Finding a niche is the first thing you should do if you want to get into affiliate marketing. This is where you will find your audience, persuade people to come back to your site to learn more each week and get one up on your competitors.
Though you might think that having a general niche is a good idea, you need to remember that you will be competing with far more people than if you choose something a bit more specific. Yes, your potential audience might be a bit smaller, but you are much more likely to catch their attention if you are up against less competition.
So how can you find the right niche for you?
Find Something You Are Genuinely Interested In
Running a blog when you only have a vague or passing interest will quickly become a tedious job. Though we like to think of affiliate marketing as a way to earn passive income, the reality is that you will need to put in quite a lot of hard work to keep up your progress in the market.
The trick is to think about general interests you have and then try to find a niche within these more general terms. For example, if you are particularly interested in interior design, you might find a niche in tropicana or industrial chic furniture – still within your interest but much less competition.
See What Your Competitors are Doing
Before you do anything, you should definitely check out the competition. Seeing what everyone else is doing and how successful they are will give an indication of what you are up against but will also give you a few ideas for what you might like to do on your own site.
Many bloggers can’t resist posting their income reports and what their analytics look like so these sites can be really useful for seeing how long it has taken to make a splash in the affiliate world. Don’t assume that you will have a massive audience and plenty of cash rolling in within a few weeks – be realistic and bear in mind that you are already entering a crowded marketplace.
Use Keyword Research
If you are struggling for ideas, or you want to drill down on your research a little further, keyword research is absolutely the way to go. The Moz toolbar is great for this as it can give you a detailed analysis on how a website is performing for particular keywords as well as give an impression of how well the site is doing in general. Again, this is the best way to find out what you are up against and how much competition there will be in your market.
The more you can do to research and prepare, the easier it will be to set up your own site for success as an affiliate marketer. Take your time to plan a strategy and create some content before you launch so you are ready to hit the ground running.
Good luck!
