Welcome to The Healthcare Marketing Connection! The last few weeks it seems like I've been answering lots of questions about how to choose a niche. I talk a lot about looking at who you know and what's easy for you to break into. I think what people may be missing, is doing some of the "behind the scenes" market research to help them make the right decision on their niche, and feel comfortable knowing they are choosing the right one for them. Needless to say, this week's feature article is chock full of some places you can go to research a niche or industry. Most of them are free and you can do them yourself.

The last two weeks I have been astounded by how much work I have been getting done. I feel like I'm wrapping up projects that have been hanging around forever and jamming through new ones at the speed of light. Products are completed and getting up on the web site, my desk is getting cleared off (sort of). What is all of this doing for me? Well...I feel really good for one thing. But the other thing I'm noticing is I have an unprecedented number of new ideas and things I want to do. I mean big ideas. So, to keep my sanity, I am trying to write them all down so I don't forget them. Have you ever heard that saying about clearing through the clutter and how it makes room for new things to come in? And one last final reminder, today is the last day to get my back-to-school special. If you're interested in the great package of business-building products and one-on-one coaching with me for the next few months, now is the time to act. Maybe the space I just cleared out was meant for you???

To your success!

Kelly

6 steps to eliminate your fear in choosing a niche
by Kelly Robbins

Many of the students in my copywriting class struggle with the notion of narrowing a niche. Many know they find healthcare interesting, but worry about being more specific when describing what they do or how they can help people.

This fear is universal. It doesn't just apply to copywriters. And it doesn't just apply to the healthcare industry. Many people are afraid that there's not enough work in one specific industry, or that they will turn away potential clients by being too specific in who they work with.

You may be afraid there's not enough work in that specific industry. Yea, it's a good idea to do some research before you just jump in. Where can you go to find some industry statistics?

• Check out some industry journals, both print and online. Look for associations in the industry you're considering; many have tons of information available for free. Look for annual member studies, a section for the press or media, or topical articles written by members. You can learn about what this group of people is worrying about and what problems members may be experiencing. You can also look at membership numbers for an association. Just because an association is losing members doesn't mean the industry is in the tanks, but it is one factor to consider.
  
  
• Subscribe to the SRDS list online. You pay for this service and it is a few hundred dollars or you can go to the library and see an older version - it may not be up-to-date, but it's free. Look at each niche or category. You can see the number of magazines in each, number of subscribers, advertisers, etc.
  
  
• Go to www.wordtracker.com (it's free) and see how many people search key words and phrases. This is a very cool web site (look up yours). You can learn statistics like how many people visit a web site over a given time frame. How many pages, on average, people visit before they leave. Overall trends of traffic growth or slowing. It's actually a pretty cool tool. I checked out my competitors to see how I compared.
  
  
• Research your niche. What is the size of their market? You can typically sell to 10%. If you do that, will you have enough business? What are the trends: Shrinking? Growing? Aging? Ideally you are looking for a niche that is young and growing, however, that doesn’t mean the people in the niche are young and growing. An example would be products and services that the baby boomer generation is growing into. Like heart health (cardiology), orthopedic industries (like hip replacements, etc).
  
  
• Who else sells to this market? Look at both competitors and non-competitive services. How do they sell? Can you copy it? Are their methods proven? For example, you may find a certain niche is more apt to buy online than another niche. Start with what is proven to work.
  
  
• Check out competitive web sites at www.alexa.com. Don't forget to look at potential clients too. At Alexa.com you can see how many hits an individual site gets and how much traffic goes through their web sites. This information can be a key to how much interest is out there for the services, or how much business is actually done online.

The idea here is to help alleviate some of the fears of narrowing your niche and to help you make smart decisions. In addition to all this factual research you can do, there are other non-tangible things to consider when choosing a niche. Is there a particular area you have contacts in? Is there an area you are very interested in or are passionate about? Does one niche come easier to you than another? These more non-tangible factors also play an important role in the niche you choose.

So, don't be afraid of taking the step to market to a narrow niche. Just do your homework ahead of time and be more confident in the decisions you make.

(c) 2006, A Marketing Connection

Want to use this article in your e-zine or web site? No problem! Just let me know at info@KellyRobbinsLLC.com. I'll send you a short bio to include at the end of the article.

I know it feels like I have been talking about them forever, but I'm happy to let you know that my set of CD's on marketing your health care business are now available!

And for a limited time I am offering a 40% discount on this new product. We are looking for feedback because it's new so take advantage of this discount and let me know what you think :). These 6 CD's will normally sell for $397 (plus shipping). Save 40% for a limited time! Visit www.kellyrobbinsllc.com/marketing_cds.html for more information and to order now.

Back to school sale is extended to the 29th – which is today! So act fast if you'd like this great package of products and some one-on-one time with me: Back to School Sale.

This week Kelly recommends Busting Loose From The Money Game: Mind-Blowing Strategies For Changing The Rules Of A Game You Can't Win. My friend Bob Scheinfeld just released this new book that will show you how and give you the map you can use to bypass ALL the quicksand, traps and obstacles that previously blocked you.

If you have any other great resources you'd like me to share with everyone, let me know and I'll check it out. kelly@KellyRobbinsLLC.com

University of Masters - Tuesday October 3rd - Kelly's "How To" series: "How to grow your ezine list". For only $19.95 you can learn from Kelly and 30 other master teachers: www.masterteacherandmarketer.com

247coaching.com - Tuesday October 10th - Teleclass on "How to build a web site".

To learn more about healthcare copywriting and marketing, visit my Web site at www.KellyRobbinsLLC.com/article_archives.shtml. There are tons of fr ee articles on a variety of helpful topics.