niche...

    1) Go to Common Health Problems | A-Z List of Common Health Issues and take a look at the list of common health problems people are struggling with. (pick a niche)
    2) Go over to magazines.com and see if there's a magazine on sale for your niche.
    3) Do the same on Amazon best sellers list, barnes & noble and Google keyword tool

    If there's content on all of the above for your niche then it's a goer.

    Someone mentioned above about competition. It makes no difference how many people are actively selling in your market. As long as you can generate traffic without SEO you won't have any problems.
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    • Profile picture of the author graphicblueprint
      Originally Posted by retsced View Post

      Cool advice Shawn. Your success or failure can easily be determined before you even create one bit of content. If the niche you enter into has no hungry buyers - it’s equivalent to flogging a dead sheep’s fur to a housewife looking for a mop to clean her Persian rug…it’s just not going to happen. To find out if there's a market for your niche...

      1) Go to Common Health Problems | A-Z List of Common Health Issues and take a look at the list of common health problems people are struggling with. (pick a niche)
      2) Go over to magazines.com and see if there's a magazine on sale for your niche.
      3) Do the same on Amazon best sellers list, barnes & noble and Google keyword tool

      If there's content on all of the above for your niche then it's a goer.

      Someone mentioned above about competition. It makes no difference how many people are actively selling in your market. As long as you can generate traffic without SEO you won't have any problems.
      I this this is easier said than done. I have yet to actually find a magazine for any of those common illnesses.

      Are you looking at magazine and books?
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  • Profile picture of the author khooster1
    I believe that there is market in all niches. The key is to provide/add value to the customer's need.
    My mentor say this: don't look for money. Do the correct things, money will come looking for you. It works for me even in very niche markets mentioned above.
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    • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
      Originally Posted by Nikita A Beriozkin View Post

      Some gold nuggets there my friend.

      I usually go for the "desperate niches" i.e. people have a very seriios problem to which they are actively seeking solutions online. "Get Rid of Acne" "Stop Snoring" "Acid Reflux"

      huge traffic, and motivated buyers...
      My biggest problem with the so-called "desperate buyer niches" is that so many of them are dead ends. Once you cure their acne, quiet their snoring or settle their stomach, what do you do for an encore? Most of the time, the answer seems to be 'start throwing mud against the wall and see what sticks'. If you have a knack for getting the mud to stick, more power to you.

      I prefer what I like to call "obsessive niches", where I can identify things that people are really passionate about. Think things like hobbies, games, experiences. If the demographics suggest that the people in the market are not only willing to spend money but have plenty of it to spend, all the better.

      I'd much rather try to sell a way to shave two strokes off the handicap of a competitive country club golfer, who, if I can actually help him do it, will eagerly consume any other stroke savers I can offer. The same goes for things like luxury travel or home cooking, even home decorating.

      Don't even get me started on how much you can sell addicted anglers...
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      • Profile picture of the author myob
        Another approach, which I use, is to directly target specific demographics such as within professions, associations, organizations, groups, etc. Not only is it easier to identify products more specific to their interests, but there is also a spillover into a broader spectrum of other niches. For example, a medical doctor buys products specific to his/her specialty, but also may have other outside interests, hobbies, problems, needs, beliefs/superstitions, etc that can be monetized.
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  • Profile picture of the author dougbrysun
    Hi, I am Doug. I have researched the Google keyword research tool and I fount its performance is dashing in finding the niche. It’s a free product for adsense users. Google keyword tool is not designed for publishers like us, it’s designed for advertisers who are looking to advertise through Google adwords. But, as publishers and bloggers we can utilize this product to find the high paying keyword for adsense and there is your Niche ofcourse.
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