Virtual Marketeers

Archive for the ‘Niche Marketing’ Category

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I found a lot of really good information about marketing in a recent article, Build Buzz With a Business Blog, written by Susan Gunelius and published on Entrepreneur on the 25 June 2010, but I would like to expand on it a little.

Sales and marketing is extremely important to the success of our business, I feel though that an extremely important ingredient to ‘building buzz with a business blog’ might be added to take the concept that Susan has provided to the next level.

What is that important ingredient?

There are two actually that immediately spring to mind – focus and innovation!  We need to ‘create’ the buzz first, once we have the buzz we can build on it further:

• Establish yourself as an expert in a particular field.
• Provide confirmation to your readers that you know and understand the topic.
• Make the predominant focus of your blog the topics covered within that particular niche.
• Think outside the box – continue to learn new ideas and try to be creative in how you implement these ideas.  Don’t stay stagnant, continue to learn, move, shake and grow.

Do you think that the customer or reader will be interested in our sales pitches unless they see us as a trustworthy and reliable source?

Do you think that it will predominately be the new reader or the returning reader that will likely purchase the product or service?

Without focus and innovation I feel that it is unlikely that our readers will become intrigued by or stay interested in what we have to say in our blog and the information that we post there.

I would love to hear your thoughts on how to create or build ‘BUZZ’ with a business blog.

I am pondering on different niche markets and how maybe some of them could become quite expensive to blog about, depending very much on the topic of conversation. Two that I can think of right now that fit into this category are technology based blogs, (mobile phones, GPS etc) and another might be travel blogs.

My curiosity touches on the secret to providing a good quality product comparison or review, after all technology and travel can become two very expensive areas to niche in.

Is it necessary for the people behind these blogs to go out and purchase many different products to compare them?  Maybe they receive some of the products courtesy of the companies in return for a review – or maybe they have many people assisting them to write these reviews?

It would be quite impossible to write a good quality product review, comparison, or offer ‘how to’ information on a specific product without doing the necessary testing first.  The information wouldn’t be accurate without testing, would it. Without the ability to provide accurate information regarding these specific areas the readership would very much die off.  Credibility would be very quickly lost, because the reader is likely to very quickly figure out that the author hasn’t done the necessary homework and really doesn’t know what they are talking about.

Are you considering setting up a technology based blog, or maybe a travel blog, or something that will rely on your keeping up with some of the most current and expensive products?

Be creative… think outside the box… but above all make sure that you are providing accurate and current information.

I stumbled upon a blog today, iPad Zu, that offers ‘everything iPad’.

I found this really interesting… and I do wonder whether iPad is maybe a fad and will only be around for 10 years or so, or whether like the television or the mobile phone etc it is here to stay.  If it is around for years to come then this could be a real tops niche and could cover a lot, from video instructions on how to use the iPad through to blog posts on how to make the most out of the iPad.  At the moment it covers iPad reviews and its looking like it will probably cover app reviews also.  The list really is endless!!

I really enjoy my Apple Mac and iPhone and have continued to learn many new tricks to help me be even more effective.  Think I might just go and add the iPad to my wish list.  I can’t see myself getting one right now, but maybe later on down the track.  To me the iPad is something that I have an interest in, but unfortunately its not an essential for the day to day running of my business so I’m just going to have to hold off and wait a little bit I think.

There are so many things to consider when writing a blog. There is the structure, the content, the feel… plenty to think about.

Same applies to writing a book or report or any other document really.

Authenticity and Personality

I probably overuse the ellipsis (…) but that’s maybe, hopefully, my own personality and character shining through.

Don’t be too quick to get rid of your own little quirks. Your style of writing is what makes you unique and maybe it is what makes you stand out from every other writer on the planet.

Selecting a Topic

Do you write about topics that you are passionate about?

If you have limited knowledge on the topic then you will need to be prepared to either research the topic further, or pay a professional to write the blog post for you.

Have you thought about how your topic ties in with your business goals? Consider whether you can write an article series that might compliment your blog.

I find that the more that I refine my niche area the easier it becomes to think of a topic to write about.

Establish a Niche

Do any of us know it all? Do you think we will ever know it all? Nah, I don’t think so!

Instead of trying to know absolutely everything there is to know you might like to have a look at where you are focusing your business. What is your target audience? If your target audience is too broad then maybe you are not reaching your full potential.

To gain a better understand on niche marketing you might like to have a read of the following article, Have You Chosen a Niche Area Yet?

