Who Is Internet Marketing Boomer’s Target Market?

Continuing with my Cross Blog Conversation with Kelly McCausey at Sparkplugging WAHM 2.0 after reading her response to my questions to her here, I will now attempt to answer her questions to me:

What have you been thinking about in the last week or so since your last post? How will you be tightening your market and what is helping you to make these decisions?

Oh boy Kelly, I sure opened the door for that one didn’t I?

To be quite honest, I haven’t come to a hard and fast conclusion. I’m having a hard time with this and I think that’s perfectly appropriate. It’s not an easy decision and it shouldn’t be.

In your post you said:

I find that many people who get exposed to the same message about focusing in on one target market are afraid to truly focus.  They don’t want to ‘exclude anyone’.  They are more comfortable targeting a demographic.  The problem with that is that it is hard for a solopreneur to monetize a demographic.

Well, that’s me. I find myself not wanting to exclude anyone and I know I need to get away from that mindset, so that’s where I am. But I have made a few decisions.

I sat down with Brent and we talked about who visits our site, who we want to visit our site, and how to capitalize on the visitors we end up with. We decided that Internet Marketing Boomer really is MY site, not Brent’s, because he just doesn’t have time to work on it. So, we’re going to change the site to not include him.

Now, it’s up to me to decide where to go with the site and I feel my strengths lie in working with people who are new to internet marketing. I’m also strong with the visual and simple technical aspects of setting up websites.

I was listening to an interview that Willie Crawford did with Craig Perrine about breaking into the inner circle of internet marketing. It was apparent in the interview that Willie doesn’t think that anyone who is fairly new or doesn’t make any money at internet marketing should be teaching the skills. However, Craig seemed to think that it’s okay as long as the people being taught are a couple of steps behind the teacher.

I agree with Willie to an extent but really resonated with what Craig said. I’ve been studying internet marketing for ten years. I actually made a great living in the late 90’s selling a product to a niche market by email marketing to my list of 20,000. However, after that venture ended and I went back to a traditional job, the internet became saturated with “internet marketing gurus.”  This caused the “make money online” market on the internet to mature and now it’s hard to re-enter after being absent for so long. There are so many techniques and tactics being used today that are very sophisticated and until I can get up to speed and actually use these newer tactics, I feel like a newbie again.

On the other hand, I do have lots of experience and tons (I mean tons!!!) of training. I’ve purchased all the programs that are supposed to teach you how to make a million on the internet and I’ve actually studied them. I know how to set up a site and drive traffic to it. I understand marketing. I know how to email market. I can write. I have time. And lastly, I’m not desperate, I have a job that will hopefully last until I’m ready to leave it.

So…I feel I’m capable of teaching this stuff, at least at the “getting started” level (I don’t care what Willie thinks). I’ve just not been here long enough to have the traffic I need, much less the trust I need from my readers, to make a full time living.

But my time will come, I’m certain of it.

Why am I certain?

Because I’m putting in the work (oh Lord, am I putting in the work) and I’m continuously upgrading my knowledge. I’m a member at mentor sites like MomMasterminds, Traffic Secrets 2.0, and The Internet Marketing Inner Circle. I’m actually TAKING ACTION. I’m doing what I need to do to get to where I want to be. And I just know it will happen, I can feel it.

And you know what? I also know, if the people who are just a couple of steps behind me, if they follow my journey and take action to stay up with me, they will find success as well.

So, back to your original question, how am I tightening my market?

1. First, instead of marketing TO boomers, I’m going to market AS a boomer. My voice will be from the perspective of looking towards and getting close to our later years. I’m going to talk about things like, building assets, finding what we want to do, making a living doing something that’s meaningful to us, leaving a legacy for our children and even helping our children find a meaningful career by using internet marketing skills. I’m just going to change the perspective of what I talk about.
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2. Next, I’m going to narrow my focus to include only those who are new to internet marketing. I’m not going to narrow the age group, I will just narrow the recommendations and teaching to beginner level and build from there. And as I learn and grow more knowledgeable in the techniques and tactics of internet marketing, so will my readers and followers.
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3. Next, I want to be sure to treat all my readers and followers with great respect. I want them to know I care about them. I’m hoping this will come across in my writing and I think I’ll be able keep this mindset because I’m not desperate to make money. Since I’m working a job, I know the struggle of trying to build a business while maintaining a career. I also know what it’s like to be a newbie and I’ll be empathic to that and will help in every way I can.
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4. Lastly, at a later date, I’ll go back and try to re-focus. Right now, I know I’m aiming at a market that‘s probably a bit too broad, maybe even too broad to bring success. But I see this as a process and as I proceed and grow, I will be able to identify my market by those who find my work interesting and useful. Until that time, I don’t want to define too tightly.

