Niche Websites

Small Business Products Get 'Sex and the City' Close-Up

2010-06-09T21:58:00.000-07:00

The "Sex and the City" TV series made household names of brands like Manolo Blahnik and Jimmy Choo – now a handful of small companies are hoping the film has a similar effect on their products.

Vintage apron company Jessie Steele had a big score: Its Audrey cupcake apron not only appeared in the film, it appeared in the trailer. Charlotte York (the brunette) wears the $32.95 full-length pinafore.

"Sales on that item have been huge since the release of the trailer," spokesman Tim Bayliss tells Inc.com. "We've gotten inquiries into the apron nationally and globally." The Berkeley, California-based company – started in 2002 by a collector of vintage aprons and her fashion-savvy daughter – says it had no idea the item would appear in the film until they saw the trailer. (The minute they did, though, they ramped up production. "We knew it would be huge," Bayliss said. The item currently is on backorder on their website.)

Colombian-born, Miami-based designer Adriana Castro also had a big score: Two handbags in the trailer alone, and five in the film. One bag, a $1,160 python clutch, racked up five minutes in screen time – no mean feat in a film where the characters changed clothes even in the desert. (See the bags Carrie Bradshaw & Co. carried.)

How did her luxe handbags land onscreen? "It was a surprise," Castro, who launched her collection in 2007, tells Inc.com. "They don't confirm product placement." Castro's exotic skin bags already have a celebrity following, which Castro says is thanks in part to her friend Loren Ridinger, senior vice president of internet retailing giant marketamerica.com. (Ridinger told her pal Eva Longoria about the bags, and the "Desperate Housewives" actress then toted the $1,145 lizard Annie clutch, a classic envelope bag. Other celebrities have since followed.)

more information :-http://www.inc.com/news/articles/2010/06/sex-and-the-city-small-business-cameos.html

Even great new products need marketing

2010-06-08T22:16:00.000-07:00

I've been keeping a careful eye on my friends at Madécasse, the chocolate makers in the States.

And it looks like I'm not the only person who is keen to see the brand succeed. Seth Godin has also been writing about the company in his blog, contemplating the brand, the package and the story, and wondering what the owners should do to get the chocolate bars leaping off the shelves.

So here's my view:

The product itself is pretty good. And so thinks the New York Times: "These days my favorite chocolate isn’t certified by the US Department of Agriculture and it’s not Fair Trade or Rainforest Alliance stamped. It’s Madécasse, made from cacao grown in Madagascar’s naturally organic forests. It’s traded fairly and is environmentally friendly."

One rave review, however, does not make a business.

So, does the packaging say "buy me, buy me"? Like Godin, I am not convinced they've got it quite right.

Here are a couple of one-liners that always come up fairly early on in my discussions about sales and marketing:

* Why should people buy from you if you're the same as the competition?

* What makes you different from the rest?

* Do you understand that marketing is not a battle for the product but a battle for the mind of the customer?

No-one disputes the quality of the product, at least not once they've tried it. But for Madécasse virgins, it is tricky – they will buy the product because it has either been recommended (in which case the packaging isn't so vital) or because the packaging entices them.

Currently the packaging doesn't make the chocolate leap off the shelves: it doesn't tell a story; and it doesn't scream "buy me".

I think Madécasse is being too modest and shy. For specific shoppers (green/organic/chocoholics/environmentalists/third worlders) this chocolate should be "the only one". Why would I want to put money in the hands of the global capitalist scum when I can give it direct to the workers via Madécasse?

So, here are two things Madécasse must do:

1. Identify a specific market niche. Get it sorted and sell specifically to them.

2. Work the word-of-mouth marketing systems. In this world of Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and so on, you need to get your raving fans to help you sell your story.

more Information :-http://realbusiness.co.uk/sales_and_marketing/even_great_new_products_need_marketing

Top-10 Technologies Seen Most Likely To Have Big Impact On P&C Insurance

2010-06-07T21:28:00.000-07:00

Property and casualty insurers must innovate to stay relevant to customers, improve profitability and transition into a business model that can shift with future market changes. To do that, insurers must face legacy-system challenges and adopt emerging technologies to support niche business processes.

Transformational technologies are at your disposal, so the issue then becomes one of prioritizing investments and building a business case for new technology use.

To help guide chief information officers in technology evaluation, Gartner generates annual “Hype Cycles” that profile emerging and new technologies to show the level of maturity, adoption rates and business value of each. This research helps further analyze those technologies, identifying the ones that will have the biggest impact on the p&c industry over the next five years.

These technologies will be “game changing.” They will challenge existing business processes, support the emergence of new business models and allow companies to successfully differentiate to drive revenue growth.

Determination of these technologies is based on Gartner observations and discussions with clients globally.

There is a long list of emerging technologies that p&c insurers can use to improve their processes—from product development through customer service. Many of these technologies, however, provide only incremental or minor improvements, have limited-to-no return on investment, or do not have the promise to help p&c insurers radically change their business models, reduce operational costs or generate revenue.

With budgets challenged, and with limited funding for discretionary spending, it is imperative that organizations prioritize their investments to those that will generate the greatest ROI and drive the most value.

Based on Gartner's review of the p&c insurance sector, software market, client priorities and past Gartner studies, the top-10 technologies with the greatest impact for p&c insurance have been identified.

Note that some are more applicable to personal lines because much of the industry change projected during the next five years is a result of evolving technology use among consumer groups.

The following are what we believe will be the top-10 technologies for p&c insurance, although not in any particular order. The importance of each technology depends on your individual needs and market niche:

• Modern Policy and Claims Management Systems:

There have been significant improvements in the software market during the past six-to-seven years.

Vendors have developed modern policy and claims management systems that are componentized (sold independently, rather than in a suite), offering enhanced workflow and business process management capabilities, with rules separate from the source code for easy configuration, supporting industry standards (for example, ACORD Standards), and built on newer technology platforms.

The adoption of these systems by personal and commercial p&c insurers can provide significant value, including reduced total cost of ownership when legacy systems are decommissioned, faster rules and workflow changes, easier integration with surrounding systems, reduced challenges with staffing to support old technologies and programming languages, and improved long-term maintenance.

• Web Services and SOA Tools:

Insurers operate a large ecosystem of systems and applications that integrate for seamless processing. In the past, companies had to hard-code integration between systems, which was costly and time-consuming, created challenges when applications were replaced and integration had to be redone, and often was difficult overall due to technology incompatibility.

The use of Web services/service-oriented architecture enables companies to deploy services instead of using one-to-one integration, and will help insurers improve their straight-through processing capabilities and reduce integration costs.

more information :-http://www.property-casualty.com/Issues/2010/June-7-2010/Pages/Top10-Technologies-Seen-Most-Likely-To-Have-Big-Impact-On-PC-Insurance.aspx

Area farmers develop their niche

2010-06-06T22:33:00.000-07:00

Dori and Kent Baxter’s small farm on Carlos Road north of Greens Fork raises 300 meat chickens, sells eggs from 150 layers and supplies a variety of vegetables to 11 local Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) members. CSA members buy a “share” of the Baxters’ farm products, money that stays in the community.

“I didn’t think of myself as a farmer for a long time. I thought you had to have 100 acres and a tractor and grow corn to be a farmer,” Dori said. “But we are farmers. We’re niche farmers, and we work hard every day.”

Agriculture once considered only full-time farmers raising grain and livestock to be “real” farmers, but the definition is changing. Only about one-third of Wayne County farmers work exclusively on the farm now, with the other two-thirds also working at other employment.

The mix of crops and animals on an Indiana farm now might include grass-fed beef, goats and llamas, grapes and wine, and homemade goat cheese or soap.

Seeing agriculture as a part of a community’s economic development is still a connection many people don’t make, said Brian Bergen, agricultural specialist with the Eastern Indiana Development District. It’s a gap in understanding Bergen is determined to fill.

“Agriculture is a very significant part of the Wayne County economy, probably much more than most people realize,” Bergen said. “In the five years I’ve been here, I’ve heard that agriculture is not economic development. It’s a multi-billion dollar business in Indiana, probably the largest business in the state. Farmers are running a business that’s a very vital part of our economy.

more information :-http://www.pal-item.com/article/20100606/NEWS01/100605021

Mark Maupin, Internet expert on Niche Market Products, Works with New Niche Product Tool

2010-06-04T22:25:00.000-07:00

Niche market products are used by many savvy internet marketers and affiliate marketers who are making money on the internet while they sleep. Niche market products help you determine how effective your key search phrases will be and how much competition is using similar phrases with their marketing.
Ralph Marcus Maupin (Mark) is the founder of Right Now Marketing Group, LLC, a Michigan internet marketing company that is very well-known and highly respected by business owners in the Metro Detroit area. Mark Maupin has been promoting tool that has made a huge difference for many of his internet students. Maupin said at Michigan internet marketing club “ The Micro Niche Tool is best. There are many of additional applications included in the software that can compliment your keyword research in ways you can’t even imagine. And, it can be utilized for various online endeavors such as Search Engine Optimization, Google AdWords, Google AdSense, and its real power is displayed when it comes to Niche Marketing. However, in order to make use to its complete potential, you need to go through few of its critical aspects. Hang on and continue reading as will peel off everything that you need to know about MNF one after the other…”

Just a few of the Applications of this new Tool:

Strength of Competition (SOC)

The Strength of the Competition is something you wouldn’t want to miss out on as it gives you a clear-cut idea of the competition existent in any particular niche. Usually, the lower the SOC for a keyword is, the easier it is for you to rank it. Why? Because lower SOC simply reflects the fact that there is absolutely no competition and you can easily dominate it.

Domain Availability

Apart from giving an option to find laser-targeted and profitable keywords, you can even learn if the .com, .net or .org domain for that particular keyword is available for you or not. With this, you save your time of going through to a domain availability site and checking if it is there or not! So, it’s an all in one piece.

The Click Rate

If you’re a PPC marketer, then there’s good news, Micro Niche Finder with its keyword research allows you to learn the average click rate that advertisers are paying for those keywords.

The Hot Trends

The Hot Trends feature is probably my favorite, once you realize the power of being up-to date with trends that can help you yield more benefits, you can straight away move on to them and get started with generating some smooth cash flows.

more information :-http://bignews.biz/?id=880284&keys=Internet-Marketing-conference-seminar

Niche cloud computing firms in M&A spotlight

2010-06-03T22:00:00.000-07:00

With sales of web-based business software soaring, companies that focus on cloud computing are slipping into a sweet spot as technology giants look to bolster their presence in this fast-growing segment.

Cloud computing, or software as a service, allows businesses to cut back on hardware and space by having their software hosted in remote datacenters they access over the Web.

Deep-pocketed technology firms like IBM (IBM.N) or Oracle Corp (ORCL.O) might be looking to snag deals in this area to complement their own traditional, mostly on-premise services.

Human resource management software makers SuccessFactors Inc (SFSF.O) and Taleo Corp (TLEO.O) and retail-focused software firm DemandTec Inc (DMAN.O) could be the early targets, according to analysts.

"The themes of cloud computing and software as service (SaaS) are so real, and it's still so early, that I think there should be lot of activity," said Raymond James analyst Terry Tillman.

Janney Montgomery Scott analyst Sasa Zorovic believes companies like NetSuite Inc (N.N), Rightnow Inc (RNOW.O), Kenexa Corp (KNXA.O) and Constant Contact (CTCT.O) could all be attractive takeover targets.

Most big players delayed entering the cloud space and now want the scalable platforms provided by these SaaS companies to build efficient applications.

"With the growth of software as a service, companies have an increasing need to integrate data and business processes across on-premise and cloud systems," IBM said in a recent statement.

Customer relationship management (CRM) software provider Salesforce.com Inc (CRM.N), which helped pioneer software as a service and is one of the fastest-growing software stocks, might also be considered as a takeout target. However, its size and rich valuation might not make for an easily digestible deal.

Since these companies deliver their software products over the Internet, it saves clients the cost of buying licenses in advance and running programs on their own computers.

The adoption of software as a service is expected to far outpace market growth through 2013, a Gartner report shows.

Currently, Salesforce.com accounts for about half of overall web-based CRM software sales, according to the report.

NICHE SELLS

However, firms with niche products like SuccessFactors and Taleo are also seeing explosive growth, as smaller companies queue up to vie for a share of the pie.

"SuccessFactors is adding a lot of potential total addressable market to the mix with all the stuff they are getting into," said Tillman.

The company, which makes software that helps firms manage staff performance, posted a 37 percent jump in 2009 revenue. Revenue for 2010 is expected to grow 18 percent to 19 percent.

The company trades at a whopping multiple of 1,138 times forward earnings -- 25 times the sector average. Its shares have risen more than two and a half times in the last one year.

In contrast, Oracle trades at 14 times forward earnings and SAP at 17.

DemanTec, another possible target, provides pricing and merchandise optimization for retailers. Its largest customer is Wal-Mart Stores Inc (WMT.N).

"For DemandTec, it was initially about fitting large global retailers like Target Corp (TGT.N) or Walmart to buy the best buy, but then they started selling software to their suppliers," Tillman said.

The company's products manage the same stores sales environment and help improve gross margins, he said, which could make it a valuable addition to large systems integrators that these retailers rely on, or even large enterprise companies.

Shares of the company have, however, dropped about 40 percent in the last one year.

more information :-http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6525EQ20100603

Android - smartest thing Google has done lately?

2010-06-02T22:23:00.000-07:00

Many observers have noted that Google’s Android operating system is making nice progress in capturing market share in smartphones. A good percentage of those observers say “so what” because Google gives away the software to all comers and makes no profit from it.

Perhaps “so what” is the wrong response. Let’s look at a few factors that might show that giving away Android is a pretty smart move.

Factor #1 --

On May 21, the Federal Trade Commission signed off on Google's $750 million acquisition of AdMob, a move that originally created antitrust fears because the two are the biggest players in the market of bringing ads to consumers' smartphones.

AdMob, one of the largest mobile ad networks, already services billions of personalized ad impressions (views). The company reaches 160 countries and provides a suite of data and analytics services to help marketers track the traffic their ads receive.

The AdMob acquisition gives Google "the dominant position in the mobile advertising space," says Kartik Hosanagar, an operations and information management professor at Wharton. "This not only opens up a new growth opportunity for Google but also has great synergies with Google's existing offerings. Google can now offer advertisers a single platform to access the lion's share of search and mobile ad inventory."

Factor #2 –

The iPhone’s wonderful operating system and the new iAd functionality will only appear on Apple products. Android has the potential to appear on many products from many different manufacturers. As Android features catch up to iPhone and iPad features, the Apple devices may not dominate these hardware niches as they do today.

As Noah Elkin, a senior analyst with eMarketer says "Apple won't be able to sustain the same reach with just a couple of devices, and advertising is fundamentally a medium about how many consumers you can reach."
Although Apple is hoping to capitalize on the desirability to advertisers of its customer base, users of the Android platform have a similar profile, Elkin says. They are affluent enough to afford a smartphone and are likely to be just as highly engaged with the devices.

Factor #3 --

According to Caris & Co. analyst Sandeep Aggarawal "There are close to four billion mobile phones globally vs. only 1.2 billion computers…" and "…Google generated $1.00 in paid search revenue per PC in the installed base in 2003, [a figure] that reached $21.50 by the end of 2009. Even if Google can generate $1.00 per mobile phone in the installed base by 2013, it can be a $4 billion revenue opportunity."

So there’s the bottom line: embed Android on many devices from smartphones to tablets to who know’s what next and provide the hooks for AdMob functionality integrated with Google’s formidable search and ad targeting technology on all those devices. A dollar per device per year seems like an achievable goal when you have the scale of the Google-AdMob combination.

more information :-http://beforeitsnews.com/news/71/751/Android_-_smartest_thing_Google_has_done_lately.html

Newspapers are finding their niche

2010-06-01T21:57:00.000-07:00

As publishers continue to face the dreary reality of sagging circulation and stagnating revenues, an increasing number are eyeing the production of niche publications to reach new advertisers and audiences.

McClatchy Co. and MediaNews Group were among the first newspaper groups to emphasize niche and specialty products as a means to generate revenue.

Three years ago, McClatchy identified niche publishing as being among its top-five growth areas and MNG has grown its niche segment in recent years to more than 240 different titles, with distribution in excess of 7 million (see News & Tech, January 2010).

Now, newspapers of all sizes are beginning to leverage niche products to increase - or supplant - their bottom lines.

"We are offering a variety of products that meet the needs of consumers and connect advertisers," Becky Brubaker, the Chicago Tribune's senior vice president of manufacturing and distribution, told News & Tech.

The Tribune has more than a dozen niche products spanning fashion, entertainment, food and wine and home improvement.

"This has been a large part of our organization and it's part of our growth strategy to create new products," Brubaker said.

