One of the joys of niche marketing is the luxury of tapping
into a favorite hobby, occupation or expertise and building
a business around it.

If you are expanding an existing off-line business by
setting up a webpage you may find your most valuable
contacts right in your store. Make some brochures or cards
that announce your online presence, or ask customers if
they’d like to sign up for your online newsletter.

Now you can contact your customers about new products,
industry news or specials with no postage costs or time
consuming envelope stuffing.

Invite your subscribers to recommend the site to friends
who are interested in the topic. Even better, have a place
on your website to ‘tell a friend’. Your visitor will enter
their own email address and name as the sender of the
message to avoid spam complaints. Warning – do not start
emailing the invitee unless they sign up personally for
your newsletter.

Niche sites will really benefit from a newsletter. Create a
small free gift, such as a special report or how-to manual
that they will receive with their subscription. By
providing valuable information related to your topic you
will gain the trust of subscribers. By contacting them at
least several times a year – up to once a week if possible
– they will always be reminded of your website when looking
for information or products in your niche.

Create a website that has informative content. Incorporate
the keywords (words or phrases visitors type into their
search engines) into the content to improve your place in
the search engines.

Write articles that will set you up as an ‘industry
expert’. If you don’t feel capable of writing them yourself
you can hire a ghostwriter. End the article with your name,
a comment about your business and a link to your website.
Submit your article to relevant websites or ask if website
owners would like to use your contribution. Be sure they
agree to keep your name and website link intact.

You may find discussion groups that cater to your market.
Involve yourself in their conversations and attach a
signature with your website address if the policies permit.
Do not advertise on these groups, however you may be able
to offer your free item when the situation allows.

Try to determine where your market is. Are they parents?
Retirees? Home owners? Pet lovers? If you are selling art
supplies you may find hobby sites will cater to your
audience. If you sell information for do-it-yourself
projects you should show up in home decorating as well as
financial sites (‘Save Money on Home Building Projects!’
for example).

Always look for new opportunities and offer your best, the
rest will follow!