Try to Avoid Complex or Technical Words

If your target audience are unlikely to use more complex or technical type words and you want to help them, then wouldn’t it be best to use words that they don’t have to look up in the dictionary or on Google?

I prefer to really simplify my text and chat away like I am speaking with another person. For that reason I exclude words that I wouldn’t use in general conversation, eg. ‘therefore’, ‘consequently’, ‘however’.

Go Easy on the Word ‘AND’

Try not to become addicted to the word ‘and’.

Do you find yourself constantly using the word ‘and’ to string your sentences together? If your answer is yes then you might like to try and retrain yourself.

The articles should flow, but not in a way that the words flow together. To know whether the article is flowing you might consider whether the pauses in your article are sufficient – does the reader have opportunity to breath?

Used in the right way full stops and commas can add appropriate emphasis to the message you are trying to get across.

Don’t be afraid (or embarrassed) to read it out loud where there is a need.

If when I write on a particularly sensitive topic I might get worried that the flow of a sentence, paragraph, even article is not quite right. If this is the case, then you will most likely find me sitting in my office reading that part out loud, trying to tweak the sentences to get the flow right.

When editing more sensitive or complex articles, I have found this to really help me.

Consistency

Where possible keep things consistent. Some examples are below:

• Do you tend to put a full stop at the end of your bullet point? Try to do the same always.
• Same with hyphens between words, eg. sub-contractor / subcontractor.
• Try to stick with one Style, eg. US English, UK English or Australian English.

We won’t be able to get everything always 100% right, and quite honestly people won’t expect you to. It is important though to at least try and keep it as consistent as possible.

Don’t be Afraid to Publish!

When blogging or writing to a forum, or in anything that you do…

I agree that it is important to be really careful about the work that is published – especially if it is on a particular sensitive topic, but there comes a point when you really do need to decide whether you should publish or not.

If you have a habit of hardly ever publishing anything because it is simply not good enough then you might like to rethink, because this is likely to be caused by either procrastination or the need to perfect the post. If you constantly hold off from publishing content for either of these two reasons then you could possibly be holding yourself back.

For the majority of my articles I write, edit and schedule / publish them the same day. Occasionally it is necessary for me to delay publishing for a day or two to give me the opportunity to review the article with a clear mind.

Once the article is published or scheduled I go back to it straight away and have one last read just to make sure that I am happy with how it reads. This might not be the solution for everyone but it works for me.

This might be a good opportunity actually to go to your blog, and have a look in your drafts folder to see if there are any articles sitting there waiting.

Deciding on a Niche Area for Your Business can be a Really Excellent Marketing Tool!

• It allows for your business to establish credibility in the field of choice through:
  -  Developing knowledge and understanding of the needs of the clientele.
  -  Being able to focus your research and training toward a particular area.

• It increases your ability to provide a quality and timely service.
  -  Good quality and timely services means happy customers.
  -  A happy customer means more referrals.

• It helps in managing expenditure, as your business will direct their purchase choices more towards servicing that area specific.
• If you own a website or blog, then your ranking will likely be higher in the search engines specific to your particular area of expertise.

The Value of Credibility

When making purchases most customers will weigh up the perceived value, or the worth of that item:

The definition of value from define.com is “The property or aggregate properties of a thing by which it is rendered useful or desirable, or the degree of such property or sum of properties; worth; excellence; utility; importance.”

The definition of credibility also from define.com is “The quality of being believable or trustworthy.” On reading these definitions, would you agree that value is very much interrelated and interconnected with credibility?

To illustrate this, if something went extremely wrong with a product, and it was published on the news and the impact of this ‘fault’ spread to the outer ends of the earth, then I would suggest that this company has lost credibility in the customers eyes.

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There are a good many people who have consciously made the decision to set up an online business for the flexibility that it has on offer.  It might be so that they were able to spend more time with family and friends.  It might also be so that they could spend more time or money on their hobby, or maybe it is so they are able to travel the world without time limits and really absorb the culture, scenery and experiences that the country has to offer.  The vision for their online business might be to do what they love while earning enough cash (and maybe a bit extra) through their business to fund those activities or adventures that interest them… or simply to balance their budget and provide more flexibility and balance to life.

Today, I would like to talk about those who seem to constantly have the travel bug… they just can’t seem to be able to shake it… and they might have pondered on whether there was a job that offered flexibility to those who wish to travel and constantly enjoy new experiences, without the need to organize a working visa, or having to return to their home country in order to earn more money ready for the next trip.