Also on the Tribune's agenda: growing its business-to-business services, with endeavors like its recent project to begin digitizing and selling content from its massive photo archives (see News & Tech, April 2010).

The Tribune's sales team sells ads across niche pubs with dedicated sales reps assigned to concentrate on specific revenue markets.

Leveraging distribution

The Dallas Morning News, which counts 40 niche pubs among its stable of products, is exploiting its distribution platform to reach a variety of specialty audiences, according to Jason Dove, director of preprints and direct marketing.

"We deliver to a sub-ZIP-code level so we can pull up over 2,800 different filters to define and distribute to an audience," he said.

The Morning News' Neighbors community publication and its fashion magazine, F! D'Luxe, are among the paper's most popular products. It's also launched publications covering night life/entertainment, parenting and home improvement. Dove said The Morning News is constantly analyzing new and existing products year over year, based on its business plan and goals.

"We are always looking at eliminating products that aren't generating a profit and we are always open to new niche products and audiences that look like fertile ground," he said. "And we're always doing it from a competitive standpoint."

The Morning News has dedicated ad sales teams for community-focused products, direct marketing and preprints, but Dove said every salesperson can sell every product.

"There is a concentration in some areas, where some salespeople are better suited to sell ads in a particular niche," he said.

more information :-http://www.newsandtech.com/news/article_dc789db8-6a7c-11df-a26e-001cc4c002e0.html

Niche Marketing or Mass Marketing For the Affiliate?

2010-05-31T22:08:00.000-07:00

Affiliate Marketing
When customers buy a product from a vendor the affiliate who directed them to the product receives a commission based on the sales price of the product.

The problem as to wether the affiliate should start with a mass market or a niche market is very common. There are two main arguments the mass marketeer reaches a larger audience and hence can expect a greater sales volume. But a niche by definition should be easier to conquer and so making it easier to become a major expert in that field.

It is important to understand the differences between the two in order to answer this question for yourself. The niche marketeer is attempting to specialise in a smaller market one where the small sales volume would not be attractive to a larger player, he may have a prior interest in this field and become an expert in it. Whereas the mass marketeer is providing a number of different products, not particularly specialising in any one but trying to appeal to a wide range of tastes and hopefully win on sales volume.

Niche marketing does have the lions share of new affiliates and the reasons for this are clear since mass marketing requires the knowledge and application of mass marketing techniques that are becoming obsolete and being replaced regularly whilst the niche requires mainly the creation of information and content to see any results.

If you are new to all this but want to become an affiliate then dont waste any more time reading blogs buy this automated turnkey system by Ewen Chia see below for more information.

more information :-http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474978263970

Nail down niche marketing with social media, word of mouth

2010-05-30T23:47:00.000-07:00

The age of generic is over. If the success of craft beers or gluten-free, high-protein, organic nutrition bars are any example, the name of the game is now niche products that are low-volume and high-margin, the Wall Street Journal reported.

The success of niche products has been encouraged by the growth of social media and customer reviews, which means that marketers of niche offerings need to develop a presence in these areas and truly listen to customers.

"All that information … eliminates much of consumers' uncertainty about new niche products, since they can easily find reviews, ratings and comments on everything that hits the market," the Journal reported. "For decades consumer uncertainty blocked the launch of new offerings that were too focused to be supported by national ad campaigns; today's empowered consumer is truly listening to word-of-mouth."

For this kind of marketing, campaigns should be highly targeted and focused on consumer-generated content, said the Journal, adding that "marketing executives should watch for the first online comments about their wares with the same excitement and apprehension as Broadway producers waiting for opening-night reviews."

One audience in particular that niche marketers may want to pay attention to is Generation Y, the Globe and Mail recently reported. This generation tends to research purchases more so than other generations, and values unique offerings instead of trends.

more information :-http://www.ricg.com/marketing_articles/creative_design/nail_down_niche_marketing_with_social_media_word_of_mouth/

Apple passes Microsoft as world's most valuable tech firm

2010-05-27T23:01:00.000-07:00

Remember that little company that needed Microsoft's financial help just to keep going in 1997? Well, today that company - Apple - just surpassed Microsoft in terms of market value.

At the close of trading in Wall Street last night, Apple had a market capitalisation of $222 billion, compared with Microsoft's $219 billion. The valuation makes Apple the world's most valuable technology firm.

It marks an extraordinary turnaround for Apple, which was on the brink of collapse before Steve Jobs returned to the company in 1997. Indeed, Apple accepted a $150 million investment from Microsoft that year just to keep the company afloat.

A year later, Apple introduced the game-changing iMac, its iconic all-in-one computer, and the company has rarely put a foot wrong since.

It has subsequently launched two genre-defining products: the iPod and the iPhone, and many suspect it may be on the cusp of a third with the iPad, which goes on sale in the UK tomorrow.

Consequently, Apple's shares are now worth more than ten times what they were a decade ago, with the company now raking in $13.5 billion in revenue in the last quarter (still about $1 billion less than Microsoft).

for more information :-http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/358243/apple-passes-microsoft-as-worlds-most-valuable-tech-firm

Trendspotting: Investing in Smart TV

2010-05-26T22:15:00.000-07:00

The long-awaited convergence of Internet and television is upon us. Google (GOOG) says so.

Okay, we’ve been hearing that one since Sergei Brin was sucking on a Zwieback cookie. But all the same, Google TV, which was announced last week and is expected to be available by fall, might actually work. If it does, it will become part of our daily lives, unlike the many earlier attempts -- by Microsoft (MSFT) and Apple (AAPL) among others -- that were doomed to become little more than niche products.

Why would Google succeed where so many others, who aren't exactly dopes after all, have failed?

Partly because Google has got its priorities straight. Google TV is a natural extension of the company’s primary business, which is delivering targeted advertising. It's leaving both the content and the hardware to others.

Google’s not trying to create a cool new gadget that geeks will love and the rest of us will reluctantly learn to live with. Or not: In the earlier efforts, the actual content was secondary in nature and limited in scope, and thus pretty easy to live without.

Here, the promise is a clean merger of Internet and television, using nothing more or less than the interface and functionality that's become familiar and effortless to users of both devices. At least that’s what Google promised to deliver, and that’s certainly what the media audience heard.

So what is this thing, Google TV? As described, it’s simply Google search, but it collects matches to your queries across television programming as well as the Internet. And it uses the Google Chrome browser, so you can channel surf.

So, it’s a kind of online television and Internet guide that delivers one-click access to any programming from either source. If you’re obsessed with the Lost season finale, you can choose to watch it on television, or see a parody of it, or a rerun of an old episode, or discuss it on a blog, or see a recent interview with one of its stars.

God help us, there will be millions upon millions of channels out there, and they’re all going to be on at once.

With this project, Google is acknowledging the plain fact that television programming might seem like a business on the decline, but television viewing is one amazingly sticky habit, not least because it's absolutely not interactive, and therefore is effortless.

As noted in the company’s presentation, Americans spend five hours a day watching television, and advertisers spend $70 billion a year in the US alone to reach them. The worldwide audience is about 4 billion, and that’s about four times the number of personal-computer users out there and twice the number of mobile-phone users.

more info :-http://www.minyanville.com/investing/articles/google-tv-smart-tv-google-google/5/26/2010/id/28487

Australian Macworld goes digital for the iPad

2010-05-25T22:05:00.000-07:00

The longest-running Mac magazine outside the US, is now available as a digital download.

With the release of Apple's innovative iPad tablet computer, the requests for a digital version of Australian Macworld have reached fever pitch. Everyone wants to experience magazines on the beautiful new tablet, and no magazine is more suited to reading on an Apple device than Australian Macworld!

"It is with great pleasure that we can announce that Australian Macworld is available from today as a digital download for iPad, iPhone, Mac – and even PC – through the incredibly popular Zinio magazine marketplace," says Australian Macworld associate publisher Liana Pappas.

"We’ve held off releasing until now because of the multitude of options available – it was impossible to tell whether any of them would be successful," she says. "However, one look at the Zinio app on the iPad, and our decision was made. It is the simplest, most beautiful way to view print-formatted digital content."

The June issue is the first cab off the rank, being released simultaneously on Zinio and newsstands. Readers can buy individual issues or subscribe for 12 months at a discounted rate. Back issues will also be made available over the coming months so you can catch up on any that you might have missed. You can even buy a digital version of the Mac Basics Superguide 2, which is sold out on newsstands.

Our digital issues are full versions of the monthly print magazine, and include internet links to extra online content and relevant websites. If you’re reading on an iPad, it all happens within the Zinio app – available as a free download from Apple's App Store (iTunes link).

What if you don’t have an iPad, but still want to read Australian Macworld digitally? We’ve got you covered: Zinio has reader apps for iPhone, iPod touch, Mac and PC, or you can read online via a web browser such as Safari or Firefox.

Reading via Zinio is as simple as reading the print mag. It offers full-screen portrait and landscape views, easy zooming to see the finer details, and the ability to browse or search. See a great article on the contents page? Just click it and you’re there.

Better still, each copy you buy is yours to keep, and will work with any Zinio app you use. You can even print your favourite articles to read the old-fashioned way – great for keeping a copy of help features handy for when unexpected problems crop up.

“This new partnership with Zinio offers our readers and advertisers an exciting new opportunity: readers can get the latest issue anytime, anywhere in the world, and advertisers have a more interactive platform and more readers than ever to whom they can showcase their products," Pappas says.

The current print version will continue as it has for the past 25 years – offering the best in Australian Mac news, reviews, columns, and features. Australian Macworld online continues to grow with new staff, a boom in readership and, soon, a great new look.

more information :-http://www.macworld.com.au/news/view/australian-macworld-goes-digital-for-the-ipad-4978

Insurance firms target low-end market via phones

2010-05-24T22:30:00.000-07:00

The sale of insurance products through the mobile phone has opened a new door for the sector to roll out cheap products expected to spur growth in the Kenyan market.

The technology is set to cut the high administration costs that made it difficult for local firms to enter the micro insurance market that has been tipped to deepen insurance penetration, which has remained at a mere 2.5 per cent of the population for nearly a decade.

Micro insurance offers risk cover to the poor with its main features being small amounts of premiums paid by policy holders.
Equity Bank and Safaricom have launched a mobile based platform that allows consumers to make payments, which are as low as Sh530 annually or Sh10.2 weekly, that local insurance firms are hoping will help them capture the low end of the market.

The mobile-based payment is set reduce the insurers wage bill and distributions costs such as running branches and agents commissions, which are insurers’ biggest cost item.

“Collection of insurance premiums and payment of claims is one of the major challenges of the insurance sector and the ability to do these through mobiles will cut costs and reduce customer inconvenience,” said Joseph Kameri, the marketing and distribution manager at UAP.

He added that savings brought by the mobile based payment system will in turn create headroom for lowering the cost of insurance products, especially those targeted at the low end market.

Analysts say that the service will help in taking micro insurance to the bottom end of the market where they are needed the most but where insurance firms find it too expensive to operate because of thin volumes.

The low insurance penetration has been blamed low confidence in insurance products and lack of products targeted at the low and mid-end niches.

This has seen the local insurance sector perform dismally compared to its peers in the financial industry notably the banking sector.

“Micro insurance presents a major growth opportunity for the insurance industry in Kenya because it is inclusive of most of the population,” says Ashok Shah, the managing director of APA Insurance.

The entry into the down market is not only expected to guarantee a steady stream of earnings for these firms, but also offer an opportunity for individuals and SMEs to be roped into the insurance bracket.

In doing so, local insurers will be following in the footsteps of the banking sector that went down-market in 2003 -- leading to sharp a growth in the sector.

Banks have seen pre-tax profits grow from Sh7.1 billion in 2004 to Sh24.6 billion in 2008 compared to that of the insurance sector that dropped from Sh1 billion to Sh500 million over the same period.

Already, local insurance firms are angling to be part of the Equity-Safaricom deal, egged on by the large number of Equity and Safaricom clients who are uninsured.

more information :-http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/Insurance%20firms%20target%20low%20end%20market%20via%20phones/-/539552/924200/-/wpmk1k/-/

Six Strategies for Successful Niche Marketing

2010-05-23T22:08:00.000-07:00

There's been a lot of buzz about the long-tail phenomenon—the strategy of selling smaller quantities of a wider range of goods that are designed to resonate with consumers' preferences and earn higher margins. And a quick scan of everyday products seems to confirm the long tail's merit: Where once we wore jeans from Levi, Wrangler or Lee, we now have scores of options from design houses. If you're looking for a nutrition bar, there's one exactly right for you, whether you're a triathlete, a dieter or a weight lifter. Hundreds of brewers offer thousands of craft beers suited to every conceivable taste.

It's not surprising that so many companies have embraced this strategy. It allows them to avoid the intense competition found in mass markets. Look at the sales growth that has taken place in low-volume, high-margin products such as super-premium ice cream, noncarbonated beverages, heritage meats and heirloom vegetables.

But the case for the long tail has frequently been overstated. This strategy can be expensive to implement, and it doesn't work for all products or all categories. It's surely better to produce a blockbuster film, for instance, than a smattering of low-volume art films.

In other words, simply avoiding the clutter of mass markets isn't enough. Companies need to stake out unique market sweet spots, those areas that resonate so strongly with target consumers that they are willing to pay a premium price, which offsets the higher production and distribution costs associated with niche offerings. We call this approach resonance marketing.

The vast amount of information available on the Internet has made this kind of niche marketing more important than ever and easier to do. More important because all that information encourages comparison shopping, putting tremendous downward pressure on prices and profits in highly competitive mass markets. And easier because it eliminates much of consumers' uncertainty about new niche products, since they can easily find reviews, ratings and comments on everything that hits the market. For decades consumer uncertainty blocked the launch of new offerings that were too focused to be supported by national ad campaigns; today's empowered consumer is truly listening to word-of-mouth.

Finding sweet spots in the market is especially important in these tough economic times, when so many consumers are strapped for cash. Many shoppers will compromise whenever possible by looking for cheaper alternatives to the things they usually buy—but keep buying products that don't have any direct substitutes.

With the right approach, resonance marketing can fulfill its promise. We have found that six marketing principles, taken together, will allow a company to manage the complexity of this strategy and reap superior profitability.

more information :-http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704130904574644084205858424.html?mod=WSJ_latestheadlines

GK: New niches for steady riches

2010-05-21T22:04:00.000-07:00

Slough-based distributor GK Telecom has kept a low profile, but a pending airtime contract with T-Mobile,an expanding 3 sales base and a solid SIM-card business has turned heads

Slough SIM card distributor GK Telecom is not widely known in the industry beyond its core customer base and suppliers. It comprises just 23 staff, and has kept its head down and maintained a low profile.

However, that all changed in April when T-Mobile dropped airtime distributor Anglia Telecom Centres for missing volume targets in successive quarters, leaving HSC as T-Mobile’s only official airtime partner in the UK.

Anglia Telecom stockists were transferred to HSC to ensure continuity of business for T-Mobile, which at the time announced in tandem plans to put GK on a six-month trial period with a view to making it a fully fledged distributor for the network after that.

However due to the joint venture between Orange and T-Mobile in the UK, the trial could be delayed until July, when the merger takes fuller shape.

GK Telecom network director Debbie Young explains: “The trial has suffered a setback. The delay is a real shame but is unavoidable given the scale of disruption at both networks as they strive to achieve synergy in back office and sales functions. It would be crazy to think that the joint venture would have no impact.”

GK Telecom has been a 3 distributor for 18 months. GK Telecom chairman Gurminder Dulku and director Atul Patel (pictured) hired Young from HSC as network director to set up its back office for airtime sales and to recruit and train staff. GK Telecom now has full distribution with 3 for business sales, consumer retail connections, mobile broadband, prepay products and SIM cards.

Young has 11 years of experience in the airtime and dealer channel. She started at European Telecom where she was a dealer account manager for four years.

She then spent three years as a dealer manager at Hugh Symons (now HSC), and worked under the same job title for Unique Distribution between June 2005 and September 2007. Prior to joining GK Telecom, she was head of airtime at Advantage Cellular between September 2007 and March 2009.

more information :-http://www.mobilenewscwp.co.uk/Features/489661/gk_new_niches_for_steady_riches.html

Can the Kobo eReader compete with the Apple iPad?

2010-05-19T22:06:00.000-07:00

REDgroup Retail has finally released the Kobo eReader device and eBooks platform, with the gadget to sell for $199 in Borders bookstores and online in an attempt to challenge the Amazon Kindle's grip on the market.

But analysts question whether the gadget will actually achieve success in Australia, as the Apple iPad threatens to topple the dedicated eReader market with a more powerful offering.

REDgroup, which operates the Borders and Angus & Robertson book chains, launched the gadget in Sydney yesterday. It is one of the first eReaders to be launched towards a mass-market audience in Australia.

While Amazon has already offered the international Kindle model for some time, the device is not actually sold in stores – one advantage the Kobo has over the retail giant.

