The Search: We conducted a simple Google search with the keywords ‘niche marketing’ in order to get an idea of the top 50 to 100 sites listed for the phrase. The results listed below are about 90-95% accurate in reflecting the search results, as we omitted listings from major sources such as Wikipedia.

Interesting SEO points to note:

• Titles: There is a cluster of related sites (refer below: BOLDED) in approximately Page 2 to 3 using the same targeted keywords ‘niche marketing’ at the start of their titles.

• Domain names: In addition, you may be interested to know that 6 out of the 8 BOLDED listings have domain names beginning with the keywords ‘niche marketing’.

Evidently, the results show that having your targeted keywords in your domain name AND blog or website title has a significantly positive impact on your site’s rankings in Google’s Search Engine Results Pages.

Results from a Google Search for ‘niche marketing’:

1. 3 Rules for Niche Marketing (Guide) – March 2002 – Follow these maxims to grow your business’s audience.
2. Niche Market Definition (Guide) – A niche market is a focused, targetable portion of a market.
3. Niche Market Research – Finding your Niche (Consultant) – We are full service company helping you to find niche markets, establish your web presence, and reach your target market through online marketing and Search Engine Optimization efforts.
4. 3 Steps to Defining your Market Niche (Guide) – From About.com Marketing
5. What is Niche Marketing (Free Consultation) – From Marketing Titan
6. TAMU Niche Marketing (PDF) – from Texas A&M University System
7. Niche2.com (Ebook) – Next Generation Niche Marketing
8. Marketing Syndrome Niche Marketing (Blog) – How to Make Money with Niche Marketing
9. Beyond Niche Marketing (Blog) – Creating Marketing Messages that Deliver Results
10. Niche Marketing Curriculum Guide (PDF) – From the Risk Management Association
11. Niche Marketing Secrets (Ebook) – 47 Niche Marketing Secrets
12. Niche Marketing Ideas (Blog) – Find a Niche Market Now
13. Niche Chick – The Niche Marketing Diva! (Ebook)
14. Niche Marketing Secrets Exposed (Ebook) – Uncover Niche Marketing Secrets
15. Niche Marketing For Coaches (Ebook) – Building a coaching practice
16. Niche Marketing Website (Buy website templates) – Niche Marketing Templates
17. Niche Marketing 2.0 System (Ebook) – The Next Level of Niche Marketing
18. Niche Marketing (Solutions) – Helping your business prosper
19. Niche Website Ideas – Learn How To Research A Niche Market Business So You Can Stop Having No niche Website Ideas.
20. What is Niche Marketing – WiseGeek guide to Niche Marketing
21. Conquer your Niche (Ebook/Forum) – The Amazing New Internet Marketing Forum That Transforms Newbie’s Into Super-Hero Marketing Machines!
22. Get your Niche Quick (Ebook) – Learn how to find and build your online business around small, highly-focused markets.
23. Niche Marketing Comparisons (Guide) – Niche Marketing comparisons with General Internet Marketing
24. Online Niche Marketing (Ebook) – Tactics to Use To Make Money With Niche Marketing
25. Niche Marketing Index (Guide) – Niche Marketing: Be yourself in a Focused Niche Market
26. The United States pork niche market phenomenon (PDF) – Iowa State University
27. Niche Marketing – How to Find Your Perfect Niche Market (Article) – From iSiteBuild (Web Design)
28. Newbie Niche Marketing (Blog) – Article Marketing, Domains, SEO and Niche Marketing
29. Niche Topics (Ebook) – Lazy Guide to Niche Market Research
30. How to Find Profitable Niches (Ebook) – From EricsTips.com

(Depending on where you’re from, you’re likely to get different results during your search. Please feel free to share the observations from your SERPs in the comments section.)

Content: Look deeper (or shallower) and it also confirms that good content will trump those 2 attributes as evident in the Top 10 listings.

Check out our Resources page for a full list of websites, blogs and links related to Niche Marketing.

The answer appears to lie in specializing to target a particular segment of the market. In this case, it’s web hosting & related services for professional photographers and the growing market for DSLR hobbyists.

Here are some observations:

The Market – Web design, hosting and ecommerce services for pro and semi-pro photographers is a niche market that has massive potential as the digital photography industry grows with continual technological developments.

The Niche – By offering solutions that solve the inherent limitations which the free hosting providers operate under, these pro Photo Hosting services have addressed the needs of moderate to heavy duty photo storage users.

The Marketing – In looking through the list of features offered that free sites don’t, you’ll notice that technically, it’s nothing special. Marketing seems to be the fundamental driver.

The Branding – Brands are essential in influencing the consumer who is flooded with choices only a click away. The majority of their customers are probably paying for the service because of the superior offerings compared to the free hosts. However, much has to be said about the value of having a vertically focused brand that your niched audience can directly identify with and relate to.

Niche Marketing – Web hosting is one of the most innovative Internet-based businesses due to the highly competitive nature of the industry. By identifying a niche market, positioning a strong brand, and targeting their audience directly, the paid photo hosting companies are a good example of a Massive Niche marketing business in practice.

Now Go identify a niche, position yourself and target that audience!

What’s your niche?

photo-hosting

Everyone knows that you can upload and share your photos at an ever-growing list of free photo hosting providers without having to whip out your credit card.

Paid photo hosts have traditionally survived by offering larger storage, bigger bandwidth and better user features. But now that we’re in the era of unlimited storage and bandwidth, are they offering much else?

Here are some details from SmugMug:

Great things SmugMug offers that free sites don’t:

* No ads or promotions surrounding your photos.
* Unlimited storage and traffic.
* Ability to retrieve your photos anytime.
* No requirement for your visitors to register.
* No threat of losing your photos if you don’t buy prints.
* No reducing resolution of your photos like at free sites.
* No “free for a few photos, expensive for more” plans like Picasaweb’s.
* Ability to view big, clear photos.
* Gorgeous themes to personalize your galleries.
* Full-screen slideshows.
* Real, knowledgeable & friendly humans to answer your emails quickly.
* More safety for your photos. Pay sites rarely close; many free sites—even from Yahoo, HP, Canon and Microsoft—have closed.

Standard: $39.95/year
Power: $59.95/year
Pro: $149.95/year

What’s Your Opinion on the Package?

Try asking a few different people this question and you’re likely to get varied replies.

Internet industry practitioners and people who expect things to be free (yes, they do offer a Free Trial), are likely to view the SmugMug offering to be expensive.

On the other hand, photographers who want piece of mind that their site is in the hands of a specialist photography website company may find this offer to be a bargain, considering that the cost of the best package is only under US$15 per month.

The real question is – who’s the target market?

To succeed in making money online, or offline, you need a special angle, one that provides you with a unique edge over your competitors to do it cheaper, faster and better than the best out there.

Here’s a useful 3 step guide:

1. Mindset: Acknowledge that you need a unique advantage to succeed
2. Reality: Understand your personal areas of expertise, strength and interest
3. Execution: Identify profitable niche markets with a massive potential

It’s tempting to run through the list with a quick:

‘Mindset’ – ok, i got that.
‘Reality’ – oh yes, i know what i can and cannot do
‘Execution’ – alright, now tell me how to make money

It’s worth noting that:

• The three points mentioned are not really a check list to be ticked off in a sequencial order.
• They are tools (or rules) to guide you when making decisions during the search for a niche business opportunity that suits you.
• It is useful to reflect on each guideline with reference to the others as the combination often provides new deeper insights into yourself.

Unlike your blog title or first post, this is an area (your Niche!) where you’d be wise to spend a significant amount of time to reflect and analyze about where you should dedicate your limited resources.