Anyone could be forgiven for thinking that all you needed to do to become a millionaire online was to start up a website and let the money roll in. The various forms of online marketing, from affiliate marketing to hard article buying and selling, aren’t that simple. Basic business is what creates success, everything from good SEO to great promotion ideas and hard work.
The nasty side of being out of your niche
The realities of online marketing are less than Utopian. Some online products are more trouble than they’re worth. Online marketing scams, particularly multi level marketing, are common. They’re basically Ponzi schemes, mathematically 100% certain to fail. Affiliate marketing runs the gamut from the genuinely good to the grotesquely gruesome.
Doing business online isn’t straightforward, either, and most people soon come to grief on the basis of one issue- Lack of knowledge of their market and its issues. The trouble is that people try to “do business”, rather than use their own talents in areas where they’re experts. They’re so busy looking for niche markets for their businesses that they forget to find niches for themselves.
Not everybody is a born business person. Some people are astute advisers. Others are games geniuses, golfing gods, exercise entrepreneurs, whatever. These people have specialist skills, and they usually go to waste trying to run online stores for things like herbal products, lingerie, etc. They’re not salespeople, either. They wouldn’t know a genuine Hugo Boss if it bit them, or an antique Ming vase if they found it in a Chinese museum.
They also don’t understand the fact that the people they’re doing business with may be less than trustworthy. They’re out of their depth, as well as being out of their natural niches in the online market. A lot of time and money can be lost, (don’t expect refunds for either) and some people really get themselves in trouble.
Finding your niche
Obviously, your niche is your own area of expertise. Most people severely undervalue their own skills as commercial propositions in areas where they can perform extraordinarily well. The niches aren’t always obvious, either. Who’d think that being able to tell funny jokes would translate into a good online business? Most advertising and marketing agencies will tell you that humour sells as well as sex, most of the time.
Are you a real sports fan? You could run a blog/online store in your spare time that could make you more money than a day job, simply because you can provide good information and value. People don’t mind paying for expert level information and reviews. Huge numbers of users check out technology sites every day, and they buy on the basis of the valuable information they receive.
Most importantly, experts are very comfortable doing business in these areas. They literally know their subjects inside out. They know prices, good deals and most importantly they know garbage when they see it. They may not be internet technicians, but they learn to appreciate search engine optimization easily in their field because they understand the importance of relevance when they see it in search terms.
Your niche is where you belong, where you can achieve results and use your skills most effectively. Stick to what you know, and you’ll do well.