About two million eBooks are already available on the Borders eBook store, and are in a format that can be read on any device including the iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry and any Android-based mobile device. The company also hopes to push the availability of local authors as a key drawing card.

Setting the gadget's price at $199 will also provide an advantage over the Amazon Kindle, which costs $US259, and the iPad, which starts at $629. Books will sell for about $10-15, which is similar to the prices offered by Amazon and Apple.

But despite Kobo's first-mover advantage, some analysts are questioning whether the gadget will actually have any traction in the Australian market. While dedicated eReaders have been popular for some time, some analysts say they may be overridden by stronger, multi-purpose devices like the iPad.

Telsyte analyst Alvin Lee says while the Kobo has an attractive battery life, and the in-built books are a nice touch, it won't necessarily be able to compete against multipurpose devices.

"However, the fact that an eBook-store-app will also be made available across platforms including Blackberry, Android and iPad, might cause the device itself to be less attractive to consumers."

"Further comparing with Apple's iPad, it is missing the wow factor as a late comer to the market. Kobo eReader is now competing with Apple's iPad, who essentially offers not only eBooks, but a much wider range of applications and services."

But Ovum analyst Nathan Burley says the market is splintering into different types of niche products.

"If you look at what's happening in devices at the moment, you have a lot of different form factors which are emerging. We are at the point now where producing electronics is cheap, and cheap enough to create entirely new categories."

"If you look now, we are getting steps away from just a phone and a PC, we have tablets, eReaders, smartbooks as well as netbooks, which came on the scene about two or three years ago. There will be more and more devices like this, but the question is, do customers want one product that does something very well, or a multi-purpose product?"

Burley says the market will see both scenarios occur – while some users will choose single-use devices, others will opt for more complex gadgets.

"Look at cameras. Almost everyone has a camera in their phone now, but you still have people buying more complicated cameras to do more complicated things. Music players, eReaders all fall into that category as well."

One industry expert also expressed doubt the device would achieve much success in Australia, saying the local market is becoming used to more powerful gadgets such as the iPad, which will eventually overshadow single-use devices like the Amazon Kindle.

Nevertheless, demand for eReaders is set to grow. A new study from Boston Consulting Group revealed last week that 23% of Australians plan to buy an eReader or tablet within the next year, while 49% plan to buy one within the next three years.

more information :-http://www.smartcompany.com.au/information-technology/20100520-can-the-kobo-ereader-compete-with-the-apple-ipad.html

E-readers, tablet computers set to take off: BCG survey

2010-05-18T22:21:00.000-07:00

Consumers worlwide are very interested in tablet computers like Apple's iPad and electronic readers such as Amazon's Kindle, and sales of the devices could take off when prices drop, according to a new survey.

"I think we're already at the starting point of mass adoption," said John Rose of The Boston Consulting Group, which conducted the survey of nearly 13,000 consumers in 14 countries.

"A million iPads in a month is a lot," Rose told AFP on Monday, refering to Apple's first month sales figures for the touchscreen device. Other companies such as Sony, Samsung and Google were expected to come out with similar products, he added.

Fifty-one percent of consumers surveyed who were familar with e-readers or tablet computers said they planned to purchase one within a year and 73 percent said they planned to buy one within three years.

"The survey suggests that e-readers and tablets are not a niche product for early adopters but could become the MP3 players of this decade," Rose said separately in a press release. "Grandmothers will soon be carrying them around."

The survey revealed prices will have to drop before e-readers and tablets become established consumer products alongside television sets, personal computers and mobile phones.

"As with other major mass market consumer devices the prices will come down," Rose told AFP. "They always do.

"I expect you'll see the prices come down in the next 12 to 18 months," he said. "The first iPod was a 400-dollar device so there's no reason why we won't see the same cycle."

US consumers said they were prepared to pay between 100 and 150 dollars for a single-usage device like the Kindle or 130 to 200 dollars for a multi-purpose device like the iPad, which can serve as an e-reader but also browse the Web or play video.

The Kindle, which was launched in 2007, costs 259 dollars while the iPad, which came out in the United States last month, costs between 499 dollars and 829 dollars.

The survey found most consumers would prefer a multi-purpose device. Sixty-six percent said they preferred a multi-purpose device while 24 percent said they wanted a single-purpose device for reading electronic books. The remainder were undecided.

"Consumers want to use these devices for a broad range of things, including Web surfing and email," Rose said. "These are easy and portable devices that'll make it easy to do such things."

In the United States, consumers are willing to pay between five and 10 dollars for digital books, five to 10 dollars for a monthly newspaper subscription and between two and four dollars for a single issue of an online magazine.

The BCG survey was conducted in March of 12,717 consumers in Australia, Austria, Britain, China, Finland, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Norway, South Korea, Spain and the United States.

more information :-http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5i1yUNfVY60wHNuXE50sf4kyaT9lQ

Two Books Offer Advice On Being Different

2010-05-16T22:25:00.000-07:00

Businesses seem to respond to competition, rather than customers. When one company introduces a feature that appears to appeal to customers, others quickly adopt it. They follow the bellwether cow. Rather than break trail, the herd obediently follows the trail breaker. “The more diligently firms compete with each other, the less differentiated they can become, at least in the eyes of the consumer.”

“One acts; the others respond in-kind” examples: Coke and Pepsi introduced retro versions of their colas with natural sugar at approximately the same time. BMW introduced the “Bangle butt” rear end (named after its designer Chris Bangle) on its car series a few years ago. Other manufacturers made derisive comments about its look — until they found that consumers liked it. Now you can find the Bangle butt copycats from Toyota/Lexus, Honda/Acura and Buick.

Most companies also try to fill gaps (i.e. perceived weakness) in their product lines to broaden market appeal. Doing this often results in weakening brand.”

Dell and Gateway carved out unique market niches with their built-for-you, home-delivered PCs. They strayed from those niches and now compete principally on price in a commoditized PC market. It’s called product augmentation (i.e. “a growing profusion of alternatives, a shrinking proportion of which are meaningful).

My example of a company that embodies “Different” through product extension is Apple. While it had its share of product missteps with its computers, devotees are Apple to their core. Then it broke more trails: first with its iPod/iTunes, followed by the iPhone, the iTouch and now the iPad — and over 150,000 apps. Each product builds from its predecessors and appeals to different markets [i.e. portable music player (market leader), smartphones (market leader), portable gaming (catching up), laptops/netbooks/tablet (carving a new niche)].

CEOs should ask their marketing teams what can be done to become “Different.” After getting their responses, ask them to watch Moon’s book-promo video on YouTube — youtube.com/watch?v=26PVrm4iLA0. Then again ask them what can be done to become “Different.” If they come back with their original answers, consider getting a different marketing team.

“Escape from Cubicle Nation — From Corporate Prisoner to Thriving Entrepreneur” by Pamela Slim, Berkley Books, $15.

Thousands in the unemployment lines are considering starting businesses; thousands who survived restructurings are doing the same. The appeal of business ownership has never been higher.

Do you have what it takes to succeed? Slim points the way.

Before choosing a business, you have to choose your ideal life. The business is your means to that end. You’ll need the support of your family to succeed, so their voice needs to be heard. Slim’s father embarked on a career in multi-level marketing against the wishes of his wife. He died at 63, divorced and alone — except for the multitudes of unsold products and motivational books/tapes.

more information :-http://www.hartfordbusiness.com/news13206.html

Pfizer bags more products from India’s Strides

2010-05-14T23:06:00.000-07:00

Pfizer has extended its agreement with Strides Arcolab which will see the Indian firm supply 38 oncology products to the drugs giant for marketing in the European Union, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and Korea.

A second deal has been signed covering niche sterile injectables for the US market. The new pacts follow an agreement announced in January this year which covered 40 generics, many of which are oncology therapeutics, for the USA.

The companies noted that their agreement now extends to a total of 45 products “around the globe”. David Simmons, head of Pfizer’s Established Products unit, said the collaboration “reinforces our commitment to become a leader in the injectables market.” In May last year, Pfizer signed licensing deals with two other Indian firms Aurobindo Pharma and Claris Lifesciences.

Strides chief executive Arun Kumar said the expanded deal “validates our strategic intent to be a partner of choice to Pfizer and to be a leader in the specialty segment with a focus on specific therapeutic segments such as oncology”. Under the new agreements, financial terms for which were not disclosed, the first of the products is expected to be commercialised in late 2010/early 2011.

more information :-http://www.pharmatimes.com/WorldNews/article.aspx?id=17871

E-book readers, tablet PCs set to boom

2010-05-13T21:53:00.000-07:00

Electronic book readers and tablet PCs, known to be niche products for technology geeks, are set to become mass-market devices in this decade, a survey by the Boston Consulting Group has said.

According to the online survey of nearly 13,000 consumers spanning 14 countries, including India [ Images ] and China, e-readers and tablet PCs could become established consumer products alongside televisions, personal computers and mobile phones such as the BlackBerry and the iPhone.

Within the next year, as many as 28 per cent of all respondents and 51 per cent of those familiar with these devices plan to purchase an electronic book-reader or a tablet PC, claims the survey.

E-readers, or electronic book readers, have been around for several years, but gained critical mass only in the late 2007 when Amazon introduced the Kindle, which has gone onto become an instant hit.

This March, the technology major Apple countered with the iPad tablet recently, which is able to perform many tasks besides reading, such as Web browsing, video viewing, photo-sharing, and e-mail.

Within three years, a whopping 49 per cent of all respondents and 73 per cent of those familiar with the devices plan a purchase, the survey revealed.

"The survey suggests that e-readers and tablets are not a niche product for early adopters but could become the MP3 players of this decade. Grandmothers will soon be carrying them around," BCG's media practice global leader John Rose said while releasing the survey findings.

Consumers clearly want to do more than just read with these devices as 66 per cent of the respondents globally would prefer to buy a multipurpose device, as against a minority 24 per cent who prefer a single-function device, said the survey, adding, however, that the acceptance of e-readers and tablets is not guaranteed unless prices drop dramatically.

Even in the United States, consumers are ready to cough up only up to $200 for a multipurpose device, pointed out the survey.

It also offered a guarded piece of good news for content providers, as they have been looking to e-readers and tablets as a potential new revenue source to compensate for the loss of business from traditional products.

The BCG survey found more than 90 per cent of those interested in purchasing an e-reader over the next three years would use it for e-books, and over 80 per cent would use it to read online versions of magazines and newspapers.

more information :-http://business.rediff.com/report/2010/may/13/tech-e-book-readers-and-tablet-pcs-set-to-boom.htm

BOOK REVIEW: 'The Risk Takers': Entrepreneurs Who Found Underserved Niches -- and Filled Them

2010-05-12T22:02:00.000-07:00

In their new book "The Risk Takers: 16 Women and Men Share Their Entrepreneurial Strategies for Success" (Vanguard Press, a member of the Perseus Books Group, 288 pages, $25.95) Renee and Don Martin provide inspiration -- and useful advice -- for people trapped in the corporate world, looking for a way to develop their brilliant ideas into a business that they control.

All of the entrepreneurs profiled -- including co-author Don Martin -- were what the authors call "ordinary" people, all with good ideas, who faced daunting challenges, but took a leap of faith and started their own businesses.

I would dispute that "ordinary" tag: Ordinary people don't usually do what the entrepreneurs profiled in "The Risk Takers" did. A typical climbing-the-corporate-ladder executive wouldn't do what Maxine Clark, who was president of the Payless ShoeSource discount chain, did: Leave a seven-figure salary and beaucoup benefits to start Build-A-Bear Workshop, which gives kids the opportunity to create their own personalized teddy bears and other animals.

"The Risk Takers" describes the personal and professional journeys of sixteen men and women who built hugely successful, multimillion dollar companies. They started with very little, opted to strike out on their own, and struggled with disappointment and failure.

They overcame adversity and ignored the warnings of naysayers -- and through persistence and resiliency -- determined their own destiny.

The companies profiled are familiar to many Americans: Geek Squad, Curves, Liz Lange Maternity, Kinko’s, Paul Mitchell, Spanx, Amy’s Kitchen, along with nine others. Don and Renee Martin, successful entrepreneurs in their own right, personally interviewed these men and women whose inspiring stories demonstrate it’s never been easy to start your own business and navigate it through all the inevitable storms to ultimate success—in any economy, in any era.

But, as the people profiled demonstrate, it can be done.

The authors say that whether you're considering starting your own business -- or looking for ways to expand an existing enterprise -- there are three time-tested, business strategies that can help you to create a new business or push your company to the next level of success:

1. Go on a treasure hunt and find an underserved niche
2. Buck the conventional wisdom
3. Spot a new trend and pounce

If you adopt these strategies as your entrepreneurial mantras you're more likely to identify and take advantage of real opportunities to expand your company's product line and customer base, the authors state. The strategies are:

Go on a Treasure Hunt and Find an Underserved Niche

In the business world, there's nothing more exciting than finding an underserved niche that represents a lucrative market that everyone else has failed to spot and target, the Martins write.

That's what happened to Gary and Diane Heavin, founders of the Curves International fitness franchise system. When the company launched in 1992, the Heavins had just $10,000 in savings to invest in their company. Today, Curves is the world's largest fitness franchise system, with 10,000 franchise locations in 65 countries.

Instead of competing head-to-head with fitness giants like 24 Hour Fitness or Bally Total Fitness, the Heavins opted to serve the fitness needs of three underserved niches: middle-age and older women who are eager to get in shape but might feel intimidated by large gyms teeming with young, hard bodies; busy working women whose schedules could more easily accommodate the Curves 30-minute workout; and budget-conscious women who simply couldn't afford the pricey monthly membership dues charged by the major gym chains. Early on, Curves clearly distinguished itself from the pack of gym competitors; its services and clientele were different.

Targeting an underserved niche is a path that small start-ups can take. Even a huge multi-billion-dollar company can't offer everything for everyone. Targeting the right niche -- one that other business owners have neglected or ignored -- can help build a strong and loyal customer base while limiting competition.

Liz Lange was another entrepreneur who followed this strategy. She launched a phenomenally successful designer maternity clothing company -- Liz Lange Maternity -- which eventually sold for an estimated $50 to $60 million in 2007. She also partnered with Target to launch a secondary, discount version of her line.

Like the Heavins, Lange reached the heights of success by targeting an underserved niche. In her case, that meant zeroing in on the needs of pregnant fashionistas -- women who refused to let a pregnancy deprive them of their fashion sense. Lange used newly developed stretch fabrics to create chic, fitted and stylish maternity clothes. They were nothing like the tent-like and frumpy maternity clothes widely available in department stores.

more information :-http://www.huntingtonnews.net/columns/100512-kinchen-columnsbookreview.html

Nancy Barnes: New bylines in your paper

2010-05-11T22:09:00.000-07:00

In the last few weeks, we've added three staffers to our business department, to fill positions created by departing reporters and to add some journalistic muscle to one of the most important sections in the paper. To fill these positions, we literally looked at applicants from all over the country, then invested in relocating those we hired to the Twin Cities.

You've seen some of their work already. Mike Hughlett, a veteran business reporter, is now covering the food and agriculture industry, and his byline has appeared frequently since he landed here last month. Hughlett was hired from the Chicago Tribune and previously had been a reporter at the Pioneer Press. Wendy Lee, formerly a business reporter at the Tennessean, has joined us to cover emerging technology companies, and Thom Kupper, a longtime business editor at the San Diego Union Tribune, arrived this week after driving four days cross-country (by way of Mount Rushmore) to be a senior editor in the business department.

Since fall, we have also hired two reporters for our political team and a veteran reporter to dig out in-depth stories, and we are interviewing for a data reporter for our investigative team.

These are just some of the investments we have made, and continue to make, to provide readers with strong, thoughtful and engaging content. Just last week, I heard someone in the community proclaim that newspapers were leaving beat after beat unfilled, failing to fulfill their core mission. That may be true at some newspapers in the country, but it's simply not the case at the Star Tribune. That perception may be born of a misunderstanding of what was happening at this company in the midst of a terrible recession that forced significant cutbacks, as it did at businesses around the country.

more information :-http://www.startribune.com/opinion/commentary/93157394.html?elr=KArksc8P:Pc:U0ckkD:aEyKUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aULPQL7PQLanchO7DiUr

Can electric cars break out of niche status in US, China market?

2010-05-10T22:01:00.000-07:00

Nearly 52,000 people were wait-listed as of mid-April for General Motors' electric model, the Volt, due in November. As of March, almost 56,000 people had signed up to reserve Nissan's all-electric Leaf, due in dealerships by December.

•In China, leading automakers BYD and Chery have announced plans to roll out their own electric models within the next two years.

•Investors, too, are excited. Electric-car ventures made up nearly 40 percent of $1.9 billion invested in 180 green-technology companies worldwide in the first quarter of 2010, according to a study by the Cleantech Group and Deloitte.

