Is The Internet Marketing Niche Saturated?
By Anna Johnson on June 27th, 2008Occasionally, I see discussions on various Internet marketing forums about whether or not the Internet marketing niche – the market for “how-to” Internet marketing information – is saturated.
In my view the answer is two-fold: yes, the Internet market is saturated with rubbishy, “me-too” products… and no, there is plenty of room for products and services that provide value to the target market.
So if someone plans to enter this niche with yet another low-value ebook, or course, or some other information product that delivers nothing more than regurgitated, out-of-date, or just plain wrong information… they’ll have plenty of competition!
If, on the other hand, they plan to deliver a product or service that is better and unique… there will likely be a market for that solution. The only real issue is how to cost-effectively reach the target market. That’s where traffic generation and conversion strategies and tactics are the keys to success.
Of course, Internet marketers with a low-value product but a few super-affiliates to promote for them – or some other highly effective means of generating traffic, building a list and converting it and so on – can probably still make some good money from their crappy products. But, as in most markets, the “survival of the fittest” rule prevails: over time, the crap sinks to the bottom and the cream rises to the top. After all, there are only so many refunds and complaints a super affiliate will take before they realize that promoting so-and-so’s product just isn’t worth it.
Of course, what exactly is rubbish… and what is better and unique? As you might imagine, it all depends on the target market. What is better and unique to someone just learning about how to build an Internet business is entirely different to what is better and unique to an accomplished Internet marketer.
So even though you may loathe those long-running infomercials promoting the products of certain high-profile Internet marketers and believe that what they’re selling is pure schlock… those products really are delivering value to their target markets. If they weren’t, these guys wouldn’t be running those expensive infomercials year after year.
Likewise, a certain ebook released by a high profile Internet marketer a couple of years ago yielded significant sales… even though it was riddled with spelling and grammatical mistakes. The guy behind it has only grown his business ever since. Which indicates, once again, that, to the target market, the product delivered value.
Yet, even though the quality of a given product or service may be in the eyes of the beholder… there is an objective indicator as well. It’s called: SALES!
And although it’s possible to have a fantastic product or service and still find it difficult to reach your market (in which case your sales may not reflect the quality of your product)… we are talking about the Internet marketing niche here. If you can’t market your own product or service online… is your product or service on how to market online really that good?
