Before you entrench yourself browsing for a niche online, head over to the local bookstore for a little market research. What you discover through market examination will be useful once you start blogging.
The first thing to notice at the bookstore are the bookshelves on various topics. Anything worthy of its own section is a good-sized niche. This will probably include topics such as Self-Help, Cooking, WWII History, Religion, Technology, etc.
These topics in themselves are too broad, but you can stop on those aisles and take note of how many books are written on various sub-topics. If the Self-Help section, maybe you find a good number of books written on planting the perfect garden. You’ve just found a decent niche idea.
Another good technique for finding a market niche involves scanning the magazine aisle. If you’re at a large bookstore like a Barnes and Noble, this row contains tons of magazines on everything from astronomy to wedding dresses.
A niche can be deemed viable if there are a couple of magazines on the topic. The lifeline of a magazine is advertising, and companies won’t spend money on ads if there isn’t a readership. So if a magazine exists, there is likely a decent-sized market around the topic.
Bonus Tip: Browse the Dummies books. The people behind publishing this popular books series do a good amount of market research, so feed off them.
If there’s a …For Dummies book on a topic, the niche is probably viable.
Keep in mind that once you find your market niche, you’ll never stop applying your marketing knowledge to your advantage. Once you find a market, you should be blogging…and blogging is all about marketing.
Like the blog? Buy the book.