Yet in the United States and China, automakers' caution, weak price incentives, and concerns over the electrical grid are slowing the electric car's introduction. If electric cars can't break out of niche status in the world's two largest passenger car markets, then a transition away from gasoline-powered vehicles could be delayed. And many would-be buyers are likely to be frustrated by the lack of available cars. "There is undoubtedly going to be a backlog, where demand exceeds production for the next few years, due to the trepidation of the automakers that the electric car is not something consumers want," says Marc Geller, cofounder of the advocacy group Plug In America.

Take the 56,000 people who have signed up for a Leaf. Nissan is planning to start deploying it in only five states. Total cars initially available: 4,700.

Other automakers are also proceeding cautiously. Bob Lutz, the outgoing vice chairman of GM, has said the company will produce about 8,000 Chevy Volts in 2011. BMW's Mini is rolling out its electric car in three phases. In 2008 the company released a test fleet of 450 Mini-E vehicles and is getting ready to announce its second phase. The third phase will be released around 2015.

Similarly, in China, the sheer size of the auto industry and the country's ambitious clean-energy goals suggest a potentially huge market for electric cars. China overtook the US last year as the largest auto market in the world.

Still, Chinese auto-makers hesitate to mass-market their electric models domestically. BYD's all-electric e6 production line at the company's base in Shenzhen was "ready for manufacturing" in March, but was only producing the gasoline-powered F6, according to Yang Binbin, who writes for Caixin magazine, a business publication based in Beijing.

In the meantime, the company is focused on government-funded mass- transit projects, which guarantee investment returns. In March, BYD chief executive officer Wang Chuanfu announced that in the first half of 2010 the company will sell only 100 e6 cars, to a taxi company in Shenzhen.

Chinese green-car subsidies on hold

The uncertainty surrounding Chinese demand for electric cars is tied to subsidies, Mr. Yang says. The government-run newspaper China Daily reported on April 8 that the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology had postponed its plans to launch incentives for private purchases of new energy vehicles in March.

more information:-http://www.csmonitor.com/Money/2010/0510/Can-electric-cars-break-out-of-niche-status-in-US-China-market

On the market: Southland niches heating up

2010-05-09T21:55:00.000-07:00

As experts debate whether the housing market is headed for another dip, sales activity remains brisk in some areas.

Homes in strong markets with lower-priced properties (under $500,000 or under $300,000, depending on the market) are selling quickly, said Steve Goddard, president of the California Assn. of Realtors and broker-manager of RE/MAX Beach Cities Realty in Manhattan Beach. "I think people feel that this is the last chance to get in on a good interest rate before prices go up again."

Goddard pointed out that in 2009, about 55% of all the properties sold in California had multiple offers.

"Properties priced right in certain markets are generating multiple offers and bidding wars," said West De Young, branch manager for Dilbeck Realtors in South Pasadena.

In March, Carrie Bryden, a sales associate with De Young's branch, watched in disbelief as her client with 50% down lost a bidding war to a cash buyer offering more than the $747,000 asking price. Bryden says the client is still looking for a home.

"They are in counteroffers right now on a multiple bid in Echo Park," she said.

Bryden said another client recently came out ahead when bidding on a home in Montecito Heights. But it wasn't easy.

"There were nine other offers on the home, but my client had 40% down and removed her appraisal contingency, which is the reason her offer was accepted over the others," Bryden said. ("I don't recommend buyers remove the appraisal contingency unless they really feel that house is worth what they are paying and have the extra money to cover any difference between the appraised value and the purchase price, which would not be covered in the loan," she added.)

Experts say tax credits are one element driving the trend.

"I thought things would cool off once the federal tax credit expired April 30. But California introduced additional tax credits, and those incentives are keeping the competition in the market," said Bryden, who has been selling real estate in Northeast L.A. since 2002. California's tax credit, which went into effect on May 1, provides as much as $10,000 relief for someone who buys a new or first home, claimed over three years.

Bryden says affordability is another factor luring buyers back to real estate.

"In 2006, my home was valued at about $1.1 million. Today, the house would probably sell for about $850,000. So there is more incentive because prices have declined so much," she said.

Even some higher-priced areas are seeing action.

Alex Lombardo, broker-owner for the Sunset Team Inc. at Keller Williams Realty in West Hollywood, says his luxury home market is seeing some strong competition from buyers looking for quality homes.

more information :-http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/money_co/2010/05/housing-real-estate-appraisal-tax-credit.html

Latest Internet Web Design Tool Applicable to Linux and Microsoft

2010-05-07T22:17:00.000-07:00

The latest and vamped up web design tool deemed very effective for moneymaking websites. It’s the web design tool that is now available in the market for every web designer’s usage. It’s the new, fast, powerful and easy to use Site 2 Traffic web design tool.

Since web design tool is considered vital in order for a website to draw attention among the billions of other website in the digital ocean, Bronwyn and Keith Stringer created the perfect web design tool software that can be used by anybody who wants to create money–making websites.

Site 2 Traffic or S2T is not like the other popular but tiring web design tools like Dreamweaver or BBedit. S2T is the only kind of web design tool that doesn't require any background knowledge of HTML, CSS, PHP, or graphic design. Building websites with the aid of this web design tool only lasts 3 minutes and 20 seconds.

The importance of upgrading the physical appearance of a money–making website is crucial among the clients who are looking for quality services from websites provided by the World Wide Web. That is why a very effective web design tool is needed in this kind of trade.

S2T web design tool is every web designers’ friend. It is specifically designed to be an easy, fast, and powerful web design tool. S2T serves the sole purpose of eliminating the tedious task of redoing the very complicated process of website building. This web design tool can build a complete SEO-optimized and monetized website in just a few clicks. It does not only design the webpage with built-in templates to choose from, it can also create RSS feeds and upload the website via FTP.

Professional web designers cannot do without a good set of web design tool. Because it does not only help them create a catchy company or private website but it can provide and meet the client’s preferences. A cost efficient and easy to use web design tool like S2T can enable a web designer create a marketing niche faster.

There are plenty of web design tool in the digital market. All a web designer has to do is find the perfect web design tool that can benefit not only the clients but also the him/ her in the process. Although there are plenty of web design tools out there that promises to assist in creating websites, it still requires the user to be well versed in hard encoding. The creation of niche websites will then be limited with the user’s knowledge and time. The process of other web design tools can be very intimidating to a novice niche affiliate marketer who’s planning to make money via the Web. That's why S2T web design tool was created to be user- friendly.

more information :-http://www.bignews.biz/?id=868873&keys=Internet-website-tool-design

InBoundMarketingPR Announces Free Resource for Company Websites

2010-05-05T22:16:00.000-07:00

InBoundMarketingPR announced a new resource today for company websites. Companies that are interested in discovering how effective their websites are can submit their website url for a free report and recommendations to the InBoundMarketingPR team.

The report covers marketing effectiveness including all search engine optimization (SEO) parameters, including page titles, page descriptions, optimization of images, videos and other multi-media within the website. The report also will contain a “grade” for company news releases and recommendations for adjustments to ensure news releases have the best possible chance of being syndicated. The service is free, not a gimmick and those that submit their websites will not be hounded relentlessly to pay for other services.

“The great majority of smaller companies have websites that are deficient in one or several areas,” said Tom Allinder President of InBoundMarketingPR. “We created this tool for them so that they can make changes and adjustments to their sites for greater effectiveness. We believe that helping companies organically is the best and most inexpensive way. Advertising campaigns like email, regular mail, postcards, DVDs and what have you are finding their way to recycle bins, both virtual and real in ever greater numbers. Pay-per-click campaigns are great and provide short-term results but if you stop paying, you company’s website immediately plummets down the rankings; often into obscurity and oblivion. As it is said, Organic is forever while pay-per-click is temporary,” concluded Allinder.

On InBoundMarketingPR’s blog, Rosemary Sorg has written about 4 Twitter tools including what the tools do and how effective they are. Twitter is a powerful inbound marketing tool if used properly.

Tom Allinder has written once more on the use of inbound marketing for investor relations for small and micro cap companies.

About InBoundMarketingPR

InBoundMarketingPR is an Inbound Marketing Public Relations Company that specializes in investor relations and brand building strategies such as search engine optimization, search engine marketing, website design and redesign, social media and content development and marketing. InBoundMarketingPR's niche is publicly traded companies but serves businesses of all types and sizes on a regional as well as global scale.

more information :-http://www.onlineprnews.com/news/34303-1273069220-inboundmarketingpr-announces-free-resource-for-company-websites.html

How To Make $1500 From Profitable Niches Monthly

2010-05-04T21:53:00.000-07:00

One truth that website owners cannot run away from is the fact that the niche they build their sites on is very important to making money online. It will be a great mistake to just decide to build your website on any niche you finds convenient, interesting or acceptable to you- it is also very costly too. It will cost you money lost from a niche that is too broad or too narrow-in fact these are not really niches in the right senses of it, but mainstream.

Now if you understand how to choose a profitable niche and then dig deeper to find a sub-niche with less competition and good searches terms and use these as the basis that you build your site on then what you would have succeeded in building are money makers.
So how do go about doing this?

The first thing is to brainstorm for ideas that you suspect to be a good niche markets. You get a clue as to whether an idea is a niche or not from news, magazines, catalogs est. one sign of a niche that will be profitable is when you notice a persistent problem or a trend. Once you notice such you are then to do more research on it online.

The keyword tools are online applications that you can use to find out more about this niche. This are software that will reveal some important statistics about the niche that you want to start your site on or build other money making endeavor on your niche like production of information product.

One statistic that you will look out for is the money that advertisers are willing to pay per click on the keywords you have chosen to use in your niche. For our purpose here it should be between 50 cents and $2. Let us take the instance where you have a niche advertisers are willing to pay $1 per click then target making $5 daily through pay per click program and that will be $150 in a month. To meet the target of $1500/month just build 10 of such sites and making this amount monthly will be possible. I want to let you know that with this strategy even one of such sites alone will be making our target of $1500 if you did your research well and serve content that are optimized with the keywords on your site(S) regularly

for more information :-http://ezinearticles.com/?How-To-Make-$1500-From-Profitable-Niches-Monthly&id=4205470

Internet and Websites : Student Launches Niche Website - Entrepreneur Resources that will TurboCharge any Business

2010-05-02T22:13:00.000-07:00

Officially launching with this press release, EntrepreneurFreak.com invites business students, entrepreneurs, and professionals to gain an upper hand in life and discover new entrepreneur resources that will help them succeed in today's marketplace. Attending business school and reading guru books are not enough in 2010. “It takes specialized knowledge of specific entrepreneur resources to compete at a competitive level in this day and age.” -- Lars Knutsen founder of EntrepreneurFreak.com.

News ImageEssentially, EntrepreneurFreak.com is a dashboard to quickly and easily locate entrepreneur resources to effectively start a business, make money, and enjoy life. Entrepreneur resources are effortlessly found whether searching for ezine advertising, search engine optimization, wholesale/dropshippers, or information on how to trademark a business. The abundance of information available at Entrepreneurfreak.com makes it easy to find specific items as well as discover new resources that will help drive success.

Lars Knutsen is going to show the world that entrepreneur resources are what make dreams reality. Starting with this press release, EntrepreneurFreak.com will use entrepreneur resources featured throughout the website and showcase the results for all to see. Tune in and watch Lars take EntrepreneurFreak.com to the top!

more information :-http://www.prudentpressagency.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=16729

UK journalists start entrepreneurial niche websites

2010-04-28T22:04:00.000-07:00

Although entrepreneurial blog sites are old hat in the United States, they are just hitting the scene in the UK and are quickly gaining momentum, reports the Independent.

The trend towards professional online news sites unrelated to established print papers started in the US and has since seen the foundation of multimillion dollar sites like the Huffington Post or the Gawker media sites. The Independent's Ian Burrell calls the UK versions of sites like these "expertly written websites that cater for the specialist audiences that are arguably no longer being served as they once were by more traditional media organisations."

Burrell cites recently founded niche website The Arts Desk as an example of this trend. The Arts Desk offers readers professional arts criticism from journalists formerly or currently employed by well-established papers, and aims to have the site updated by 2 am after opening performances--much quicker than most newspapers publish.
One such journalist, Ismene Brown, was laid off from her job as dance critic at the Daily Telegraph and went on to help found the Arts Desk, recruiting a group of 30 like-minded journalists and finding private investment for the site. Almost six months in, it already draws 60,000 visitors each month and has ads from from the South Bank Center and the O2 and London theatres.

101 Holidays is a similar venture, founded by former Sunday Times travel writers Mark Hosdon and David Wickers. They aim to provide a resource for travelers that is unique from most travel websites because of their background knowledge.

"One of the core principles of our site is expert recommendation," Hodson said. " We are trying to say 'Believe us' because we have been to all these places."

more info :-http://www.editorsweblog.org/web_20/2010/04/uk_journalists_start_entrepreneurial_nic.php

Council wants ‘uniform, neat and clean’ niches for cremains

2010-04-25T21:37:00.000-07:00

It wasn’t quite “Tales From the Crypt,” but things did get a bit macabre Wednesday during a city study session on how to proceed with a proposed columbarium at the Nogales City Cemetery.
Raymond Kory, who donated the engineering for the project now being constructed by city crews, was asked rather indiscreetly by local mortician Tomas Martinez whether he still kept the ashes of a relative who died some time ago inside a plastic box rather than a pricier, more elegant urn.

“Yes, I do,” responded Kory, who is emphatic the city proceed with plans for a one-size-fits-all columbarium, which is a public storage area for cinerary urns.

Kory said he had yet to find an appropriate urn for his relative.

But Martinez said he was trying to show that family members should have the option of larger, decorative spaces for their loved ones’ final resting place.

In a moment of levity, he said: “For example, if I want to bury my wife (while she’s still alive) I would want something better than a plastic box.”

He and Ron Adair, of Adair’s Carroon Mortuary Chapel, argued that the city should not impede or compete in their private enterprise by limiting the size and types of urns they can offer families. They suggested the columbarium be designed to accommodate “drawers” for varied urn dimensions instead of Kory’s proposed size of five inches by eight inches.

But Kory was unmoved, pushing for uniformity that would allow for 2,940 compartments rather than a mixed design.

“I strongly recommend you not do that; don’t differentiate between the millionaire and the pauper,” he told the council.

“I recommend the city not privatize it because it’s basically zero maintenance,” he said of the project, noting that it would generate substantial revenues if each is sold at a suggested $1,000.

Mayor Octavio Garcia-Von Borstel said he preferred the “uniform, neat and clean” niches Kory suggested. He polled the council, which unanimously agreed.

“No,” said Councilman Nubar Hanessian to Adair’s suggestion of a mixed–use design. “Then you’ll get into and east-side, west-side story” where the rich are in one section and the less wealthy on another.

Councilman Ramon Felix said families still have the option of purchasing more elaborate urns for wake or church viewing, and the cremains can then be transferred to the “box.”

Councilwoman Olga Valdez said, “Why do we want a gold box. It’s not like we’re going to be brought back.”

The matter was referred to staff to come up with a final recommendation.

more info :-http://www.nogalesinternational.com/articles/2010/04/23/news/doc4bd1bda2e0d92807388256.txt

Why Not To Create Niche Websites With Blog Applications

2010-04-23T22:09:00.000-07:00

There are many small niche websites on the internet that are created using a blogging platform like Blogger. While this can be very convenient, it isn't always the best option for a niche website unless you can modify your blog site heavily. Some of the disadvantages are that the site will be less static, and people recognize blogs much too well.

When creating a niche website, I find it very important that the website be static, with just a set of simple HTML scripts and no dynamic content. My strategy is to keep my sites very simple and somewhat ugly too. The less the website itself attracts my visitors the better, since then they may be more inclined to look at the ads instead of my header or navigation. If the whole point of your niche site is to make money with PPC or affiliate programs, then making it with a blogging platform can be bad since your website will automatically be dynamic. It has basically been proven that simple static sites will help you earn better when working with niches, and also let you rank higher in search engines. It is definitely possible to modify your blogging site to be completely static, but this may be more work than its worth.

Another reason that you shouldn't use blog sites for niches is that people are very familiar with blogs, and they are traditionally fairly bad for PPC advertising. When people view blog sites, they usually already know how to navigate them and where to find the content. You probably don't want this since you sort of want to push the ads directly into the users face right when they come to your page. You don't want them to know exactly how to navigate the site and how to use all its functions, or else they will initially already have no interest in clicking on the ads. If you insist on using a blogging platform though, just make sure to modify the template very well, to the point where it doesn't even look like a blog anymore. This can definitely help with conversions/CTR.

