Many corporate professionals are hoping to leave their corporate jobs and start an internet marketing business. Not only do they want to know how to start a business, they also want to know how to get prospects.

Many are already marketing their business. But if prospects are getting to your blog or website and quickly disappearing, there must be a reason.

When people come to me with this problem, I ask them if they have made a target market selection. They must know what audience they are addressing.

I was recently coaching a representative in a skin care business. I asked her who her target market was. She told me that everyone was her prospect. Everyone has skin.

That distributor will have a very difficult time being successful marketing to that huge group of people. Finding a much smaller market is very important in order to attract prospects.

A huge market, all people who have skin, is extremely competitive. Even if a person finds your website, why would the prospect ever consider buying from you? Your website looks like all the millions of other websites.

Here’s another critical point. If you are targeting such a large market, this group of people has many different needs. But you don’t know what these specific needs are.

If your products don’t satisfy their needs, they will look elsewhere.

When your target market is large, there are many websites offering the same products as you. This strong competition reduces your chance of making a sale.

The prospects in your target market have specific needs. Your website or blog must address those needs, answer their specific questions, and solve their specific problem.

For example, there are many target or niche markets that fall under the overall skin care product umbrella. Listed below are 3 smaller markets. For best results, these should be broken down into much smaller markets.

1. This group has not experienced success with skin care products they have purchased in the past. 2. This group needs answers to their specific skin condition concerns. 3. Baby boomers are seeking answers to questions about their aging skin. They want products that are scientifically proven to work for them.

Making a narrow target market selection is critical to your internet marketing success. You must then address your market in an educational manner. You do not promote your products or opportunity. So how does this affect your marketing strategy?

For one thing, a small, targeted niche market will have far less competition than a broader one.

Second, you must determine exactly what your market is looking for.

What kind of problems do they have? What makes them lose sleep at night? Do they have wants and needs that need to be filled? What kind of dreams do they have? What questions do they have that need to be answered?

Your marketing campaign and your blog or website should give your prospect the answers to their problems and questions. It should show that their dreams can be attained. Where do you go to find out the needs of your niche market?

You need to get on forums, blogs, and message boards. Find out what questions are going unanswered. Google the keywords related to your market. Determine what issues are not being addressed.

Or you can go directly to a person in your target market and ask them these questions.

If you know what the people in your niche market need and want, you can then provide them with educational information that shows you understand their situation.

It’s very important that you provide solutions to your prospects’ problems. This type of educational marketing will attract the prospect to your blog or website.

Here is my suggestion. Make a list of several possible target markets. Then select only one to address first. Hold onto the list of the markets you did not choose. You can very possibly market to those groups later.

Make a target market selection. Keep an open mind as you research that market on the internet. You may find new trends in the marketplace that you can address. You may find the need for products that are not offered. This gives you an opportunity to address these issues.

Internet marketing has enabled Scott Hubbard to retire from his Chief Financial Officer position of 25 years in corporate America. He now assists corporate professionals and network marketers in developing their own “guide to retirement” plan.


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