Niche Market Research

Do you have trouble researching new niche markets? It doesn’t have to be difficult: you just need to apply a little common sense and a few practical tips.

Here are some good places to start your online niche market research:

Forums and Discussion Boards – These are great sources for finding out what people want and need. Read through a forum related to your topic and see what people are discussing. Look particularly at what problems and issues they may be having.

You can even join in and ask questions to learn more about your market. It’s important that you read the rules of each individual forum and apply proper forum etiquette to avoid being banned. If in doubt, just remember the basic rules of etiquette: don’t take more than you give, be polite and courteous to all members, don’t use someone else’s space as your advertising medium, and just be nice.

Amazon.com – I highly recommend this website as a good starting point for research. Take a look at all the different categories on Amazon – do you see your potential niche listed? Look through the books and products for each niche and take a few minutes to read the customer feedback and reviews.

Amazon is a fantastic source of knowledge and spending just a few minutes there can provide many answers about your potential niche market.

Ezinearticles.com – This is another great website for getting to grips with different niche markets. You’ll find a number of niche markets to choose from. Take time to look through the different author websites to get an idea of what products or services they’re promoting.

Magazines – Magazines are great for market research. If a magazine is on the stand it means it’s being funded by advertisers. And we all know businesses don’t continually advertise unless they’re making money.

Take a look through the advertising section in your niche magazines. What products are on offer? How are they being promoted. This will give you a good idea for the viability of your potential niche.

Take a poll – If you already have a website and/or subscriber base you’re one step ahead of the game because you can directly ask your readers and visitors what it is they want to see. People are always happy to provide feedback so don’t miss this opportunity for tapping into potential further products and services for your market.

Do you use any other methods to research niche markets? Please share your thoughts.