What's a Niche and How Do You Find One?
A niche is a particular field of interest, or a narrowly targeted group of people who share common characteristics. Well-known niches might include the following:
- The cooking niche
- The rescue dog niche
- The video game developer niche
For example, let's say someone expressed an interest in learning how to make fresh baked bread. In this case, they are targeting the "bread" subcategory of the culinary ("cooking") category.
Niche websites and communities allow users to connect with other like minded individuals who can benefit from their specific skill set and expertise. Niches resonate well with those looking for more in depth expertise.
It's important to note that a niche should be something you're personally interested in, or at least something you can get enthusiastic about. If you don't care about the niche, how can you expect others to? Know your audience and show them respect by putting in the time and effort to share your knowledge with them.
How do niche communities work? What kinds of people belong to them? What are their goals or objectives? Do they want tips and tricks on how to make a nice piece of bread? Do they want to talk about the latest bread maker technology?
Niche communities can be divided up in various ways, from global, regional or local views. A local baker is more likely to belong to a regional or local baking community. But, that same person can take advantage of the global resources available online today by accessing niche websites like MakeUseOf.com, which has an active community for bloggers and sharers of information.
The search for a "niche" has become such a popular topic lately that a website called FindaNiche was created to provide a forum where those interested in finding niche markets could share their experiences, learn from the mistakes and successes of others, and discover new niches to pursue. You can see this site at http://findaniche.com/ .
Here are some questions to consider as you decide what kind of niche is right for you:
1. What do I truly enjoy?
2. What topic most excites me?
3. What hobbies have I always wanted to turn into a business?
4. If money were no object, what would I like to pursue?
By Sharon Anderson - found on TheNicheReport
A niche can also be a particular interest within a subculture (e.g., the "clothing-optional" subculture or the "vegetarian" subculture). It can also be something that is not part of the mainstream (e.g. creating a virtual community for the "computer-illiterate" subculture). A niche can be very specific or not very specific. Some niches are quite small, while others are much larger than other niches which may be larger in terms of popularity.
Some useful questions to ask yourself before creating a niche:
1. What am I interested in? The more niche options you have, the more likely people will join you. This can help to build your audience and create more interest.
2. Who is my audience? Tailor your site to suit your target demographic (i.e., what they like). It will be easier for people to join if they know who you are.
3. What is my niche's potential? Niches have a lot of potential and will grow a lot over time; however, you should wait to see what happens first before trying to move forward.
4. How can I make money? Most niches can earn money through selling product or membership (of course it's not as easy as that). It is important to create your niche correctly, otherwise you may get little or no money or customers because the niche would be completely wrong for them.
5. What is my niche about? Make sure you understand the niche well and know the niche's concept before you put your website up for business.
6. What am I going to call my website? It's important to have a name that will represent you and your business.
7. How much time should I put in each day? Keep in mind the amount of work that goes into website maintenance, while also considering how much time is left to start making money (fees are charged on a monthly basis).
8. Can I do this alone or would it require help? Remember, people join niches because they like your topic, not necessarily because they need help with something. However, some people do require help and by providing this service, you can earn money.
9. Do I have any other interests? If you are interested in a lot of different things (as most people are), then maybe there is an opportunity for more than one niche site.
Every niche is going to have a certain range of competition, depending on the way you are going to approach it. For example, everyone has their own idea of the perfect pizza, but if you wanted to open up your own pizza shop that would cater only to those who like the "perfect pizza", your range of competition would be much narrower.
If you are looking to promote a product, the competition is going to be much harder. If you are only looking to create a site where you want to share your experience with this product, the competition would be much smaller.
Niche is a common term used in different disciplines, including business and agriculture. In each case it refers to the market segment that some product or service targets.
In marketing a "niche" is often defined as being a group of people with specific needs or interests who may profit from products or services that are tailored specifically for them. The "niche" can also refer to those products or services themselves, as well as their creators and providers. The word "niche" is also used to refer to a market segment, which is the group of individuals who can be reached from a marketing campaign. According to the marketing literature, an individual consumer may have one or more "niches".
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In 1999, the Canadian government launched a list of 18 new names to replace those of non-French origin. To ensure that some regional names would be preserved in Quebec, the laws stated that they could not be removed from official use. The list was later amended under new regulations.
Conclusion:
In 2005, the Quebec government brought in a new name-change policy. Each of the original name-change laws was then overturned by the courts, except for one specific part of the law: changing the names of geographic features from English to French. The Department of Natural Resources and Wildlife (DNRED) had given a list of 13 new names for geographical features to be changed, including:
Among these 13 names, only Île du Marin, Île Verte and Îles de la Madeleine were officially adopted by decree. The other ten have never been officially adopted and still exist on maps.