subject: Choosing Your Niche - The 3-Question Test (Part 1) by:Neil Asher [print this page] The questions that most people ask me when they are thinking about getting into information marketing are all pretty similar. "What's a good niche?" "What should my niche be?" "How do I choose a niche?"
What I'd like to do right now is get you started on a simple three-question test that will enable you to choose a niche and start an online business. And this test will help you whether you've already got a niche or you are still thinking about which one to pursue. It doesn't matter if you're interested in one particular area or if you have no idea what you're going to do.
The first question is this: "Is my prospect experiencing pain and urgency or irrational passion?" In other words, "Does my prospect have an emotional need?"
Why do I stress pain and urgency? Why do I mention irrational passion? It's because most of the people that conduct info marketing are focused on publishing their ideas or just writing down what they want to talk about. They want to publish their memoirs or share the things that they've observed in life.
There is nothing wrong with doing that if it's your hobby, but there is a BIG problem if you intend to base your business on that and make money online. Why? Because most people just won't want to buy it!
People don't want to spend their money on just any old information. When they buy an information product, when they're going to take out their hard-earned money and invest it, they want to buy the solution to a problem. They want to buy something that delivers them from their pain. Or else they want to buy something that delivers pleasure and the result that they are after.
So, if your prospect isn't already experiencing a strong emotion, a strong pain and urgency, or a strong drive or desire, then you are going to have to talk them into wanting your product. And believe me when I say, "That simply does not work!"
Internet marketing is a very, very tough business to talk people into buying things. But when people are experiencing pain and urgency or irrational passion, they will seek you out. Just consider all of the things people need or desire that drives them to search for solutions on the Internet.
They want to figure out a way to make more money. They want to learn how to attract a good-looking member of the opposite sex. They want to learn how to fix their relationships that are screwed up. They want to learn how to get out of debt. They want to learn how to get rid of some of that fat on their bodies. They want to figure out how to hit the golf ball further, so they can look cool in front of their buddies. They want to save time and money, live longer and better, worry less and have more fun.
These are areas where there's plenty of pain and urgency already out there. These are niches where irrational passion exists. I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but your personal memoirs, thick books of statistics, and philosophical ideas about the universe are not things people are looking for. Nobody is experiencing irrational passion or pain and urgency about your life except, perhaps, you.
So, no matter what niche or product you are considering, to have a good shot at success, you've got to answer a resounding "Yes!" to this first question. Otherwise, the niche you are considering is just not a good idea for your information product business.
About the author
Neil Asher (http://www.neilasher.com/freestuff.htm) has built five multi-million dollar companies from zero, including one he took to $8 million in sales in under two years. He has created and sold successful franchises in England, Italy, Ireland, Australia and South Africa. Visit his web site for access to 17 FREE videos, 6 FREE books and two hours of audio training, revealing "How To Make BIG Money Selling Information Products On The InternetEven If You Don't Have A Website And You've Never Sold Anything On The Internet Before."
