Fast way to mine for Niches: Don't Give Up!!

[justaleaf]

Hey guys, Garrett here (I didn't say "gang"),


I originally posted this to my team in our facebook, but thought that it might be of benefit to everyone, especially if you are struggling finding some good niches.

PLEASE keep in mind that this technique (simple though it is) is only in ADDITION to what Ed is teaching. If you are confused or just starting, just do what Ed and Dan tell you to do. With that said...

I have actually gone from choosing niches and subsequently choosing keywords to the reverse (kind of).

I've found a lot of GREAT keywords this way, so don't lose hope guys. Here's my method:

1. Go to freekeywords.wordtracker.com

2. Type in broad niches that I am either interested in or that I "noticed" recently. (I was at a megastore the other day, Costco, and I began to take notice of the things they were carrying the most of. I jotted it down on my phone and sent it to my email. I found 2 VERY good niches that way!)

3. When you see a phrase that looks interesting ("leather purse" instead of just "purse", for instance) then click the link. This causes wordtracker to run a search on that. Effectively this allows you to "dig" from a broad niche, to a narrow one.

4. When you feel you are in "niche zone", copy and paste the best words into the "Garrett Toolbar" (or whatever tool you are using) and check the results for competition, sponsored ads, Web 2.0 competition (on Google), and the traffic on Gtrends.

5. If it qualifies, I list it in an Excel spread sheet (google docs actually, for me) with the: phrase, wordtracker, Gtrends, competition.

6. Repeat (all results in the same spreadsheet)

Using this system, I've found a couple dozen great phrases spread over 6-7 niche markets and they are completely sortable (thanks to the spreadsheet) which makes it easy to compare. But, yes, I have narrowed it down to my two BEST for the challenge.


(this is a pic of the excel sheet... keywords blacked out! Sorry)

Anyways, hope that helps!

Sorry it's not a Jing today!

-Garrett

[nello]

Short, sweet and to the point.

Thanks Garrett!

p.s.:Why you highlight that you are not addressing us using "gang"?

[justaleaf]

Just rubbing the "gang" thing in Ed's face :P

(Hey Gang, Ed Dale here...)

-Garrett

[Nez]

Nice work Garrett. My team call is on tonight, I'll have to point this out to the gang.

Cheers,
Nez

[Caro]

This is great Garrett,

I want to add an important part - as I am concerned that some people are thinking too much about the numbers only and are not putting on their marketers hat which means observing a niche.

Here is a copy/paste (and edit) of another post I made on this topic:

YOU MUST OBSERVE WHAT IS GOING ON IN THAT NICHE

Meaning - it's not enough to get excited about your numbers.

What you also MUST do is to have observed EACH & EVERY niche market you are looking at.

If you have had to start again - you then have to start again with the observation step.

You need to see what activity there is.

Ideally for there to be Affiliate products that sell downloadable info - because that shows that some IMers have already identified it as a niche that people will spend money for Info (we want them to spend money on what we offer).

If there is no Affiliate products there - observe what else is happening.

Are there Affiliate products maybe for the "mother keyword phrase" if not for the Umbrella phrase?

What's happening on the left hand side?

What sort of website are they? (Not from a web 2.0 final step assessment way - more in a 'what's going on here' way)

And again - YOU MUST DO THIS FOR EACH & EVERY NICHE YOU EXPLORE.

So those that just put up numbers - you're shooting yourself in the foot if you don't thoroughly research a market and start to feel it out (as opposed to judging it) through observations.

If you have done that - well include that info too.

But please do not just put up numbers - it's so so so much more than that - and you are not looking like dead certs for success if you do just go for numbers.

Best wishes to you all for the Challenge

Caro

PS: I know people are not just putting up numbers on this thread - I really want to get across it's not mutually excluse - the observing the market is just as important as checking the numbers.

Classic point today - some (wonderful) 30DCer had a market that numbers were great - it was a kids market aimed at kids - as in Adults don't figure in any buying decision, no pester power - hence nothing was being sold in it.

Observation told us that.

[justaleaf]

Thanks Caro,

I should have emphasized that more. Usually you can get a feel for whether the niche has some IM potential thanks to Google's sponsored ads.

One niche I came across had fantastic numbers, but there was not an ounce of commerce to be found around EITHER the broad phrase or narrow phrase keywords. Yuck.

-Garrett

[QuietMom]

Great thread...thanks!

[Caro]

Originally Posted by justaleaf

Thanks Caro,

I should have emphasized that more. Usually you can get a feel for whether the niche has some IM potential thanks to Google's sponsored ads.


-Garrett

It is not just the right hand side and ads that you look at. You also want to explore the left hand side as well - not just about what's selling. It's also about 'what's happening'. They are two differing things we want to take note of that inter-relate.

Caro