Finding a Niche Market

By Stephane Kouandi
Posted Wednesday, September 1, 2004

You are probably new to ecommerce or have decided to get involved into it. In any case, if you plan to run an ebusiness of some kind, I advise you to read this article. My dear friend you have probably heard that it is easy to make money on the internet with almost anything, and that having a web site with cool products will just make you successful. This is just not true. Be aware that there are a lot of people that are just out to get your money. Now read carefully, it is possible for ordinary people to make money on the internet as well as it is to be ripped off and/or lose big.

Ecommerce is simply commerce, which is enhanced by technology. Therefore the basic rules of commerce still apply to it. One of them, is that you need to have something (a product or service...) in order to be in business and deal with other parties. Thus think about how this rule should apply to your business. You've got to have something to get something. what you offer matters as well as the people you offer it to. So my question to you is, What do you have to offer? Well, an answer could be I have such product... Bingo! But how much do you know about it? Do you have very big competitors (because you do not want to get into a monopoly or a market with numerous strong businesses already in place unless you have something new or rare to offer)? Do you have enough money to invest into it, for Marketing and so on? These are the kinds of questions you should ask yourself before getting into any business. You need to do some research about the market you're preparing to get into, so be patient and you will get somewhere somehow.

That's where finding a niche market comes into play. it just means in this context, finding a suitable ebusiness field; something that will be right for you. If you do not have a product or service to offer, you're probably fit to get into affiliate programs, and I will get to that in a moment. For those who have products to sell, you need to ask yourself the questions cited above and add more insight to it to see whether you are ready for some particular business on the net. In addition, when in business do not try to sell your products to everybody, because by doing so you will sell little if not nothing. It is possible to compete with other strong businesses in your definite market; one way to do so is to focus on a branch where strong businesses in your market are not very good. Specializing in a particular field increases your chances of success. Read this article to learn more.

Now for people who do not have anything to sell, there is still hope. You can get into what's called an affiliate program. It is a program in which you market a product or service (most likely on your web site) and receive a commission; You place a link or banner ad, on your site, somewhere in a spot where you get high hits. Once a visitor clicks on the link they will be taken to your affiliate program provider and once they make a purchase you get a commission. It sounds easy but there are key things to know in order to be successful with affiliate programs, and just like any other business it takes some time.

Let's Sum up. Before you start an ebusiness, ask yourself these important questions. It will save you time and money.

What do I have to offer?

How much do I know about my product and market?

Who are my competitors and do they take a very prominent place in the market?

Can I come up with something new or rare?

Can I specialize in something that I know better in this market?

Do I have enough money, for my Marketing campaign and other activities?

Good luck with your goals. Don't forget to visit our web site every often because we change our content and add more useful information very regularly.

About The Author
Stephane Kouandi is the webmaster and owner behind ecMeans.com, which provides free ecommerce and Marketing tips for beginners, internet entrepreneurs and small businesses.
stephane@ecmeans.com