Direct Marketing Internet Strategy

Effective direct Internet marketing provides an inexpensive way to easily reach a vast audience of interested buyers. Unlike direct mail marketing, direct Internet marketing provides immediate results and feedback on what strategies are working for you. Design a direct marketing Internet strategy that takes advantage of available tools and techniques and uses best practices to optimize your results.

Micro Niche

Market to a small niche that has limited competition but sufficient volume to produce desired sales. An example of a niche market is vintage automobile enthusiasts. A micro niche of that market is Chevrolet niche market enthusiasts.

Research

To find a profitable micro niche, look for niches that are already identified. One good source is specialty magazines. If a specialty magazine has a large number of subscribers, this market could be viable. Another way to find specialty niches is to look for large offline mailing lists by consulting list directories, such as Standard Rate and Data Services mailing lists.

Offering

Select a product or service that enough people are searching for to help assure that your marketing efforts will be effective. Use a keyword research tool such as Google's keyword tool, Micronichefinder or Good Keywords. Consider marketing information products because they can be easily tailored to the specific interests of a small market. In fact, once an information product is created, it can be repositioned for multiple markets. For example, if a special report titled "How to Get More Customers for Your Restaurant" is developed, the same report can be easily adapted and retitled for an air conditioning contractor.

Website

Develop a website solely focused on communicating with your niche market. One key component of your site is the headline at the top of the page. The headline must engage the visitor and appeal to his specific interests. For example, if you are selling a special report about catching more trout, a compelling headline example is "Attention: Trout Fisherman -- Catch Twice as Many Fish In Half the Time. Special Report Reveals How."

References

• "Web Marketing Today"; Niche Marketing: Searching for a Profitable Niche; Dr. Ralph F. Wilson; June 2004
• Self Starters Weekly Tips: Finding Niche Markets
• Internet Marketing Ace; The Benefits of Creating and Marketing Information Products; June 2009
• Google: Five Tips for Writing Effective Web Headlines; Ginger Makela

Resources

• Interactive Marketing: The Top 10 Internet Marketing Strategies for Increasing Your Sales
• Brand Build Sell; 10 Internet Marketing Strategies for Building Brand Awareness; June 2010