SquidU Review: Finding Your Niche
The latest ‘SquidU Review’ has been released. The featured article is titled “Finding Your Niche”. [SquidU Review]
The latest SquidU Review is reprinted here.
SquidU Review: Finding Your Niche
I have a hard time keeping my fingers out of the cookie jar. I like to be involved in lots of exciting things all at once. However I have found that amidst the variety, specializing in a few niche topics really comes in handy. Each of us has unique knowledge to add to the mix. When you get really good at one very specific thing, you become the go-to person for that niche, and that’s just the type of person we’re looking for! It’s also the type of thing search engines, and surfers, drool over. So, here’s an overview of things you might consider when you make your lens lens.
1. No Niche is Too Small
2. Breaking Down your Niche
3. Spreading the Word
4. Interview with Margaret
As you’re implementing these ideas, you might find it hard to stick with one niche. If you’re still new to designing lenses, try starting with one topic and expand on it. Soon you’ll discover all sorts of creative ways to show off your talents and teach others! Happy lens-crafting!
~Kimberly Dawn Wells
SquidU Review Editor
1.No Niche is Too Small
No niche is too small. It’s mind-boggling what people collect, read about, participate in, and become fanatical about. Think swiss cheese making, underwater instruction, and amateur song writing are too niche to be interesting? The national associations for each of these hobbies and skills don’t. The truth is that no matter what you are interested in, there are other people out there that are also fascinated by collecting old horseshoes and potato chip bags, or building loudspeakers from parts. When you build lenses about these things, you enhance the availability of information for your niche and position yourself as an expert on the topic. The more lenses you build, the more there will be for people to find and the more opportunities you have to make money and get recognized!
Most niches won’t be quite this obscure, but consider the following:
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles PEZ Dispensers – http://www.squidoo.com/tmntpez/ Miniature Thread Crochet Bears – http://www.squidoo.com/thread_crochet_bears/ Japanese Gift Wrapping – http://www.squidoo.com/gift-wrap/ Vintage VW Cars and Busses for Sale – http://www.squidoo.com/vintage-vw/ Nursing Home Volunteers – http://www.squidoo.com/willworkfortheelderly/ Canned Fish – http://www.squidoo.com/cannedfish/ Amish Bread Boxes – http://www.squidoo.com/amishbreadboxes/
Each of these could be a larger category, such as PEZ, crochet, gift wrapping, vehicles for sale, volunteerism, food, or furniture. By focusing a specific type for each category, these wise lensmasters have created top-niche lenses that are among the best on Squidoo.
2.Breaking Down your Niche
You’ve decided you really love buttons, but there are only so many lenses you can do on buttons. Or are there? If you think you’re stuck on ideas for your niche product or service, try doing what I do for everything from lenses to novels.
Create a mind map!
On a large piece of paper, write your topic title in the center. Let’s say it’s buttons. Draw lines radiating away from the word ‘buttons,’ and at the end of each each, write a word that describes or is related to your main topic. Think about the color, size, designs, uses, history, methods of purchase or sale, and where to find more info. You name it. (Think 5W-How.)
For each of those, draw lines radiating away from the words. At the end of each of these lines, write a word related to both your main word and the word it is branching off. The idea is to create a chart of ideas by brainstorming possible topics and themes. Keep drawing and doodling until you run out of room or run out of ideas. Don’t sensor any of your ideas at this time. Something that sounds too weird or too obvious could be the magic lens idea that gets you the attention you need.
When you are done, if you are so inclined, type your list in the order from easiest to implement to most challenging. Write some deadlines into your schedule for attending to these updates. There’s nothing like an exciting goal to motivate a lensmaster into taking some action!
3.Spreading the Word
Pre-Internet, getting the word out about niche ideas, and just about any idea for that matter, was tough. Marketers were still operating under old marketing rules: get out to the people. Today, smart marketers (that means you!) are operating under a different set of rules: attract the right people and impress them. Squidoo makes it easy to impress the right people. What can you do to help attract them?
1. Go where they go Where do your ideal customers go for information? Is it a blog, forum, or directory? Is it an association website or weekly newsletter? Be there. Simple as that.
2. Get listed If there aren’t a lot of resources for your niche, that is actually a bonus for you! With less marketers competing for keywords, they become more valuable. With a little SEO savvy you too can be the top ranked site for squirrel racing, fire eating, or even green eggs and ham fans.
3. Create a following If there isn’t a place to go for information on Venus fly trap farms, create one. Be THE place to go for information on your niche. It will take a little time and pro-active PR on your part, but could be very profitable for you in several ways. Money is a big one, but consider the name recognition and traffic as a huge perk as well. 4. Link ’em Up Don’t rely solely on outside traffic for help. Each one of your niche lenses is a traffic generating powerhouse for your other niche lenses! Add a simple links module to the bottom of your lens, or lensroll them all together. When readers are done at one of your lenses, they can easily visit the rest.
It might seem easier to promote a topic such as ‘marketing’ than a topic such as ‘selling skis using postcards,’ but consider how much competition you have with more general terms. Niche is good, and more and more users are discovering this idea as well. Keep moving toward your niche with new and exciting ideas. Some will work and some might not, but all will help you achieve your goals.
4. Interview with Margaret
If you have questions about niche lenses, Margaret is the woman to ask. This owner of an Amish furniture store explains how Squidoo has enhanced her business.
About Squidoo
Squidoo: SKWID-OO, n. v., adj., addiction. 1) thousands of people creating a handbuilt catalog of the best stuff online 2) a free and fun way to make your own page and get traffic 3) a place to find what you’re looking for, fast.
*IMNewswatch would like to thank Squidoo for granting permission to reprint the latest SquidU Review.
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