In my experience it is a bad idea to create niche sites on blogging platforms unless you want to modify the code and template a lot. I find it much more convenient to just create static HTML pages, mainly because the SEO will generally be better and my visitors won't know what to expect when visiting my site. Just consider this if you are planning on creating some new niche sites.

more info :-http://ezinearticles.com/?Why-Not-To-Create-Niche-Websites-With-Blog-Applications&id=4120305

Affiliate Marketing - Popular Markets Or Niche Products?

2010-04-22T22:15:00.000-07:00

Many people come across a confusing crossroad when they first decide to try their hand at making money online in affiliate marketing. There are two main camps, or factions, when it comes to online commission based sales.

Some claim it is better to look for popular markets such as health and fitness, insurance or internet marketing. Others advocate the careful of niche - or less-popular - markets and the choosing of products with little competition in order to earn cash online.

Both certainly, have their merits but which should you choose? Here is a brief summary of both to help you with your decision:

Popular Markets

In this method you look for a market that has a lot of interest. The easy way to do that is to enter the category into a search engine and look at the amount of competing sites. This will give you a good idea that this market is popular. If you want to confirm this you can go to your favourite keyword research tool and do the same search, you will be able to get a better indication of the monthly searches the category term gets.

The next thing is to choose a product that is selling well in that market. You can either look at the search engine results when you did your first search and click on a few example and see what they are selling or else go to your affiliate network and see what the top sellers are in that category.

The advantage to popular markets and products is obvious - there is a huge potential customer base. Another up-side is that your keywords will be simple.

The down-side is that those keywords will be fiercely competitive and very expensive if you are considering PPC advertising. But your biggest problem may lie in getting yourself noticed - this is not a problem if you intend to promote the product on your site or blog and you have a good customer base. The problem occurs when you try to promote via PPC or through SERPs.

Niche Products

This is the other side to the affiliate marketing coin. Sales will be smaller and keyword research more arduous and time-consuming but if you get it right you can run very prosperous PPC campaigns or find yourself with high SERPs in no time at all.

In this method you need to weed out very select markets such as building a chicken coop, puppy crate training or specific medical conditions. There is software to help you with this but it can be expensive. An easy method is to rely on your hobbies, or listen to friends and see if you can draw any inspiration.

Once you think you have a niche market, you should research it as per the popular market example. Make sure there is sufficient interest but not market saturation. You will need to find a decent product to promote - this should be easy enough, there is huge variety available these days and if not you can always create your own!

If you decide on a PPC campaign you will have to look for what is known as long-tail keyword phrases. These are simply a string of 3-4 words such as "build a chicken coop". You will need to make sure there are enough monthly searches to facilitate a campaign but ideally you are looking for low competition and low CPC.

The reason for this is that you want to keep your costs low as you probably won't make as many sales with niche targeting so you want to maximise your profit from every sale.

This method can be very profitable but you will need to run numerous projects at the same time. You may need 5 of these niche projects to match one popular market product. The advantage here is that you have a greater chance of success selling niche products if your get it right.

The disadvantage is the added research, extra work and hit and miss consistency of niche marketing, however, if you do it right you can stumble onto a potential affiliate marketing goldmine.

This technique is probably the best option for anyone breaking into affiliate marketing and trying to earn cash online that doesn't already have a website with a large audience or a massive budget to compete in the popular keyword PPC market.

more info :-http://ezinearticles.com/?Affiliate-Marketing---Popular-Markets-Or-Niche-Products?&id=4070273

The BEST Article Marketing Niches Revealed (No Keyword Tools Necessary!)

2010-04-21T22:04:00.000-07:00

What are the BEST article marketing niches? Are you an affiliate marketer who is looking for an easy way to get more traffic, make more sales and simply OWN more eyeballs altogether? Are you frustrated with your niche market success so far...or simply struggling to see how you will EVER turn your online marketing business into something that makes real money?

If you said yes to any of the above...the simple truth is, you are NOT alone.

Honestly? Most people reading this right now will NEVER (ever) make $1000 online for ALL of their hopes, dreams and aspirations, and the fact is, if you're smart...you should eventually be able to make that in a day.

So WHAT are the best article marketing niches for massive traffic and easy sales as well?

My favorites? The 3 D's. Diet. Dating. And Divorce. If it BLEEDS it leads...and the pain markets are almost always the ones that have the most traffic...and equally as importantly, the most engaged and active audience who WILL take action on your offer.

STOP thinking micro niches...

You want to drink from the FIRE HOSE and not from the faucet. Competition is your FRIEND and any serious marketing mind knows you want to go where other people are HAVING success already. (not avoiding it like most) You can literally begin a genuinely profitable article marketing enterprise from HOME...starting right now, and you don't need to buy a single keyword tool to do it.

more info :-http://ezinearticles.com/?The-BEST-Article-Marketing-Niches-Revealed-%28No-Keyword-Tools-Necessary!%29&id=4145931

Earn Money on The Internet With Micro Niche Finder

2010-04-20T23:04:00.000-07:00

Possibilities of earning money on Internet with Micro Niche Finder are countless. Today I like to discuss just one of many possibilities of Micro Niche Finder but first a quick overview of what is Micro Niche Finder.

Micro Niche Finder is a paid tool to determine profitable keywords that would Earn Money on Internet. It pulls it's data from the Free Google AdWord tool, which is the most accurate searched based data tool available in the market.Micro Niche Finder would pull exactly same data from Google AdWord data source each time you type a provable keyword and hit find at Micro Niche Finder.

Addition to AdwWords Tool data, this tool will bring you some additional data for keywords in a short time. These data can be achieved manually by carrying out an extensive research online which painstakingly tedious and time consuming. But you must get these data to determine whether your targeted keywords would be profitable or not.

In addition to AdWords tool data MNF will give you domain name availability data on your keyword with search engine friendly extensions. Classify the competition in the market for your keywords, rating low competitive, moderately competitive and highly competitive. It also gives you measure commercial intention and the measure of backlinks needed to rank in search engine for your keyword. These three results gives you immediate impression about your keywords profitability within short time. Without spending countless hours with painstaking tedious research you can determine whether your targeted keyword would be profitable or not.

Other than optimizing your websites with the keywords uncovered by MNF there are so many ways to earn money on internet with Micro Niche Finder. Here is one way how you can earn money on Internet. Uncover a keyword which is fairly high searched, commercially viable and domain extension.com is available. Register the domain name. You can do that with GoDaddy, Namecheap or Name.com does not matter. Now go to your web browser and type "domain name brokers". Research some of the Brokerage companies terms and pick up one which suits you. Submit your newly registered domain name for sale. You can make considerable amount of money this way within short time. There are many marketers earn money on Internet this way.

more info :-http://ezinearticles.com/?Earn-Money-on-The-Internet-With-Micro-Niche-Finder&id=3950490

Why Internet Marketing is the Most Profitable Niche

2010-04-19T22:06:00.000-07:00

When somebody wants to start an online business, he has to begin with deciding which niche to choose. There are many and it is difficult to select one because the niches which are more profitable have more competition and the niches which have less competition are less profitable.

But Internet Marketing is a niche where you will still find a lot of possibilities and it is the most profitable niche ever known to man. Following are the reasons why it is the niche you must select for your online business if you really want to make real money.

1. People's biggest natural need is to make money and it is a universal need. As a general observation there are more people looking for ways to make money than people looking for ways to reduce their weight or to cure their acne or to train their dogs.

2. As far as internet marketing is concerned, people search about it on the internet itself. Think about it. People who want to reduce weight would probably go to a doctor or a gym. Internet would not be a primary platform for him to get his definite results. You get the point.

3. A serious internet marketer who is your potential buyer considers buying as an investment- something which will help him make money. They know that if they do not invest the money in their business, they will not make money. This psychology definitely helps you make far more sales.

4. There are hundreds of thousands of internet marketers who are already making money. So they do not hesitate to spend. It is the basic psychology that those who have money are more likely to spend it. A person who thinks twice before buying will not be a good customer of yours. Most of the internet marketers are making a significant amount of money with relatively less sweat. They are much more likely to buy.

5. This is a very important point that most of the internet marketers have already made up there mind to buy a certain product or service. They are just looking for the best product or service to buy. This simply means you have to present to him an unbiased description of the product and how your potential buyer will benefit from it. Since he is in a buying mode, it will not take much effort to convert him.

Now you know why internet marketing is the best niche to choose if you really want to make good amount of money. The best part is that it is a vast field and there are several sub-niches which you can explore to find out those with less competition.

more info :-http://ezinearticles.com/?Why-Internet-Marketing-is-the-Most-Profitable-Niche&id=3650211

How Can I Create Information Products Really Fast So I Can Create an Info Empire This Year?

2010-04-18T22:09:00.000-07:00

If you are looking to get started in the limitless business of information products and eBooks, look no further. You can easily create your own information products in just a few days, using the tools that you have gained from your daily life. Read on to find out if an information product business is right for you.

Information products are not for everyone. They are not the easy route to riches. There is no such thing, but they are a great way to start a business at your kitchen table and move on to being able to live anywhere in the world. If you are willing to put in the work, you can build your information product empire in just a few years. It will not happen overnight. The competition is fierce, but if you keep building your business, one customer at a time, you will make it.

To find a topic, pick a pressing question that has a lot of value to the person that might want to buy the answer. If you choose topics that are currently popular, you will have a greater chance of success, but more competition. I prefer to look for really obscure topics where there is no competition. Here, you will only have a few sales per month, but if you create a ton of niche products, you will be able to have a small army of sites that are making a few sales per month automatically. All of those little sites add up to BIG BUCKS!

Information products are very simple to create. All you need is a computer and a pile of research that is valuable to your customers. You don't carry any inventory and you don't need any employees. You can scale your business as big or as small as you want to make it. The sky is really the limit when you are selling information.

more info :-http://ezinearticles.com/?How-Can-I-Create-Information-Products-Really-Fast-So-I-Can-Create-an-Info-Empire-This-Year?&id=3096563

Creating Your First Niche Website

2010-04-04T22:16:00.000-07:00

Selling anything online starts with an idea.

A website is a way by which you are able to communicate information online. The first question you have to ask yourself is: what information should you share?

Of course, you would want a subject you know. A subject that is closer to home, so to speak. You want a topic that you are perfectly familiar with. You will be able to share more about such a subject because of former experiences, unbridled passion, or overflowing interests. You'll be able to save up on research time that may be required in preparing the conveyance of information about the said topic. Spend a day or two finding an idea. If you still have no clue, here are some questions you can answer that might help:

1. Do you have some hobbies that you are very familiar with?

2. Have you visited a few captivating places that made you experience the territory as well as the culture they possess?

3. Where would you rather be right now? How familiar are you with that place?

4. Have you had any work experience that made you acquire some astonishing skills that not a lot of people know about?

5. Are you a fan of any particular sport? Do you know the rules, the mechanics, and the personalities involved with such a sport by heart?

6. Do you have a especial area of interest being served by a variety of products? Are you familiar and are you passionate about these products? Do you think you could write some comparative reviews about them?

7. Do you enjoy doing a peculiar activity, either alone or with friends?

8. There are times when you just don't want to work, right? During these times, you wish you were doing something else. What are these things you'd rather do whenever work seems so boring?

9. What are you good at? Giving advice to people, perhaps? If so, what kind of advice?

10. Is there something you've always wanted to learn? Though you may not be familiar with this subject right now, your desire to be well acquainted with it can incite you throughout the coming months.

Like I said spend a day or two thinking about this and brainstorming an idea that you would love to pursue. Remember, you must have a certain lovingness for this idea. This will prompt you to come up with updates for your website later on. Don't hesitate to consult with family and friends and look for their help. Two or more heads are still better than one, right? Then, make a list of the ideas that come to mind. The longer the list is, the better your opportunities are of coming up with a very fruitful subject for your moneymaking website.

Now, let's imagine that one of your ideas is about the general subject of computers. You are a computer whiz, for example, and you desire to share a lot of information about how computers work and how to fix some common problems with them. The question you should ask yourself is this: is such an idea profitable?

How exactly do you determine the profitability of an idea? With the example of "computers" at hand, run a Google search and have a look at the amount of available web pages catering to the very same subject. You'd have to compete with each and every web page to get to the first page of the search engine results. So, the trick lies in two approaches:

1. Finding a subject that has little competition; or

2. Pinning down your selected subject into a extremely particular sub-topic that your competition oftentimes disregards.

These two approaches all mean the same thing, however; that is, you have to find your own niche. A niche is a highly segmented portion of a given market that is serviced by few entities. Another example: The general subject of "Golf" may not be profitable fast but the sub-topic of "Golf Clubs" may have a lot of moneymaking potential. And if such a sub-topic is further cropped to, say, "Mizuno Golf Clubs" you would have a fantastic niche that could become a wonderful profit stream for many years.

There are no ifs and buts about it. You have to this to find a niche. Think of ideas, research them and narrow them down to targeted sub-topics. Finally, come up with a niche that people will want to be informed about without that many websites providing such information.

So, do your research, use keyword search engine tools like the free Word Tracker engine. if you do that using the example of "computers" you'll find out that "dell computers" and "laptop computers" are among the top 5 most profitable search phrases. If you want to stick with the topic of computers, these two sub-topics could be your starting point into creating your first Niche website.

These search phrases will also be your keywords. Keywords are very, very, very important for the success of your website. Internet users will use these keywords whenever they search for information on the matter. Once the keywords are used in search engines, the search engines will dispatch their spiders to look for indexed websites that contain the said keywords. If your website has the same exact keywords, then you'll have great chances of appearing prominently in the search engine results pages. So, the trick is in finding a profitable niche idea. It all starts from there then proceed to building your website.

more info :-http://ezinearticles.com/?Creating-Your-First-Niche-Website&id=3999469

Flipping Websites - A Viable Business Model?

2010-04-02T22:01:00.000-07:00

When you start an online business you are going to be on a steep learning curve. If you build and number of blogs or websites inevitably some of them will be failures and it can be a viable proposition to dispose of your failures by flipping them on a website such as flippa.com.

The websites or blogs that you are selling on Flippa.com may be just the thing that fit perfectly into somebody else's business model. For example if your business model is based around Adsense publishing the site that you are selling may not conform to your ideal but it may well be a perfect match for somebody wishing to set up an affiliate website in a particular niche market.

The revenue that you generate can then be ploughed back into your business into more appropriate sites which fit your business model. It is amazing how many new people to the Internet are looking to buy small sites to get started in Internet marketing. Even if you only get around $200 this is money that you can plough back into your particular business and continue to expand in your particular method of operating.

I recently sold two sites and even though they were not very profitable day each made around $200 which allowed me to reinvest in my more successful sites. By a constant process of weeding out sites that don't suit you or your business model, selling them and reinvesting the proceeds you can continue to be the your online business.

I have found it important to list the details of the site that you are selling very openly and very honestly and include plenty of screenshots of traffic figures, any sales figures and any other relevant details. If you do this and set your reserve at a low figure you may well be surprised by the amount of interest in your site.

I realise that there are many professional website sellers selling sites on the Internet and relying on this for their complete business model and this may well be a business that I will pursue in the future but for now I am happy to use flipping websites as an opportunity to weed out some of my mistakes and reinvest the proceeds in my business, for example, the outsourcing of article rating, back linking and so on.

If you are interested in flipping websites as your primary business model that there are many resources on the Internet, both free and paid, which will give you more detail on how to go about it in a more businesslike fashion. But for now you may be satisfied, let me, to simply dip your toe in the water and reinvest it more successful sites.

more info :-http://ezinearticles.com/?Flipping-Websites---A-Viable-Business-Model?&id=4031409

Profitable Niche Selection - Designing Your Website to Attract Consumers

2010-04-01T21:45:00.000-07:00

Niche selection online depends a lot on the medium that you will use to convey your message. In a web business, a heavy part of the requirement to succeed is to visually please your target consumers. And for this, you need to come up with a website that meets the specifications of your market.

First, the website must have an overall look that suits the inclinations and preferences of your consumers. It can be simple, sophisticated, colorful, or business-like. It should also have provisions for looking at photos, conveniently commenting and posting their inquiries, and links to other resources if necessary. This should not be a problem because you can acquire websites for free, or for minimal fees on a yearly basis. The creativity, purpose, and message are yours to provide.

Second, niche selection through your website would need you to make the website available whenever your potential consumers would make a search on the internet. A basic technique that you can implore is search optimization which is using keywords in your web text to be identified in internet searches. In this case, you should make the most in every write-up, and consider it as means to attract more potential consumers.

