Here’s my plan…
*Don’t worry, it has nothing to do with stuffed animals!
What are you doing this weekend?
If you’re like three quarters of Brits, you’ll be pursuing a pastime…
It could be photography, crafting, baking, cooking, creative writing, blogging, gaming – in fact the list is (almost) endless.
According to a study by Reed.co.uk last December, 77% of the nation are avid hobbyists in their spare time.
Sorry, but that’s MASSIVE!
The cliché is that we’re a nation of couch potatoes, where people come home from work, stick on the telly, and stay glued to it until bedtime.
But vast swathes of the population are turning to after work interests.
The study showed that this was for a number of reasons: to de-stress after work, to become a more interesting and rounded person, or to become more skilled and employable.
However, I think a lot of it is to do with the internet.
It just makes it so easy.
Because while hobbies like photography, baking and crafting are offline activities…
It’s online where you can get information, watch videos, show off your creations, self-promote, connect with similar-minded people and buy absolutely anything you need for your hobby at the touch of a button.
The reason I’m so excited about this is that I’ve been obsessively dissecting this phenomenon over the past 6 months for a project that you might be interested in. (Keep reading for more info)
I believe – actually, I now know – that these passionate hobbyists are the key to an online business that anyone could tap into, part time, even with minimal start up budget.
But this isn’t the traditional affiliate or internet marketing strategy you’ve have seen a million times before…
I’m talking about a new and very exciting approach that has none of the negative reputation usually associated with the ‘affiliate marketing’ industry.
In fact if I had to start all over again, this is what I’d be looking at very closely.
Let me hit you with a few statistics first then I’ll explain why they’re so interesting.
- A 2013 study by Santander discovered that £18.4bn is spent every year on hobbies, that’s equivalent to £384 for every person with a hobby.
This statistic moves even higher when it comes to older people…
- A separate study in 2012 found that pensioners spent £480 and 468 hours every year indulging their hobbies.
- Almost a third of people with a hobby take it so seriously, that they spend more time on it than they do socialising with friends.
So here we have a vast and varied national marketplace, from children to pensioners, of Britons who have a special interest that:-
a) They prioritise so highly, it can be as important as socialising or their day jobs
b) They spend £300-£500 on every year.
c) They will probably continue for a lifetime.
To me, this is a golden combination: personal obsession, regular annual spending and lifetime interest.
If there’s not a potential business in THAT, then we may as well give up looking!
Good Old Fashioned Business Model…
This goes back to the very principles of business I worked with when I started out in direct marketing in the 90s…
My publishing company would send letters in the post offering subscription newsletters.
It was expensive and time-consuming to create these packages.
But the ultimate goal was to find people who would buy from us initially, then come on a journey with us as we offered further, higher-level products.
The value of a customer was based on their likely lifetime spend.
The longer-term the relationship, the better.
After all, someone buying a single product from you on a whim is fine, but it doesn’t build a business.
It means you’re constantly working hard looking for new people to sell to just once.
But when you have repeat customers on your database, hungry for more, and happy to hear from you when you get in contact… well, that’s when you’ve got the solid foundation of a lasting, growing business.
One that actually gets easier and more profitable over time.
So, let’s go back to hobbies…
Imagine of you could tap into one of those special interests with a high level of spending, say £400 or more on average every year.
You could quite feasibly build an online business from a niche group of people who are absolutely passionate about their interest, willing to spend their hard-earned money on it, and do so every year for the rest of their lives.
For example, let’s imagine a keen amateur mountain biker who goes out every weekend, wind rain or shine.
What kind of products would they be interested in?
…bikes, accessories, waterproof clothing, smart phone apps, maps, guide books.
…. good nutrition, natural energy boosters, muscle-building drinks, home fitness equipment, pain relief for aching limbs or pulled muscles.
… new routes, places to stay at night, competition news, reliable product reviews, latest technologies.
… they’ll want to connect with other cyclists, professionals and amateurs, to swap stories and tips.
From free information to social media connections to product recommendations, there’s a lot an online business could provide for that cyclist, or anyone with a special interest for that matter.
For instance…
A middle aged man looking to find ways to overcome joint pain so he can enjoy gardening again.
An amateur seamstress who makes dresses and is always on the lookout for design inspiration, tools and raw materials.
A home brewing beer obsessive looking to create a craft ale as good as anything served in a pub, perhaps even to sell his product.
A woman who makes jewellery, looking for designs, low price materials and ways to sell her products online.
A hiker who wants to learn about using map reading, endurance and navigation. He’s looking for interesting new routes, camping equipment, clothing, cameras, endurance training tips.
What I’d like you to do…
I’ve only really touched the surface of this, but what I’d like you to do is start thinking about this idea.
Exciting news for all
This is really the beginnings of something much bigger which I would like a few readers to get involved with at some level.
You see, I’ve been working on a way to tap into these hot niche markets in a fun, fulfilling and ultimately profitable way.
I’ve identified 148 (at the last count) highly active niches I believe have the greatest potential based on a long list of criteria.
And chances are there will be at least one that you will have a personal connection with and could easily slot into your life.
I’m also putting together a step by step programme that removes all the hard decisions you normally have to make when setting up an ‘Internet Marketing’ business (I hate that term, but you know what mean!).
It leaves you to just focus on the fun stuff!
In fact, for those who meet the right criteria and can reserve one of the niches, I am going to make a very special proposal.
I’m looking for ‘partners’ who I can hand over a complete turnkey niche marketing business plan including:
- Detailed niche analysis and customer profiles
- A list of products to sell
- How to get free traffic and build a list
- Exact WordPress themes and plugins to use (and quickstart instructions)
What’s more, so that you can accelerate your digital business start up, I’m including swipe files, templates, schedules, checklists, cheat sheets along with details of all the tools and resources I use in my own online business.
Interested? Want to be part of it?
Sit tight and I’ll be in touch very soon to flesh out the details, including a sneak peek at the 148+ hot niche markets I’ve targeted to see if you ‘click’ with any of them.