Learn Internet Marketing > Weekly Tips > SSWT 9/25/07
 

  
There is nothing new about the concept of building minisites, or working in a micro-niche where the size of the market is more limited. The sole purpose of a mini-site is to attract highly targeted traffic. And highly targeted traffic converts at a much higher rate than general traffic.

An example would be to target "how to build a bird feeder" as a keyword phrase instead of just "birds" or even "bird feeders".

The goal is to find a product people are searching for, create that product, and then build a list of customers who purchased that product from you. (That list is actually going to be much more profitable than the product you created!)

Since you are delivering exactly what the market is searching for, you will experience greater interest in your offer and much higher conversion rates.

The common misconception is that Fewer Searches = Less Money or that L0wer Priced Products = Less Money.

Not necessarily true...

When it comes to lower priced products, such as $7 reports that are so popular right now, I refer you back to my recent write-up on this debate:

------------------------------------------------------------

The low-cost product is simply a "qualifier"... When you give products away, you attract "freebie seekers". When you offer a great value on a quality product, you build a list of buyers that prove they have a genuine interest in you and in your products.

Weigh the value of that for a moment. All mailing lists are valuable, but how much more valuable is the list of people who have taken action and that readily make online purchases.

source: http://www.clicknewz.com/967/7-dollar-craze-debate/

------------------------------------------------------------

 
There are many positives to targeting a highly focused group within a larger niche. Sure you may be reaching a smaller number of people, and you may be building a smaller list than say, someone who is targeting the entire "bird" niche.

But the important thing to know is that a list with only 100 readers can be MUCH more profitable than a list with 10,000+ subscribers!

TIP: Don't Get Caught Up In The Numbers Game ;)

 
Back to our example, the keyword phrase "how to build a bird feeder" has 15 searches a day, according to WordTracker. There are actually 20+ searches/day when you combine phrases such as "build a bird feeder" etc.

The phrase "bird feeders" gets almost 1800 searches a day.

A big difference, yes.

There are two things to note: the longer keyword phrase is more targeted AND it is less competitive. A quick look at the Google results for each of these phrases will show you that the shorter phrase has many paid ads and will be harder to rank for, while the longer keyword phrase has NO paid ads and would be super-easy to get a top 10 ranking for!

Here's the twist - because I am going to show you how to capitlize on both the micro-niche market AND the general niche that your competitors are working so hard in...

First, you find a micro-niche like do-it-yourself bird feeders, and you create your info product and mini-site. While you are building backlinks and getting your new site established, you can run inexpensive pay-per-click advertising for your keyword phrase that has hardly any competition.

Use your pay-per-click advertising to drive traffic to the site, make sure everything is working properly, and determine your conversion rate.

Now you are ready to set up an affiliate program, and let your competitors promote your new product in exchange for commissions.

Instead of struggling to get exposure in a super competitive niche, like "bird feeders", you simply let your competitors do the work for you!

 
One of the greatest benefits to working in a micro-niche like that is that you are building a SUPER-focused mailing list. You know exactly what your visitors are interested in, and you can target their interests very specifically.

Again, this is going to result in a much higher conversion rate and a much more responsive mailing list.

A great follow-up product might be a report on which types of bird food attract which types of birds. Perhaps a guide that lists the State Bird for each of the 50 states, what type of feed attracts that bird, and a recipe to make your own mixture.

By the way, BuildYourBirdFeeder.com is available... or at least it was at the time of this writing ;)

 
Best,

p.s. If you need help with your online business ventures, join us at the SSWT Discussion forum. I check in daily and will be happy to answer ANY questions that you have: http://www.SelfStartersWeeklyTips.com/forum/

See you there!