Third, when you have established your website for your business, you can send the link to different social networking sites wherein you belong to. It is highly possible that your first set of consumers will be the ones you are connected with, both formally and informally. Niche selection is a progressive process. You target your friends, who will then invite their friends, until the word of mouth flows through the web and more people go to your website. You shouldn't worry about the manner in which the information flows. You can bet on it that those who would open the links are those who have a pre-inclination on the topic and products you give. They should still be part of your target market.

more info :-http://ezinearticles.com/?Profitable-Niche-Selection---Designing-Your-Website-to-Attract-Consumers&id=3262712

My Candid Review of the Micro Niche Finder Research Software

2010-03-31T21:54:00.000-07:00

So, what exactly is Micro Niche Finder and why should be it be in your marketing arsenal? The following is a review that will answer all those questions and more, including all the benefits you gain for your online business. To start with, Micro Niche Finder is a software product that allows you to not only research keywords, but also allows you to comprehensively analyze your promotional efforts.

It was created and launched by James Jones. The software's name says it all - it's a smart way to easily find profitable niche markets that would normally be hard to discover. If you have had previous experience working as an Internet marketer and/or you know how a SEO works, then you understand the importance of keyword research. Every Internet marketer understand that you need to spend significant time researching your target market and you need to keep looking for new markets that haven't been tapped yet.

Another beneficial feature of Micro Niche Finder is that it makes it simple to begin and manage a search engine optimization campaign, saving the many hours that would be required to research by hand. They made this possible with a software program that contains incredible features which are simplistic yet play a significant role in determining how you should go about it. The SOC index that is provided with the program is what gives you the most help with your work. So what is this magic SOC and what does it have to do with your campaign?

For future reference, SOC represents the "strength of competition" for certain keywords. This value or indicator is quickly calculated with the use of multiple factors taken into consideration. The accuracy of this data is quite reliable, and will help you make informed decisions. SOC is color coded with green, orange and red signals that you will receive about just how competitive any particular keyword is. Time is of the essence for most people when doing SEO, which places this aspect as incredibly beneficial.

Finally, let me point out that Micro Niche Finder has a commodity rarely found today, a first-rate support team. In fact, you can contact the creator of the system, James, if you have any difficulties with the software. Micro Niche Finder has a well-organized support system working for you and responding to your queries and problems within 24 hours.

I'm sure this comes as a big relief for anyone who has ever tried to get in touch with a software company after buying and opening the software. All in all, I have found Micro Niche Finder to be a thorough and effective software tool that helps research and locate niche markets, and on top of all that, it has a money-back guarantee and provides free lifetime updates.

more info :-http://ezinearticles.com/?My-Candid-Review-of-the-Micro-Niche-Finder-Research-Software&id=3787493

Auto Content Cash is Live-Auto Content Cash Review

2010-03-30T21:57:00.000-07:00

Here's why you should be interested. Alex and his partners have figured out a dead-simple formula for automating the process of building of tiny niche websites. A simple 35 minute setup will leave you with a website that keeps growing in traffic, rankings, and best of all the amount of passive income it earns.

This is truly "set and forget" at its core, and like nothing I've ever seen released to the market before. Check it out here:

Here's the cool thing about how ACC works:

[+] It doesn't require you to write at all; in fact it uses other people's content to push your sites quality through the roof...

[+] You can start with little to no experience - everything is laid out in clear step by step in the training area...

[+] Even if you're super-strapped for time and can only put in a couple hours a week, then this will work for you...

[+] This is the ultimate "lazy marketers" system, but it's 10x as effective at grabbing top 10 rankings and sending you streams of red-hot f.ree traffic to your money sites.

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Auto Content Cash Exposes
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1. How to build sites lightning fast... spending less than an hour building a fully functional and SEO-optimized niche site where their proprietary automation tools do 95% of the work for you...

2. How to turn every 35-50 minutes of work into an average of $340 in pure profit...

3. The secret formula they use to skyrocket these automated niche sites to the top of Google rankings nearly without fail...

4. How to make a "quick cash grab" whenever you want, raking in $400-$1500 nearly on demand...

5. How to grow and attract even more traffic with these sites automatically without ever lifting another finger...

6. The secret Google shortcut that will blast your sites to the top of Google with little to no effort on your part - leveraging on the work of other people...

7. Where to get a full time employee that can build dozens of these profit streams for you monthly for just about $200-$300 a month.

8. A lot more than I can fit in this email...

more info :-http://www.bignews.biz/?id=849470&keys=AutoContentCash-AutoContentCashbonus-AutoContentCashreview-buyAutoContentCash

How to Create Multiple Niche Websites Fast!

2010-03-29T21:48:00.000-07:00

If you ever had the experience of creating your own websites and trying to monetize from it with Google AdSense, you will definitely agree that the most profitable websites to generate would be niche websites. Especially MULTIPLE niche websites.

Why create specific niche websites?

The reason is pretty simple: anyone with essential webmaster skills can easily create websites with non targeted content and possibly slap it with AdSense codes and leave it to Google to put up whatever advertisements it deems relevant for your websites. And in case you're not aware, not all Google AdSense advertisements pay the same amount of ad cost to the webmaster.

Surprised? You shouldn't be. It's typical common sense. This happens likewise in real world advertising as well. Depending on the niche you are advertising for, some advertisements would earn you more cash than some others.

Since that's the case, doesn't it make sense to focus your efforts on creating specific niche websites that's guaranteed to bring in the cash cow? Well, that's one school of thought. Sure, webmasters can exercise this option and focus their efforts to create these specific niche websites and by doing so, do their own research, or pay a ghost writer to create web content for such specific niches. The end cost will vary depending on your network and outsourcing skills. And not to mention the amount of time involved in researching for these specific niches.

Another option would be to create as many (that's right) websites as possible across various niches. This would include evergreen popular niches, right up to professional niches (for example, those related to finance matters) and covering mundane niches as well.

You maybe wondering why this should even be considered a possible option in the first instance. The reason is because rather than focusing all your effort and putting all your eggs into one basket in the chase of the ideal specific niche areas, it maybe more worthwhile to cast a wider net across a variety of niches and in the process of doing so, achieve two potential outcomes:

a) Discovering more hidden niches; and,
b) Collecting all the little dollars and cents which will greatly add up to your website monetization efforts.

Get the idea so far?

But here comes the next obstacle: how on earth would it be possible to invest such an amount of time to create these multiple niche websites? Even then, won't it cost a financial blow to your pockets to pay someone else to write all the relevant content for these niche websites? These are real concerns that anyone (yes, not just professional webmasters, but even any internet marketer who is reading this right now and know the value of such undertaking) should consider and can easily incur a great deal of financial and time investment.

My solution? Find out from the resource box.

more info:-http://ezinearticles.com/?How-to-Create-Multiple-Niche-Websites-Fast!&id=1586476

Why behavioural targeting is not the be all and end all

2010-03-28T21:54:00.000-07:00

With many high-profile cases of behavioural targeting going awry, too many digital advertisers are seeing behavioural targeting as the be all and end all of their campaigns.

As the latest IPA Bellweather figures have shown, ad spend continues to increase but as digital marketing leads the way to recovery, there has been a lot of talk in the industry recently on the effectiveness of behavioural targeting.

While many of the industry champion it, many consumers are still inherently suspicious of the notion of behavioural targeting and the tracking technologies implicit within this process.

Whilst behavioural targeting can of course be very engaging when executed well, behavioural and contextual ad serving software has not actually solved the problem of ‘relevance’ on a regular enough basis. Consumer reticence arises when irrelevant or seemingly intrusive adverts are served to a user based on a mistaken judgement of a consumer’s online preferences.

Take the recent example of Marks and Spencer advertising champagne to a nine year old girl on a children’s’ games website after her mother had bought wine online. This type of mis-targeting can do more damage than good to a brand’s reputation.

Despite what some highly vocal advertisers seem to believe, behavioural targeting is not the solution to every online advertising problem. Independent YouGov Research has shown that targeted adverts on niche websites are much more likely to receive a better response rate than adverts on generic websites, portals and search engines – regardless of whether the adverts on the major sites are adjusted for behavioural targeting.

The reason for this is simple; consumers become attached and are much more engaged with niche websites dedicated to their specialist interests. Users are more trusting of these sites and continue to visit the same sites over and again because they find them relevant, useful and enjoyable.

Relevant products advertised on these specialist sites are seen as having the endorsement of the niche sites themselves and the adverts are thus much more effective and likely to garner real results.

Despite this fact that the majority of engaged web use takes place on niche websites, the majority of online ad spend is still focused on the top percent of web sites with the highest reach – so the likes of Yahoo, MSN and Facebook to name a few.

Too often online ad campaigns are viewed in terms of numbers rather than in the context of wider marketing goals – the classic case of reach over relevance. This has contributed to high profile examples of misplacement and misjudgement with brands wasting huge ad spend on less effective campaigns.

The lesson is clear: brands need to be aware that behavioural targeting is not enough. Ads need to be intelligently matched with niche content, reaching a genuinely responsive market segment, likely to elict genuine interest and the desire to purchase a product.

more info :-http://econsultancy.com/blog/5526-why-behavioural-targeting-is-not-the-be-the-be-all-and-end-all

Tips to Create an AdSense Niche Website

2010-03-26T21:44:00.000-07:00

Talking about AdSense is fine... but earning money by working AdSense is better ;-)

And in order to earn money, you have to create a website.

I think that the best way to create a website is by using Joomla or php.Nuke. The advantage of these scripts is that they allow you to create an interactive site, a membership site, a community, a forum, etc. but it would be too difficult to use these scripts for the Internet marketer newbie ; so we will talk through creating your new website with a simple .html or .php template.

First of all, be organized: create a file in your computer called "weight loss" and add sub-files where you will store your files: images, articles, etc. This way you will find your documents when you will need some of them.

Select the subject of your niche site. It is recommended to focus on a subject that you know very well: a hobby or a passion. Choose the name of your new website - which will be also become your domain name. For example, if you plan to create a site dedicated to weight loss, choose a name like "weight loss guide" or something related.

Once you have your new site and domain name, select a template, some pictures, a header... in order to personalize your site.

As soon as you will have uploaded these files - template, images, header - write your first article which will be an introduction to your site. Introduce yourself, talk about your passion and inform your potential visitors that your site will be regularly updated.

Create a blog dedicated to your website. Each time you will add an article to your niche site, you will also post a description on your blog, include a link to the new article and ping your post.

Now that you have content on your site, you may add your AdSense blocks.

Here are some tips to maximise your AdSense earnings:

* Do not use the AdSense 486x60 sized ad as it is generally ignored.

* Embed your AdSense codes IN your content area (for example, let it float on the right or on the left of your text).

* Preferably use AdSense 300x250 or 250x250 sized ads.

* Use colors that match with your site or simply use black AdSense ads (they must not look as a simple block of ads).

* If you have written a very large article, put up to three AdSense blocks on your page.

* Check your page title and meta description in order to have relevant AdSense ads on your page.

* Change your page title to reflect exactly your page's subject.

* Track the number of clicks on your Google AdSense blocks and change their design if necessary.

more :-http://ezinearticles.com/?Tips-to-Create-an-AdSense-Niche-Website&id=648980

Top 6 Ways to Make Money Online

2010-03-24T21:51:00.000-07:00

We are all compelled to take the roller-coaster ride of global economical recession. Consequently, more and more people are taking interest in learning online moneymaking methods. People with practical exposure to economics, informational technology and business environment easily understand the subject of online moneymaking. Others get confused and baffled with the terminology like Search Engine Optimization, Niche Products, Keyword Search, Web Content etc. If you fall in the second category of enthusiasts, here are top six ways to making money online.

1. Writing Articles

Your easily available free ticket to online money making is writing articles. You do not have to be an expert prolific writer. All you need is a flair for writing, a burning passion to express your views and some exposure to one or two specific subjects. Still if you cannot decide about what to write, think about writing reviews on books, movies, music, sports or other mega events of your town.

There is a huge treasure of information freely available on Internet Article Directories for perusal and practice. Regularly studying articles on your favourite topics will ultimately prompt you to write articles. You can also create a blog to save your short articles for further improvement and submission to Article Directories. Consistent writing will enhance your worth in the internet market and could be a regular source of income.

2. Blogging

Originally, a Web Log, blogs are fast becoming an everyday activity for millions of people around the globe. Even kids are doing it well now.

Your second option for making money online is blogging. If you do not have an idea about what a blog is, please go to Article Directories, read a lot and learn blogging. The easiest way to create a blog, for a newbie, is to access blogger dot com. Create a new Gmail account and go to blogger's website. You can watch detailed video tutorial before proceeding.

Choose a topic of your interest and start blogging. Write short articles of 200 to 400 words and add some useful links for your visitors. Read everything about Google AdSense and send a request to open an account. Later you can create a website of your own.

3. Affiliate Marketing

Being a newbie, it could be a bit challenging for you to offer any product of your own to sell online. So, the third option for you is Affiliate Marketing which is selling products of others through your blog or website. You will have to do a lot of internet browsing to determine the authenticity of affiliate products as there is a lot of fraud prevailing on internet these days.

The basic thing in successful affiliate marketing is to attract more and more genuine visitors to your blog or website. You ought to provide valuable content for the visitors like informative articles, links and other free services with regular updates.

4. E-Books

Your family background, education, job and social activities provide some sort of learning about things and people. Writing articles, initially, could lead you to write your own e-books, which are also a lucrative and lasting source of online income.

You can begin with writing a how-to e-book on a particular skill that you possess and have hands-on experience in it. People like to read e-books that solve their problems or guide them to understand certain ambiguous matters in life. Check your intellectual attic to find something useful to share with people.

5. Niche Products

If you have some experience in selling certain products as a sales person or manufacturer, you can start selling them online as well provided there is a definite market for these products. Again, you must do internet browsing to discover what niche products are hotly in demand.

A lot many professionals are graciously imparting their knowledge and experience about niche products marketing on internet. Do some searching to download easily available free e-books covering your topic of interest.

You can also learn about niche products through keyword searching tools some of which are also available free or on payment.

6. Sell Photographs

Last but not the least in this list is selling photographs online. Everybody likes to own and keep a digital camera handy to shoot.

In case, that you are still in a quandary and unable to take a decision now as to where to start your online money making venture, you can take advantage of your digital camera. Here again you do not have to be an expert photographer with years of experience to shoot marketable photos.

You do not even have to join a photography school in the beginning. Just move around in your town and, in case of a frequent traveler, out of town and watch out for events, gatherings, interesting occurrences, bizarre people, strange looking objects, buildings, kids, animals, beautiful landscapes etc. Your every single shot may have a worth in terms of money.

Search the topic of selling photographs online and get yourself registered with a couple of photography platforms. You can also create a photography blog to upload your stocks. You had better offer some of your photos free to be used by your blog-visitors.

Writing brief notes would enhance the value of your photographs. Adding informative details in a small essay with a series of photos could covert you into a Photojournalist.

The above 6 ways to make money online are the most popular and practical methods of initiating your online money making career. Later, you can create innovative strategies, based on your personal experience and knowledge, to further enhance your stream of income.

more :-http://ezinearticles.com/?Top-6-Ways-to-Make-Money-Online&id=3715808

How to Find a PROFITABLE Niche Market For Your Internet Home Business As an Affiliate Marketer!

2010-03-22T21:25:00.000-07:00

Finding a profitable niche market for your internet marketing home business is probably the most important step you will take in starting your business. This will be your most important task as an affiliate marketer. If you fail to get this part right then nothing else really matters.

The whole concept of affiliate marketing is to act as a middle man between the merchant and the customer. This gives you a very unique perspective in not only understanding the operation of the merchant's business, but also the needs of the customers. Although your ultimate goal is to make money from your efforts as an affiliate marketer.

Your job as an affiliate marketer is to find a group of people who have a problem and help them find a solution to that problem. That is, "find a hungry crowd" and make them an offer they can't resist. What you have to learn here is how to identify niche markets and determine the potential of that market in terms of profitability.

You will need to brainstorm here to identify topics that you are probably already interested in.

For example this could be:

Music -> Country -> 70's Classics -> and...
Sports -> Baseball -> Pitching Techniques -> and...
Cooking -> Vegetarian -> Barbecue Style -> and...
Computer -> Web Design -> Graphics -> and...

The idea here is to choose a general market at first, but to find a profitable niche within that market you will have to narrow down your search to a small part of the general market... this is where your market research comes in.

If you choose a market that is too broad, you might have difficulty competing to make sales. A broad market also limits the ideas that you can come up with. This is why it is important to look for a niche or a small part of the general market.

Now, the easiest way to start your research is to use the search engines, like Google and Yahoo. These are all free and will provide you with many possibilities.

As a new affiliate marketer it is best to access as much free resources as possible, until you start making money from your marketing efforts... then you can invest a part of your income in more effective tools and resources.

You can also fine-tune your research by:

. Using Overture or Wordtracker...
. Visiting related forums to see what problems people are having, (excellent source)...
. Visit Amazon or Ebay and search within their database to get more ideas, etc.

After you've identified a niche that you would like to target, you will then need to find out the potential of that niche in terms of profitability. You're in business to make money, so you need to do some research here to find out if you will be able to make money within that niche.

