Last night, online marketing legend Eben Pagan was guest speaker on a Stompernet call. He gave away some of the best ideas he had for building a successful internet marketing business.
Here’s some notes from the call.
1. The online “mega niches” (as Eben calls them) are …
(a) money and business,
(b) health and fitness, and
(c) dating and relationships.
Why these three? Because people typically have the strongest and greatest number of emotions engaged in them. Even if someone has two out of the three issues settled, he or she will put those on a back burner in order to focus on the missing third.
You may find a successful online niche outside these general areas, but usually then you will have to persuade to sell rather than merely provide what people want. (In the economic context, other needs are assumed to be met.)
2. Niche focus. Once you have chosen one of the mega niches, narrow it. Drill down into a single, focused sub-niche associated with tangible, specific benefits about which people are passionate. Not “feeling better,” but “ending knee pain” (Eben’s example). Johnson and Johnson came out with baby shampoo that does not hurt the child’s eyes. That’s specific.
Laser focus will allow you to target your advertising, limit distractions, and efficiently weed away the disinterested.
3. Name your product. To be cute for its own sake or general in the name are both huge common mistakes. Rather, make the name tangible, concrete, simple, and focused on the external (emotional) benefit, e.g., “How to lose your love handles in 21 days.”
Alliteration and rhyme can be help if they reinforce the benefit rather than distract from it. Simplicity is more important than flourish.
4. Landing pages. Keep them simple and free from distractions. If the language is English (or left-to-right, top-to-bottom), use eye and reading gravity to put first things first … above the “fold” (don’t make them scroll down to get to what’s most important).
Benefits and opt-in should be on the first screen, especially if the goal is to continue a conversation and build a relationship. Study Apple’s website as a good example.
5. List Building. Don’t ask for the business marriage on a first date. Don’t sell too far in advance. Build a relationship first. That is how you should write your opt-in follow-up email sequences.
Eben thinks of one person lonely and embarrassed looking for someone to trust who can help him or her with a problem. He write to one imaginary person who is “sitting across the table.”
6. Give away HIGH value stuff. Think like a Rock Star and give away your best song free. If you give away the leftovers, you are not providing anyone real value or putting your best foot forward.
See Stompernet for more.
Tags: internet marketing, landing page, list building, niche focus
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