Kelly, you could almost use this CBC as a case-study for what it’s like to be a new internet marketer. Your questions are insightful coming from a voice of experience and probing enough to make me THINK. To me, this CBC feels a bit like I’ve been through a series of coaching sessions. I’m sure your ability to do this is why you’re able to be a coach and a good one from what I hear.

What was it that allowed you to tell yourself, “I know enough about internet marketing to teach others how to do it.” What gave you the confidence to actually act on your special abilities? Do you find that fear of what others will think is often the main factor that holds us back?  How does a newbie find the confidence that will allow him or her to take action?

Looking forward to your response.

Cheers!

Reba

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CBC Kelly: Choosing A Niche Market & Teaching In The Manner The Market Wants To Learn

Continuing with my Cross Blog Conversation with Kelly McCausey at Sparkplugging WAHM 2.0 after reading her response to my questions to her here, I now have a bit to say and will attempt to answer her questions to me:

Do you see yourself as a Master Translator for the Baby Boomer crowd? How do you think being a Boomer affects how someone wants to learn about making an income on the internet?

First I want to respond to Kelly’s post about specialized learning. She totally steered me away from my rant about the internet marketing gurus and the email overload I’m experiencing (see my last post in this CBC)…and that’s a good thing. I was just in fit about the whole situation. However, having had some time to reflect, having unsubscribed to some lists, and totally relooking at the information I receive from the gurus, actually there’s a lot of good info there. So, totally cutting them out of my learning experience isn’t in the best interest of either my readers or myself. Plus, at least it keeps me up to date about the market, how it’s progressing, and what’s new. That allows me to report that information here on my website.

Having said that, Kelly is so right about how there is an entirely different layer of people who want to learn in a different manner than what the gurus offer. They want closer contact with their trainer. They want small chunks of information so it’s easier to manage and afford. They want a “small school” experience verses “big state university” education.

That’s where I think I want to fit in for my niche. I don’t want to be a “big guru celebrity”. I don’t want to do presentations in front of 100s, if not 1000s of people. I don’t want a big staff and big launches. I want to help a lot of people, but in a “boutique” kind of way. And to be successful, I need to find the people who want to learn in that manner.

And that leads to Kelly’s questions for me:

Do you see yourself as a Master Translator for the Baby Boomer crowd? How do you think being a Boomer affects how someone wants to learn about making an income on the internet?

Kelly, I can’t say I’m a Master Translator for the Baby Boomer crowd, not that I don’t want to become one, but I’m having a hard time finding my “groove”. I’m finding the Baby Boomer crowd to be a bit massive and it spans over a huge age range. For that reason, I’m starting to think that having Baby Boomers as my target market won’t work because it’s too large and diverse.

And actually, if I speak honestly, I’d have to admit that I errored in choosing Baby Boomers as a niche. You see, they really are not a niche, they are a demographic, and just because they are in the same demographic does not mean they have the same interests. Because their interests are so diverse, it’s hard to write to them, it’s hard to market to them, it’s hard to do anything specifically for a Baby Boomer. I need to find a niche within the demographic so I know who I’m talking to when I write, teach, and try to sell to them. And that’s a lesson anyone reading the article must consider when choosing their niche.

Answering your question about whether I think being a Baby Boomer affects how they want to learn, probably not since being a Baby Boomer doesn’t really change how a person wants to learn. There may be some characteristics of being a Baby Boomer that would lead me to believe that a “boutique” learning experience would be preferential for the demographic but I can’t say that for certain. Because the demographic is composed of so many interests, ages, income levels, etc., there’s really no way to tell and any conclusion I would draw would be an assumption. So again, I’ve chosen a demographic, not a niche and that is something I need to correct if I ever want to find success.

So, lots of self-revelation going on here. I’m actually going to have to sit down and figure out how to tighten the focus of the site, while keeping in mind that I want to maintain a “boutique” or “Master Translator” method to my information presentation.

Kelly, was there a point in time that you realized you needed to “tighten” your focus or that you realized you had chosen a demographic instead of a niche? If so, what occurred that helped you realize you needed to make a change and how did you go about making that change? If not, are you just that smart or did you just get lucky? LOL No really, I’d love to hear your comments about how people sometimes “get it wrong” and how an evolution needs to take place before they are able to make a success of their business.

Looking forward to your response.

Ciao!

Reba

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