Probably the quickest and easiest way to find out this information is to visit Clickbank. The information you need here is to see if there are products already in that market, if sales are being made and the potential profitability of that product.

You will need to check out the products to see if there are affiliates making money from these products and, if you will be able to market these products in your niche to make money. These research will take some time, but you need to do it to avoid wasting your time when it comes to your marketing later on.

more :-http://ezinearticles.com/?How-to-Find-a-PROFITABLE-Niche-Market-For-Your-Internet-Home-Business-As-an-Affiliate-Marketer!&id=3707709

How to Easily Discover Profitable Website Niches Without Giving Yourself a Headache

2010-03-21T22:13:00.000-07:00

Are you looking for website niches that you can delve into but don't know where to start? The answer is very simple. But let's start off with what website niches are and how to easily find them.

Just about every website serves a niche in the online market place. A niche is simply a specialized product or service within a market. For instance, organic parrot food or diabetic dog food are niches within the pet food market. They are specialty products that may not make much money in the local pet store but have the potential to make a lot of money on websites that serve these niches.

When considering website niches, it is important to choose one that has market potential but is not highly competitive like internet marketing or work at home unless you want to compete with the big boys. Ideally, you want to find a situation where people are looking online for something and not getting very many good results. This would be considered a moderate to low competition niche.

If you head on over to ClickBank and select the marketplace link you will see a list on the left of various markets. Click on one that interests you. A list will display various website niches that are being served with downloadable information products. Here you can get plenty of ideas.

While you are browsing through their market place, you may be asking yourself, How do I know which ones are making money. It's very simple. If you look where it says Grav., you'll see a number. The higher the number the better that product sells. Keep in mind that you want some competition as it shows there is money to be made in that niche.

Next you want to select a few niches and do a Google inquiry. All you need is the Google search term tool. Type in the topics of the website niches you selected into the Google search term tool. Google will give you a list of keyword phrases people use related to that topic and how many times those words were used. They will also tell you how competitive that phrase is. Your task is to find website niches that have low to medium competition and a reasonable amount of traffic. You stand a better chance of success sooner this way.

It is best to select niches that you also have an interest in. While you can brainstorm, consider what specialized knowledge you have, or just keep a look-out for a hot new niche, spend sometime at ClickBank first. There you can see first hand the various website niches that are being served on the net and how they are doing.

more :-http://ezinearticles.com/?How-to-Easily-Discover-Profitable-Website-Niches-Without-Giving-Yourself-a-Headache&id=3709168

Profitable Niches - Identifying the Most Important Human Needs Will Help You Find Lucrative Niches

2010-03-19T21:50:00.000-07:00

To Make Money Online You Need to Target Human Desires

Targeting lucrative niches that have not had every last cent sucked out of them is not only difficult but also very time consuming. Many an online entrepreneur has wasted a considerable amount of time targeting a niche that originally looked to be a good bet with seemingly strong demand and so on, only to find out after lots of networking and marketing that it was really a non-starter from the beginning.

So it is of vital importance to really understand the most important human needs before investing time & resources in a niche that may not prove to be that profitable. If you are targeting things that you think will sell, when they are actually things that people couldn't really be bothered with, your internet endeavors will be still born.

On the other hand if you are providing services & products that hit the human needs' sweet spot, you will be onto a good money maker.

So What Do People Want In Their Lives?

Well there are really only 3 things that people strive for and only a few get to achieve all three of them.

They are;

1. Time
2. Money
3. Health

In other words everyone is trying to spend less time making as much money as possible whilst maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

Many people achieve the first 2 but let the third one suffer - just look at how many high powered wealthy executives have bad hearts and really look out of shape. Also a lot of really healthy people, such as personal trainers or professional athletes, have their health but maybe not so much of the wealth - except for the Michael Johnsons & Lance Armstrongs of this world.

So achieving all three of these needs is a difficult act to achieve, but as internet marketer you should be trying to attend to these needs with your products and services.

Target the Greatest Desires That People Have

Finding profitable niches should therefore include targeting everyone's desires & needs and be specific enough to hit your prospect's sweet spot.

If you can get this strategy right and do it often enough, you could be onto a real money maker.
Targeting Needs and Niches. Identifying people's needs is one thing but it might be too broad to be viable in terms of a money making strategy.

It is therefore useful to narrow things down a bit into smaller niches and once you have found a profitable niche that has a strong demand and that is less exploited than the common ones, you will really be onto a winner.

more :-http://ezinearticles.com/?Profitable-Niches---Identifying-the-Most-Important-Human-Needs-Will-Help-You-Find-Lucrative-Niches&id=3833643

5 Money Making Niches For 2010 and How You Can Get the Edge

2010-03-18T21:38:00.000-07:00

Doing extensive research into what is happening in the world of online marketing has led to 5 main areas that are displaying rapid growth and these are:

1. Education
2. Health & Wellness
3. Booze
4. Local, local, local
5. Pets

People ask the question "is there any niches that are too saturated" and that is a very good question. If you do your research thoroughly and you find that questions relating to a particular niche are continuing to crop up often in various forums or search engines, then you have your answer right there.

The next question you may ask is "should I go wide or deep into the niche"? Going deep would be something like taking a niche market and targeting it towards a particular group of society, for example 'Health & Nutrition for older people' and that would be called going deep in one market.

Going wide would mean doing a little bit in Booze, a little bit in Pets, a little bit in Education and so on.

3 main benefits of Niche Marketing

· Much less competition - you can own and dominate a particular niche subject
· Subject expert - owning a niche means you become that person that everyone goes to for their solutions. More people will seek you out rather than your competitors
· Faster results - it doesn't take long to rank well for niche related keywords

If you specialise in one particular area, it doesn't take long at all to rank really well with the search engines.

Finding a niche and how you can get the edge

Go into discussion forums and find out what the top questions are - note how many replies there are to each question, note how many times each question has been viewed. Focus also on the answers that other people are providing to the questions. One idea from there is that you do extensive research and create an eBook that in turn answers all the questions that people are asking. I must emphasise at this point that you should never plagiarise anyone else's efforts. The content of the book must be in your own words and based on your research findings. The first step is being able to build a product that people are willing to pay for and that answers their question.

How can I find forums to do research on?

If you go to big-board.com you will find there a directory of message boards that tell you how many posts each forum has and how many members, the more posts, the more active, the more people there are, the more answers you can get to questions relating to your particular niche.

Big-board does not necessarily list all the forums that are out there so what you could also do is go to Google and search for 'your keyword forum', for example 'Honda car forum' and put this in quotes. This will provide a ton more message forums within your niche. You don't want to get involved with a forum that has only a few posts and even less members as this will get you nowhere. Another great source of niches is called 'Top Site' and one in particular is called Squidoo. Given that there are thousands of people on Squidoo daily, being ranked in the Top 100 is a big deal.

Another great source of information is hubpages.com and every day they have what is known as Featured Hub. Hubs are just very simple web pages that people have made that explain how to do something or something they recommend, things like that. Like Squidoo, you can search hub pages by category. There's nothing about hub pages that appears to rate one more highly than the others, the top one changes every day so if you see one that is of interest, make a note because it will soon be gone.

more :-http://ezinearticles.com/?5-Money-Making-Niches-For-2010-and-How-You-Can-Get-the-Edge&id=3456703

Niche Websites - Content, What Content?

2010-03-17T21:24:00.000-07:00

What's In A Niche? When talking of niche websites, the answer to that question is, in my humble opinion, not very much at all in most cases. Certainly much less than should be in a niche. Is it just me - are my expectations too high? I don't think so because I have seen some good niche websites as well as many horrors. A real niche website that has been built with care and passion is a thing of beauty (or, at the very least, interest) and is usually a treasure trove for visitors who share a love of the niche subject.

What I am complaining about are the so-called niche websites people are throwing together for the sole purpose of collecting advertising revenue. These sites have little (if anything) in the way of content. The colourful pictures and plentiful advertisements do not make up for this lack. Advertising is fine, in fact it's usually essential if you want to stay in business. What makes me see red is clicking on misleading advertisements and landing on website after cloned website only to be confronted with a few sentences of poorly written text and dozens of gibbering advertisements. To test the integrity of a niche site, look at what would be left if you removed all the pay per click advertisements.

It is unfortunate for people who are surfing for information that the Internet is being overrun by the awful flimsy looking template produced websites that are being churned out at a crazy rate. If you spend any time on the Internet, you will know the type of thing I mean. These websites consist of a couple of pages with nice enough looking header graphics (that's the pictures at the top, if you are not "in the trade" so to speak), and clumps of advertisements placed so that they are the first thing you see. If you manage to get past the advertisements, you might find a few articles which have been copied from other websites just for the sake of having something on the pages to lend them some credibility. These websites don't exist to provide information or services or to promote anything. Their sole purpose is to carry advertising that will earn the owner money in return for just about zero work on his part.

How much time and effort goes into creating one of these monstrosities? Practically none: in most cases it is all done by a software package. The pseudo webmaster doesn't ever need to worry about actual webpage design or building. All these charlatans need to do is decide upon their niche topic, toss a bunch of keywords into the mix and the software will do the rest. These people can create their pseudo niche websites on any subject anyone in the world might think of. It's easy because they don't need to know anything about the subject themselves. Whether it is dog training, bridal dresses, funerals or haemorrhoids, an online search tool will provide a list of keywords and the software will do the rest. Nobody cares that the laughing man clutching a fistful of cash or the sports car pictured in the heading has no relevance to the content and would be frankly inappropriate if you were looking for a funeral director or medication for a painful medical condition. The webmaster has no intention of offering you anything of value. In fact, it is in his interests if you take an immediate dislike to his web page because that makes you more likely to click away from it via one of his advertising links and that's how he makes his money.

After a couple of days of trying to do some semi-serious research on the Internet, I feel like unplugging my pc and dusting off my library tickets. Ok - so you can't judge a book by its cover but the cover doesn't usually set out to deliberately mislead you as to the contents (quite the opposite in fact). When I type a query into a search engine, I want the results to lead me to websites containing the answer to that query. If I am searching for information about a particular subject, I don't appreciate being directed to websites that consist of a few keyword loaded sentences walled in by blocks of advertisements for other similar websites.

Roll on the day when someone invents a search engine that can distinguish between a real niche website and an advertising vehicle built from a cheap kit. Maybe we can get back to the time when searching the Internet was faster than catching a bus to the library and thumbing through books.

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Secret of Free Online Advertising to Your Market Niche Using Your Screen Name

2010-03-16T20:52:00.000-07:00

Networking has become one of the best avenues of attaining visibility in you market niche. Social networking sites are recording millions of registrations every day. Though most of these individuals join these sites to link up with old and make new friends, they also have other needs that need to be addressed.

With this in mind, any online business person needs to see the importance of having your own account where you can introduce your products and services. An important and crucial element to note before joining any social networking site is your screen name. This is especially so if you want to gain followers or new connections.

Your screen name acts as an advertisement message; it is your brand name and headline which should be clear to your market niche of what you have to offer. A screen name ensures that you attract the attention of your target market. For example, if your online business is about selling affiliate e-books, then play around with keywords until you get a screen name that relates to want you do.

Another thing to note is to make your screen name is appealing! Use words like secretaffiliate, ebooksecretvideos, freeaffiliate, just to mention a few.

In your profile make sure that you include your online business links, test to confirm whether the links that you have added are actually working correctly.

Testimonials exist of people who have from nowhere generated huge traffic to their online business links and thus make money online. There are people who are online to spend money thus you should start by looking for them on social networking sites where you are guaranteed free online advertisement.

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Building E-Commerce Niche Websites and Using the Right Hosting Company

2010-03-14T21:51:00.000-07:00

When you are ready to build an e-commerce niche website it is important to find a company that can handle hosting your account. Since the beginning of e-commerce there have been a ton of hosting companies pop up, but not all offer the same things that you may need to build an e-commerce niche website. You need to make sure that whatever hosting company you choose that they have great customer support.

Some of these hosting companies are free while others cost a little. If you are planning to build an e-commerce niche website on a small scale then one of the free ones may work for you, but you will be limited on what you can do. If there is any thought of you really getting in to e-commerce on a larger scale you may not want to consider going with the free hosting company.

Unfortunately going with a hosting company that charges money is the only real way to go. They will be able to deal with credit card payments, handle large amounts of traffic, and you get a ton more space to build web pages.

When you're starting to build an e-commerce niche website you will need to pick a really good domain name and have it registered. Most of the hosting companies will also offer registration of your domain name as a part of their package.

Consider yourself lucky if you already know all the coding for build e-commerce websites because it want take you much time at all to build an e-commerce niche website. For those of you that do not then there are many different companies that offer templates you can use to build your site. There are also a few sites that allow you to put up your site and also get the different bids from different people. Also many of the hosting companies have a few web designers on hand that can build a good quality e-commerce website for you.

If money is not a problem for you then hire someone to build a professional looking site for you. Just make sure that they have the credentials inside of their portfolio to see if they can actually build an e-commerce niche website. If this is not affordable you could also try to use the WYSIWYG to build your e-commerce site. There are many of little sites out there that can help you build an e-commerce niche website. Make sure when you build an e-commerce niche website to include pictures and descriptions of your products.

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Building Niche Websites

2010-03-12T20:39:00.000-08:00

Why is it that some people are able to build niche websites that generate a ton of cash while the rest of us settle for the scraps? What do they know that we mere mortals do not?

Well the reality is that there are no hidden secrets to niche marketing. It's just that the gurus know how to cash in on these niche products the way the rest of us don't. So what is it that they really know that we may learn from?

Firstly, they have plenty of knowledge about the art of niche marketing. They seek knowledge and the internet is full of knowledge on a multitude of subjects. There are heaps of free products available but most marketers just can't make a decision on what to market because of information overload. Consequently, the business goes nowhere and the money fails to flow.

So, take time out and think of what popular niches there are that you can sell products in and take action to generate some cash through a bit of hard work. If you put in the effort, it will eventually be rewarded.

Also, niche marketing gurus often outsource their work to a team of artists, writers, designers and so forth. Of course, you may not be able to do this because of the financial outlay. If this is the case then you need to learn how to do it yourself. There are many e-books available to help you.

While you are starting out and doing everything manually, you should gradually learn how to automate these things. If you do that, you may end up with hundreds of little niche websites all running automatically and generating income without much effort. It can be done and it is being done every day. People are making literally thousands of dollars simply by niche marketing.

As you can see, the more niche sites you create, the more money you will make. If you can make five to ten new niche sites a month, you will be reaping the benefits in a big way about six months down the track.

So to recap, start manual but look at putting all of the chores on autopilot. Whatever you can do through a program, you can automate. Try to find someone else to come into it with you so that the work load is divided.

The gurus make it big because they hire employees or partners and they use automation to churn out their websites and generate income. They plan their websites and are willing to put in the hard work. If they can do it so can you.

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Niche Websites and Search Engine Ranking Optimization

2010-03-11T20:41:00.000-08:00

One Page, One Subject.

Building a new website and looking for a good search engine results ranking is getting to be a major challenge, now that most subjects you can possibly think of are covered by a variety of pages. All the major subjects such as travel, sport, news and sales are covered by millions of web pages. This means that getting top search ranking is really difficult to achieve, and hence the growth in SEO services as authors battle it out for top spot on those all important Google results pages.

Even when your subject matter is a little off the beaten track, you've probably found you're locked in a search results battle with all sorts of other sites and related topics. This is where the niche window starts to open, when you see other results coming up next to yours that are not offering quite the same service or information that you are. There's really no need to be in competition with these sites.

As the web develops and expands, the chances are steadily increasing that a user searching and finding a site will find one where the content is an exact match with their interest. For web authors this means one thing, its no longer sufficient to produce one page covering multiple topics - you need to split up your content.

Doing this is simple enough. Read through your own content and split it up into the different topics or aspects that you cover. Now filter these sections of the information onto different pages, each keyworded to their own niche. Of course you should take care to have a home page that retains the address of your existing one, so that you don't lose that hard won place in Google's index.

The smaller the niche, the higher the rank.

Lets imagine you had a site about shopping bags. You could cover size, strength and design of bags on different pages. This way, someone searching for shopping bag strength can find a page right on topic, and Google will rank it very highly for relevance.

The more comprehensively a subject is covered on the web, the smaller niche you need to target. This provides an opportunity to create a high ranking page even on a subject as comprehensively covered as a pro sport, provided you're covering information on a small enough niche. Maybe just the history of shirt designs for a particular football team, or the length of downhill courses at different winter Olympics locations.

Don't contaminate your content.

A friend of mine built a web site to sell his rental apartment in Cyprus. On his front page he also included a short list of places where you can buy flights to the island. He thought that by doing this his page might come up when people searched for flights, but of course there's no possible chance he could rank ahead of all the airlines and travel companies, so in practice all he'd achieved was to reduce the relevancy of his site to the core subject of rental apartments in Cyprus. Of course his customers may well want flight advice and he should provide that, but it must be on a separate page.

