You’ve created a wonderful website around a topic that you’re interested in, and you want to use it to make money on-line. Your research shows that you can make your own products, promote other people’s products, sell services, provide coaching, start a membership group, and the list goes on and on. The challenge now is what you need to do to take your website from idea to profit.
Many people start by choosing a product or service to sell and then try to find a market to sell it to. This usually doesn’t go too well. What you need to do is target the market you would like to sell to first, and then find what that market needs and wants.
Put yourself into the mindset of your target market by asking yourself some basic questions:
- What do they struggle with?
- What are they always in need of?
- What will make their life easier?
- What will save them money?
- What will save them time?
- What will make them money?
Of course one of the easiest ways to recognize the needs and wants of your target market is to be a part of that market. For example, if you are selling to photographers it will be much easier to identify with what they want and need if you are involved with photography yourself. It is not absolutely necessary however that you are a part of your target market, as long as you take the time to understand the market so you know it well.
Once you have figured out your market and what they need, go ahead and start creating your products and/or services around that need. Bear in mind though that not every new product or service you release is going to be a hit. So you will need to be prepared to fail along the way. Don’t get discouraged though. Use these failures as lessons of what to do and what not to do, and just keep trying. The best you can do is provide your markets with what you think they need or want, wait for their response, and adjust to it. Remember too that your markets will most likely change over time and what they need now may not be what they will need in the future. So stay versatile.