What is a niche? It may not be what you think.

A lot of people get this wrong and when they do it confuses their efforts at finding a profitable money making audience on which to base a product or a business.

What is your niche?

A niche is not music, sports or travel. Going deeper (i.e., being more specific) doesn't help either because a niche is not classical music, the Boston Red Sox, or Hawaiian cruises.

The term "niche" means:

"an ornamental recess in a wall, usually semi-circular and arched, as for a statue or other decorative object"

In Internet marketing terms, a niche is a particular need or want that a group of similar people have that your product satisfies.

So just like a space or recess in a wall, marketers are said to "carve out" a niche or spot or space in any market where they can position their product to fill a need for a targeted group of people.

If you think of a niche in these terms, as a place where you position your product to fill a need, it makes defining your audience so much easier. It also makes creating a unique and focused position for your business a snap.

Just remember, niches are not broad categories like health, scuba diving, gardening, or writing. They're not "things" like iPads, or organizations like the Lakers, or people like Taylor Swift, or products like Word Press.

Niches are spaces where you position a product or a business to fill a need.

Maybe this will help some of you!

Steve