The point you need to remember is that however tempted you might be, don't try to cover a second subject on the same page, because this will reduce the relevancy of the page when someone searches on your core content.

Let Google do their job

Remember what Google's job is - to bring the best information to the top of the results page. Of course we can spend a lot of time trying to work out what Google's definition of 'best' is, but you don't need to worry about that. For a niche site the definition of best is what you and your readers think it should be. Its down to Google to develop their rules to bring your site to its rightful place in their search rankings, and we all know they're constantly changing their rules to try and achieve this. There's one simple rule that will hold good through all the rule variations, a site dedicated to the subject a web user searches for will always be rated better than a site covering a wide range of information.

You can use this knowledge to create successful new websites. A page can cover the smallest imaginable subject width and still be a success, so if you have knowledge on a narrow subject, and one that could be of interest to other people, this could be an ideal subject for a website. Given this size of the web and the number of users, what subject could there be that isn't of interest to anyone?

Of course the first test you should always do with a new web project is to do a trial search before you write a single word, and see how well covered the subject is already. The more coverage a subject already has, the smaller niche you'll need to target.

My most successful websites have been created in response to failed searches for quality information, times when I can't find what I want on the web. I've then gathered the information I want for myself, by researching around the web, libraries and friends for bits of information, done my own trial and error research and assembled all these results into a brand new body of knowledge. All that's left is to write it up the article.

Your readers will help you develop your site

Website content development only really starts in earnest once you've got a new site moving up the rankings on a niche topic and developing a readership. Make sure your contact details are easy to find because readers tend to get in touch with additional information and questions. This helps you build the content and make sure you're targeting the information people want.

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Niche Finder -The 3 Crucial Characteristics of a Profitable Niche

2010-03-10T20:50:00.000-08:00

Do you find it hard to make money from your online niche marketing efforts? Would you like to know how to become an expert niche finder? There are three essential elements to look for in a niche? When you find all three you know you've got a money making niche on your hands!

So with that said, there are three critical characteristics to look for in a niche as part of your potential profitability evaluation.

Characteristic One

Do the people in the niche have a desperate need for the product or service you are promoting? It's not about whether or not they will like your product, or whether they will want it either. If you want to make a lot of money, you have to identify a group of people with a desperate need. If they are desperate for a solution to a problem they are more likely to spend their last dollar on your product if it provides what they need. For example someone who is deep in debt and desperate to borrow money, or is desperate to save a relationship are great examples of desperate people.

So the expert niche finder golden rule number one is to identify a desperate market!

Characteristic Two

Do the people with the desperate need have any money to spend? There is no point marketing a product if your target market can't afford the product you are promoting! For example, someone who is desperate to borrow money won't have the cash to spend on a product that tells them how to make money or how to get a loan. They may be desperate, but they need a free solution. That said, if you are promoting a payday loan product to those people you may well have a lot of success, but promoting a product they have to pay for won't get you very far. Obviously the more money people in your target market have the better. As an example, people desperate to make a lot of money in the forex market typically have a lot of money to spend or speculate with.

So the expert niche finder golden rule number two is to ensure that the people in your desperate market have the cash to pay for it!

Characteristic Three

How many people are there in the niche actually searching for the solution your product offers? Marketing is a numbers game. The more people there are searching in your niche, the money there is to be had. If your target niche only has a few people searching online each month for your product, you're not going to convert many in to sales. You therefore need to do some keyword research on your niche to see how many people are entering "buying" keywords each month. A niche may get a lot of traffic, but if that traffic is people simply searching for free information on a hobby or interest, they're not going to make you any money. The keyword phrases that people type in must show that they are looking for a solution that they need so badly they'll part with cash for it!

So the expert niche finder golden rule number three is to ensure there are enough buyers searching for your solution in the niche to make it worth your time promoting!

Once you have identified a niche that meets all three criteria, you need to do your keyword research thoroughly and optimise your marketing around the common "buyer" keywords. Even in the most competitive niches there are some uncompetitive keywords to target, and the traffic they draw will convert well!

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Find the Right Niche For Your Website

2010-03-09T20:47:00.000-08:00

Today, pretty much anyone with a computer and a decent internet connection can start their own website. As the creator of your new site, the challenge is finding a niche that will work. It sounds very simple, but this is where most people run into big problems - so do not stop reading yet! Choosing the right niche is not as easy as it seems. Maybe you have way too many ideas, or maybe you just do not have enough. The goal of any website is to attract visitors - therefore finding the right niche is absolutely essential when you want to build a successful website.

The key is to find something that you like; a niche that interests you. Really take the time to think about what topics you are passionate about. Sometimes it may help if you write a list and then individually research each idea online. Seeing what competitors' websites in each niche are like is often very useful. Also, you can compare what they are providing to gather ideas for your website. Sometimes, it is good to know in advance what you will be up against! As you research each niche, gradually narrow down your list of topics.

When you have reduced your idea list to 1 niche - the best one - continue to research it. The niche you chose must be one that you feel confident about. You must feel certain that you will be able to produce around 40 pages on your chosen topic. While you are researching, think about possible sub-categories, but always remember to keep your niche narrow. With time you will find that this helps your search engine ranking and, in turn, will make you more money.

When you are conducting your research, you may be surprised to discover that your niche does not have as high a demand as other topics. Do not let this discourage you. If you decide upon a niche that will bring your website a lot of visitors but does not interest you, it will show in your content and you may lose visitors. It is always best to choose a niche that you will be able to produce quality material about. Always remember that at the end of the day, this new website is YOURS. You have the power to decide which direction it goes in, what niche it falls into, what the content will be. Pick a niche that you love so that you can create a website that you will be proud of.

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How to Find Niche Website Ideas

2010-03-08T20:39:00.000-08:00

Knowing how to find niche website ideas is one of the keys to affiliate marketing success. Many affiliate marketers who are just starting out, choose to focus their efforts on broad categories, such as clothes, jewelry or money making products, this can be a costly mistake.

However, there is so much competition in these broad categories that it is easy for your efforts to get lost. Further, when potential customers do internet searches for broad terms like these, they are usually in the very beginning stages of their buying cycles. You want to put your niche website in front of them when they are close to making a purchase.

People usually do lots of research on products before they buy, narrowing down their search words each time to be more and more specific, until they find exactly what they want. You want to catch people at the end of the buying cycle, once they know what they want and are ready to purchase it.

The more specific you can get with your market focus, the better chance you'll have of attracting buyers. So, instead of focusing on "wedding dresses," focus on a very narrow market, like "maternity wedding dresses" or "spring wedding dresses." It will be easier for your marketing efforts to stand out when you use niches like these, and your chances of making a sale will be much higher.

It is also best if you know how to get niche ideas for products that have a lot of hungry buyers. In fact, the more desperate the buyers, the better your chances will be of selling to them. Finding hot niche markets with ready buyers isn't difficult. All it takes is some basic research and this is research that isn't going to cost you a dime, just pop along to your local library or bookstore.

Firstly scan the headlines of magazines, and here do not just look at the general men's and women's magazines but also at those about hobbies, leisure activities, etc and spread your net as wide as possible. Look to see what themes develop among the article titles. Chances are, these are the topics people are interested in. Then, search the Internet for information about these topics, using narrow search terms. If you get lots of results returned to you, including paid ads, then you have found a niche website idea upon which you can start to build.

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Top Ten Website Niches

2010-03-07T20:32:00.000-08:00

You may be surprised with this list and you may not, but here are the top ten website niches and why they are so hot.

Top Ten Website Niches :

1. Internet Marketing - This should come as absolutely no surprise since there are literally hundreds of thousand of people trying to make money online. This is a HUGE niche and the funny thing is it is still growing and there is still plenty of room to crack into this niche.

2. Weight Loss - Again it should not surprise you that this made the top ten website niches since we have become an obese country and there are millions of people trying to lose weight.

3. Health - This one is a bit of a surprise, but it includes so many hot little pockets within it that it had to make the list.

4. Home Based Business - This one goes without saying because there are a ton of people that are trying to make a living from home.

5. Real Estate - Still very hot even though the market is down. You just have to look at it a bit differently.

6. Government Records - This one is a newbie to the list, but has become very hot over the past year or so.

7. eBay Auctions - EBay has cooled off a bit, but is still growing and is still very hot.

8. Stock Investing - Has always been hot and there are ways to keep this niche hot while the market is down.

9. Better Sex - We all know that sex sells and so do guides to a better sex life.

10. Computer Viruses - Where there is a virus there is a cure and it is a desperate group of buyers that make this niche light up.

There you have it a full list of the top ten website niches. Now you just need to pick one, find a hot product, and promote it to the hungry buyers that are out there waiting for it.

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Making Money From Content Rich Sites

2010-03-05T20:52:00.000-08:00

Making money from a content rich niche marketing website can be very easy, very difficult or impossible. First let’s define and describe what a content rich niche market website is and how it works. You won’t find a list for “Niche Markets” anywhere. There isn’t one.

A person will find niche marketers when he types words into his favorite search engine and hits search. Let’s say he types in “Improving my golf score”. He will get many hits that will provide links that take him to niche marketing sites. On these sites, he will be asked to enter his email address and opt-in to receiving a newsletter. Since he is in need of learning how to improve his golf score, he willingly does that. On the content rich site he will find articles and other information about improving his golf score and advertisements for products and services designed to help him improve his golf score. In the future he will receive a newsletter, about every two weeks usually, and he will have become a niche market customer.

If you are the niche marketer, the opt-in email address supplied is pure gold because you will have a customer or a potential customer. When he buys the products and/or services that you are advertising on your site, you will make money. Having a content rich site enhances the possibility of sales.

The trick to making money from a content rich niche marketing website is to have a topic that helps people solve their problems, makes them feel better or look better, or supplies them with information that they need. You will need to have related products and services advertised on your site since that is where the income actually comes from. The website content is what makes people visit your site again and again. The more content rich it is will determine how often they visit and how long they stay. The longer they stay the more opportunities you have to sell to them.

What You Need To Sell Info Products To Hot Niches

2010-03-04T21:07:00.001-08:00

There are a lot of people who would love to be able to create a cool informational product and be able to make a great living (even get rich) while sitting in a comfy chair in front of their computers knowing that never again would they have to drive in rush hour traffic with all those crazies or put up with an unrelenting, over zealous boss who never had and never would or could be pleased. What a beautiful vision! The truth is that that lovely vision can become a reality but you will have to pay your dues first. Successful niche markets for an informational product don’t grow on trees or fall out of the sky.

The first thing you need and must have to create an informational product is an idea…a subject…a topic…that will fill the needs, solve a problems, or just make life better for some particular and very specific segment of the general population. You are surrounded by ideas if you just look. Look at yourself first. What is your biggest problem? Do your friends share the problem? Are you passionate about a hobby or a sport? These kinds of things are the stuff of which informational products are made of. So the very first thing you need is to identify a topic and, thereby, a market.

Another thing that you need to have in order to create an informational product which will become successful is research. Every topic and every subject are not going to make money. Many of them will…but just as many will not. The best research is accomplished by reading and talking to people who have succeeded in niche marketing informational products. Savvy niche marketers can spot a great topic from forty paces with one eye shut. Ask. Read. Research.

When you have an idea and have done the research that has proven that there is a market for your informational product, the rest is just a matter of creating the product building a great website and advertising it.

Niche Marketing vs. Internet Marketing Niche

2010-03-04T00:50:00.000-08:00

Comparing niche marketing and an Internet marketing niche is equivalent to comparing apples with oranges. Apples and oranges are both fruit. Niche marketing and an Internet Marketing niche are both forms of Internet marketing but as different as apples are from oranges.

The term ‘niche marketing’ means selling a specific product to a specific type of buyer. There are far less competitive niches than an Internet marketing niche. Most niche markets are more open to the latest marketing strategies, as well. Small niche markets are not over stocked with gurus and wise men and are much easier for the beginning marketer to break into. A niche market allows you to promote your own niche product or that of a niche affiliate product. There is a niche market for anything and everything you can imagine. All it takes to break into a niche market is a good idea, a good product created by you or someone else that will appeal to certain people, some advertising and the desire to succeed.

The Internet marketing niche, on the other hand, means that you will be promoting your own Internet marketing product. This is a very crowded field of endeavor and really difficult to break into. It’s a world filled with gurus and wise men who have been playing and winning the game for a long time. This doesn’t mean that it is impossible to cash in on the Internet marketing niche because, of course, you can. It is a world still built on demand and that means that if you have a product that can compete and if you have the willingness to play hard ball with the big boys then you can succeed at the Internet marketing niche game. Just be aware that there are easier niche market nuts to crack.

Making Money From Publishing Newsletters

2010-03-02T21:51:00.000-08:00

The object, of course, of any niche marketing business adventure is to make a profit. When people subscribe to your online newsletter or ezine, their object is to get the information that you are able to provide to them. When people subscribe to your online newsletter or ezine, your object is to make money by supplying that information. This is a simple concept that is easier said than done. Making a website profitable…any website….isn’t easy or quick. Try to remember that anything worth doing is worth doing well even if it takes more time than you thought it would.

If you have chosen a topic that addresses the needs or wants of a specific segment of the population and if you have set up your opt-in software correctly, you have a list of potential customers. If they have subscribed to your newsletter, then they obviously believe that your have information about a subject that is near and dear to their hearts. They must consider you to be an expert maybe a guru. If you have worked hard at building your customer’s belief in your own credibility, then you should be able to make a nice profit from your newsletter.

You can advertise products and services related to your topic on your website. This can be done with logos and banners that contain links to the products and services. When visitors to your site click on an advertisement, you get credit for a lead and if they buy the product or service you get a commission on the sale.

You can use your newsletter to recommend products and services to the members of your list. Some companies will happily pay you for simply recommending their product or service to your list and give you a commission on any sales that your recommendation generates for them.

How To Choose The Right Website Niche For You

2010-03-02T00:10:00.000-08:00

Identifying a profitable niche market is one of the keys to building a successful web site. This article explains a simple brainstorming method, that will help you to find the perfect niche market for your website.

There are 2 main reasons why it is necessary for a website to focus on a niche market to be successful:

1. The majority of the 'broader' markets are already being provided for by well established websites.

2. People who search on 'broader' topics are not very close to making a purchase decision, so the ratio of sales to visits will be very low for websites that focus on 'broader' topics.

To clarify what I mean, imagine that you were considering building a website about holidays. This would be absolutely pointless, because this broad market has long since been saturated by the 'big boys' of the travel industry - each one of which has a much larger marketing budget than you!

However, let's say that since being a kid you have taken a lot of holidays on the Isle of Wight, and you know and love the place - this is a niche market that you could very probably build a successful website about. This is because you can put your own unique spin on it, and also because any visitors will have entered very specific search criteria into the Internet search engines (e.g. holidays in the Isle of Wight), and will therefore be much closer to making a decision to purchase.

What is brainstorming?
Brainstorming is a simple, proven method for generating ideas. It is a very powerful technique that has lots of possible uses - generating ideas for a web site being a particularly good one!

How do I brainstorm a niche market for my website?
1. Find somewhere quiet to sit down with a pen and paper.

2. Make a list of categories of things that you are, or have previously been, involved in/interested in. Typical categories for most people are work, family, hobbies, entertainment, food and drink, holidays, DIY, gardening.

3. Take each category in turn, and simply let your mind wander. Write down everything that comes to mind, and don't try to force it - simply 'let your juices flow'!

4. Take a break, and forget about your brainstorming session for at least 30 minutes.

5. Go through everything that you have written for each category, and cross out anything that just doesn't seem right (i.e. you aren't very interested in it, or you don't know much about it, or it simply doesn't make any sense!). Don't try to be too scientific about this, just trust your intuition!

6. Look through the remaining items on your list, and identify the top 3 (i.e. the ones that you are most interested in, and that you know quite a bit about).

7. Take each one of your top 3 topics in turn, and try to identify between 5 and 15 sub-topics - think of your topic as the title of a book, and the sub-topics as the chapters.

Note: If you are unable to find at least 5 sub-topics, your topic is likely to be too small to be profitable.

If you have managed to identify at least 5 sub-topics for each of your top 3 topics, you have completed your niche marketing brainstorming session, and you are ready to begin designing your web site.

If you haven't managed to do this, return to your list to identify the next best topic(s), and repeat step 7.

DO NOT LEAVE YOUR BRAINSTORMING SESSION UNTIL YOU HAVE 3 TOPICS, EACH ONE OF WHICH HAS AT LEAST 5 SUB-TOPICS!

Gary is the owner and webmaster of Profitable-Online-Business.com. This website has been created to offer simple, straight forward instructions to enable any 'non'techy' to create an effective, and profitable online business.

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