How Likable is Your Niche? How Lovable is Your Brand?

In some dirty industries there are parallel markets/messages/ideas that have similar business models, but are loved and marketed as though they are pure and do nothing but improve the world. As long as your industry is viewed as being dirty it is hard to get much traction outside of it until your industry grows up, you get good at relating your industry to other industries, and/or wrap your brand around a market that is easier to like.

  • It is far easier to get links as a person talking about search than it is a person talking about SEO. Google is always in the press and largely controls the public perception of SEO. Ride their publicity.

  • It is far easier to get links as a person talking about personal finance than a person talking about payday loans. Be an expert in the broader field and then publish the offers that are profitable enough to subsidize the other content.
  • It is far easier to get links as a person talking about blogging than a person talking about the news. There is a sense of empathy toward other bloggers, there are tons of people doing it, and social activity is baked into the software.

If your field is hated consider riding other trends to help gain authority and spread your ideas. It is far easier to sell people what they want than to try to change their view of an entire industry.

Published: July 3, 2007 by Aaron Wall in marketing

Comments

David Saunders
July 9, 2007 - 4:02pm

Niche? Try Auto Dealers SEO - I have the #1 (or thereabouts) ranked site for SEO Auto Dealers and just can't sell to them....

Is that me being unlovable or them being dumb car dealers???

automodo.com I'm going to flip it for $2500

m
July 3, 2007 - 10:56am

With a brand like SEO COCK (hey we're also number 1 too for our keyword "seo cock" ) ...whats not to love.

Pennimus
July 3, 2007 - 11:12am

Heh, please don't delete the above comment - check the site out, it's pure genius.

John Wesley
July 3, 2007 - 3:30pm

Excellent point and something I've been coming to realize recently. My site is about self improvement, so I've had to get away from the "self help" scam industry by branching into personal productivity, a more popular subject online.

Of all the seo/blogging/search/business blogs I read, you provide the most consistently deep insight. Thanks.

Wicked Keemo
July 3, 2007 - 3:59pm

Haha...I loved this bit from their about page
"Webmasters are having to buy extra bookmarks folders on London market in order to house the sheer amount of bullshit they are fed daily, some are even having to clean out their porn to make room and that’s bad, real bad."
Absolute genius :)

Daehee
July 3, 2007 - 8:31pm

Reminds me of "Bootmoney." A great compliment that people make parodies of your site.

Cygnus
July 3, 2007 - 8:41pm

I love talking about payday loans.

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