If a person is willing to put in the hours required to establish a professional blog it can in the longer term provide them the opportunity and flexibility to travel and at the same time do those things that they have always wanted to… always dreamed of doing, without the restraints that come with a job which must be completed on-site and within set hours.  An online business could be the ultimate to those who seem to constantly have the ‘travel bug’ if set up right.

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It probably wasn’t obvious to you as a reader up until now that this blog is destined to become a blog about niche marketing.

Through discussions with other business owners in the last few years I have come to know and understand just how important a niche is to growing ones business.  This comes on a number of different levels.

I have come to realize is that it is much harder to promote your business to ‘the world’, but much easier to promote yourself to a smaller, much more defined group of people.  In addition to this it gives you a really good opportunity to prove to them why you are a cut above the rest; what sets your business apart from all those other businesses in that field of expertise.

I myself have finally decided on a niche area for my parent company Proactive Admin Services, and are already starting to guide my business in that direction.  My niche area will be to provide administrative assistance to Speakers.  We have plenty to do… we will need to look at updating our website, training and development, marketing etc.

What we are hoping is that through Virtual Marketeers we will be able to help you with the following:

1. Provide information about niche ideas and marketing so people who stumble upon this site, who do not yet have a defined niche might realize what an important marketing tool this might be to their business… hopefully earlier rather than later;

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One last follow up on my post last week about the special Become A Blogger Premium $1 Trial Offer – Yaro Starak has let me know just today that the doors close at midnight on Tuesday, 9 February 2010 Eastern Standard Time (EST).

If you want to try this highly respected and trustworthy program then don’t delay – sign up for the trial offer for only $1 -

Become A Blogger Premium $1 Trial Offer

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Making a living from the Internet is something many people dream of, but nutting out just how to get there can be extremely confusing.

Because of the many scams out there I went through extensive research online and spoke with my husband on numerous occasions to establish his thoughts before I decided on anything.

I ended up deciding to become a Virtual Assistant some 2 and a half years ago, and that aspect of my business is still going strong.  Now here I am just now starting my journey as a blogger.

To get me started I signed up 6 months ago for the Become A Blogger Premium Course, and have now received all of the audio for this course.  I haven’t quite completed the course yet, but I know that I will.  The half that I have already completed I am pleased to say is of top quality and helped me immensely in establishing this blog and will continue to help me for many many many years to come.  I am working on a second blog which is really close to official launch.

And some of it is not only relevant to Becoming A Blogger but it helps out in the business mindset and marketing aspects as well.
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If you are interested in becoming a blogger, then you might like to check out this special $1 Trial which will remain open only until this coming Tuesday, 9 February 2010 –

Become A Blogger Premium Video Training Course

Or maybe you are already a blogger, and would like more information on how to monetize on your blog.

Here’s the story behind the course…

Maybe you have already heard of Gideon Shalwick and Yaro Starak – who combined forces to create a training program especially for people who want to learn how to blog.

Gideon and Yaro provide plenty of amazing stuff for free, and ask for nothing in return – such as the ten videos on how to set up a blog, and the comprehensive Roadmap Report, which is chock full of advice on how to make money from blogging.

This course has been shut for six months – and lots of people have been eagerly waiting for it to open again.

Over 2,000 people (including myself) have already participated in the Premium program, so if you want to participate in this round – then please visit the following page.
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I just found out that Yaro Starak and Gideon Shalwick from BecomeABlogger.com will be re-opening their Become A Blogger Premium video training program.

This course is by far the most popular video blog training program out there, with over 2,000 people having already participated during the last two times the course was offered.

From my own personal experience, this training program was well worth the money invested.

Good quality, easy to follow information and instructions to assist in setting up and optimising your blog, all this while encouraging you to maintain your own personal flair when it comes to blogging. Actually, there is so much information provided that I have not quite completed the course yet – but I will, most definitely.

On February 4th you will have a chance to try their program for $1, so add that date to your calendar.

In the meantime, if you haven’t already, be sure to download their immensely popular report -

“The Roadmap To Become A Blogger”

Or simply…”The Roadmap”

It doesn’t cost anything, so if you are ready to claim your own copy now then go click on the following link:

The Roadmap To Become A Blogger

If you’re new to blogging, or interested in finding out more about it this is for you.  This may be the most important report you’ll read all year!
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