Sell the Sizzle, Not the Steak: Choosing Your Affiliate Biz Niche
If you're familiar with affiliate marketing, you've probably heard the phrase "Sell the sizzle, not the steak." But what does it mean exactly?
Well, it means focusing on the exciting aspects of a product or service rather than just its features. It's about tapping into people's desires and emotions, and showing them how a product can improve their lives, rather than just giving them a list of specifications.
So, why is this approach important in affiliate marketing? Because, let's face it, who wants to read a boring list of features? People are drawn to products that offer a solution to their problems and make them feel good. And that's what you should aim to highlight when promoting your affiliate products.
Now that we've established why it's important to sell the sizzle, let's dive into the nitty-gritty of choosing your affiliate business niche.
Market Demand and Profitability: Look for a niche that has a high demand for products, services or solutions and a profitable market. After all, who doesn't want to maximize their earnings potential and increase their chances of success?
Competitor Analysis: Evaluate your competition to see if there's room for you in the market and if your niche has growth potential. Try to find ways to stand out from the crowd and offer something unique to your target audience.
Personal Interest and Expertise: Choose a niche that you're passionate about and have knowledge or expertise in. It'll be easier to create content, connect with your audience, and promote your affiliate products if you're genuinely interested in the topic.
Alignment with your Values: Consider your values and beliefs when choosing your affiliate niche. Opting for a niche that aligns with your values will not only increase your motivation and drive but also help you build trust with your audience and establish a strong personal brand. Aligning with values is huge for women. In my opinion, it's one of the reasons women are underrepresented in affiliate marketing so pay attention to the yuck feeling when looking at offers or considering niches.
Tap into your Superpower: You won't see this suggestion many places but remember, women love to share solutions. What solutions do you love and would you love to promote? It just a different side of the same coin but might give you an inspiration and a path.
Once you have some ideas, why do you need narrow down your niche as much as possible?
By narrowing down your niche, you can focus on a specific audience and their needs, allowing you to provide more relevant content and recommendations to them. It's easier to sell a vacuum to someone who has carpet than someone who has tile floors.
Deeper Connection: By focusing on a smaller group, you can gain a deeper understanding of their wants, needs, and pain points, enabling you to offer solutions that better meet their needs.
Know, Like and TRUST: By being an expert in a specific area, you can establish yourself as a trusted authority and gain credibility with your target audience.
More Sales: When your content is specifically tailored to your target audience, it is more likely to resonate with them and result in higher conversion rates.
Level the Playing Field: By targeting a narrow niche, you are able to differentiate yourself from others in the market, making it easier to compete and stand out in a crowded marketplace.
Greater Growth Potential: A narrow niche often has less competition, allowing you to grow your affiliate business more quickly and increase your earnings potential.
All this is well and good but how do you narrow down your niche? First, we'll look at some broad suggestions and then there will be some specific recommendations of how to do your own Deep Dive Survey.
Conduct Market Research: Research your target audience, their needs and interests, and what types of products they typically purchase.
Analyze Competition: Check out your competition and see what niches they're successfully targeting. Take note of what's working and what isn't.
Assess Personal Interests and Expertise: Think about your own interests, hobbies, and areas of expertise. Choose a niche that you're passionate about and knowledgeable in.
Evaluate Demand and Profitability: Consider the demand for products in your selected niche, as well as their profitability. Look for niches that have a high demand and high potential for commission earnings.
If your starting from scratch, here's a broad list of the top 10 affiliate marketing niches. Realize you will have to narrow down within these areas but choose one area that interests you and start spiraling down.
Health and Wellness
Personal Finance
Beauty and Skincare
Technology and Electronics
Fashion and Clothing
Fitness and Sports Equipment
Home Improvement and DIY
Pet Care
Travel and Tourism
Food and Cooking
Maybe you already have an audience through social media or email and you can simplify the process by looking at the problems of your target audience and how you can provide one or many solutions. Here are the basic steps to doing an informal Deep Dive Survey (DDS):
Define your target audience: Determine the demographic information of your target audience, such as age, gender, income, location, education, and interests.
Identify the questions you want to ask (or find answers to): What are their pain points, needs, wants, frustrations, challenges and preferences related to your niche? What else do you want/need to know about your audience?
Choose the survey method/s: Decide how to conduct the survey - online, in person, or by phone. You can use FB groups and ask questions of the group or search in the group for your questions (see above). Try Reddit, Quora, Google, Amazon book reviews, Google reviews if it's a product, ask friends (in person or social media) who are in your target audience, Google trends.
Record responses: Set up a Google doc or some place to store responses. Again, look for answers to your questions and begin noting where the answer came from (FB, Reddit, Amazon, etc). Make note of the wording your target audience uses so you can create copy from it.
Analyze the results: You're going to need more than 5 responses, but once you start seeing similar needs, frustrations, challenges, you've found enough responses. Look for patterns and insights that will help you better understand your target audience.
Use the results: Use the information gathered from the deep dive survey to inform your affiliate marketing strategies, such as choosing the right products to promote, creating content that resonates with your target audience, and increasing your conversion rates.
There you have it! You're on your way to learning the art of selling the sizzle, not the steak, and the steps to finding the perfect affiliate marketing niche for you. Don't be afraid to experiment and try out different niches until you find the one that's the right fit. Happy affiliate marketing!