In our previous article we showed you how to setup a website to begin your journey in affiliate marketing as well as the best types of affiliate marketing websites that work well. In this segment we will show you how to find a niche and use that as a basis of what kind of affiliate products you can sell.
Finding something to sell through your website is pretty simple believe it or not.
The Two Types of Ways To Find a Niche
What You Already Know – All of us have hobbies, and as hobby enthusiasts we often have vast knowledge of that particular field. For example one person man be a collector of comic book magazines while another person is a builder of remote control RC cars. The knowledge you have is hidden within and there’s no easier place to start than by starting with what you already know.
Finding A Niche – If you’ve run out of ideas then the next best way is to work backwards in a sense. You have several options of finding a niche. The first method would be to do some research on what are hot sellers in various markets. We’ve listed some places to check below. With the second method, once you are approved by an affiliate network, you’ll be able to see what brands/products are available to promote. At this point you can pick the one you feel most comfortable with and then move forward.
Where To Find Ideas
Bookstore – Books in general come in all shapes, forms, and topics. Libraries and bookstores are a goldmine as they are hidden with niches everywhere. One particular spot I recommend is the magazine section. Think about it, tons of hobbies have magazines dedicated to them.
eBay – Although you can just browse around eBay aimlessly, eBay has a wonderful tool called eBay Pulse which basically tells you the hottest selling products at the moment. It even goes deeper in to sub-sub categories as well. Check it out here: http://pulse.ebay.com
Amazon – With Amazon being the single largest shopping website, you can gather some great ideas as well. Like eBay, Amazon has a best sellers list and breaks it down within category and number of days in the top 100. Check it out here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/bestsellers
Trends – The internet is transitioning into a blogosphere of social media. Conversation or “buzz” drives the internet these days and luckily many websites list the latest trends / buzz for you to be aware of. Some websites that list these trends are: Google Trends, Yahoo Buzz, Alexa Hot List, & Twitter Trends.
Forums/blogs – Just like magazines, if there’s a following, there will probably be a blog or forum dedicated to that. Doing a simple Google search for ______ blog or ______ forum, where the blank is your potential niche, will give you a good idea if there’s a market or not. Similar to blogs/forums are groups which are simple conversation platforms on user created topics. Check out Google Groups, Yahoo Groups, & Ning.
Surroundings – Last but not least, just open your eyes and take a look around you. I’m sure you can find at least one thing that could work as a niche. Whenever you’re out and about just keep notice of your surroundings and notice what’s around you.
What’s Next
We hoped we got you brainstorming for ideas now that you understand how and where to find niche ideas. In the next segment we will talk about where to go find affiliate products now that you’ve thought of your niche. We will also discuss the process of joining an affiliate network as that is a mandatory requirement to get started for affiliate marketing. Hang in there as we are halfway through!
