Know-How Exchange : Strategy

First, TAKE YOUR CAPS LOCK KEY OFF, it's annoying.

Second, a better option than going for magazines might be to post content in comment form on blogs about outdoor furniture. There are 61,000 search results for this term on Google alone.

Here's a link: https://bit.ly/yaZcYr

Though you might want to look at related niche markets (swimming pools, patio installers, landscapers, outdoor kitchen installers, high end real estate, home staging companies, gourmet food outfits, and so on. Rich people STILL spend money on these things and spend LAVISHLY, because they CAN, because they WANT to, and because it IMPRESSES the socks off people like them, or people that they want to win over in some way.

Target profile: Married, 35-70, $75K-$200 PA or higher income, well to do, country club set, two to three cars, empty nesters, investors, premium cable, summer home on the coast or on a lake, BMW/Audi or expensive SUV driver, expensive although subtle taste in food, wine, jewelry. Theatre goers, probably have a high end home entertainment system, in ground pool, an acre or more of ground around their home, like to entertain and use caterers and party planners, conservative with a liberal twist, board members of at least one non profit. Outdoor kitchen types too, the latter here is a great match for your market.

Market size? Huge. For the exact phrase "outdoor furniture" there are 165K searches on Google every month. For the broad term, 1 million searches per month. For pay per click ad rates you're looking at two bucks per click. Competition is steep. I've no idea what your margins are, though it's high end stuff, so you probably do really well. One percent of the traffic for the lower number might bring you 1,650 sets of eyeballs per month. Converting at 1.5 percent, this kind of traffic COULD equal 24 sales per month.

Mechanics? Niche magazines, yes. Why not. Though first look at who else is advertising and how often. Multiple insertions mean the buyers are there OR that the magazine offers discounts on multiple months. Always haggle on rates and do NOT be afraid to say you've had a better offer from another magazine. Depending on how savvy the ad sales rep is, he or she will, if they have any sense and value their commission, they will offer you lower rates. There is NEVER just one rate card.

You mentioned Twitter. Do NOT ignore social media, YouTube videos, Facebook, Twitter, comments on blog posts and requests to blog owners in this niche [and related, see above], to contribute content articles, with a link to your site.

If you sell direct to the consumer, drop shipping might suit you well. If you're a brick and mortar store, how far will people travel to come and see you and how far will you ship? Do you sell online only? Twitter and Facebook can work well IF you set up pages and posts that speak to buyers about their desired outcome, not about your sales or your offers. Market to people's desires and compulsions.

The more you position yourself as the logical, go to person with ALL the answers to all the top questions on outdoor furniture [selection, size, storage, care, cushions, stains, etc.,] the more your audience and SEO rankings and indexing will grow.

With thought and strategy you could craft an audience on Facebook and Twitter of 1,000 followers in 8 weeks.

Think it can't be done?

Wrong.

True, social media CAN be a time sink, although there are ways to manage your SM presence, Done well you could do ALL your Twitter and Facebbok stuff in one half day, or in 30 minute stabs per day.

I know of a niche presence in the arts on Twitter that's FIVE weeks old and that already has 800+ followers WORLDWIDE, including The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Guggenheim, the Louvre, SFMOMA, the National Portrait Gallery in London, and the Saatchi Gallery, to name just a few.

Audience potential for this ONE account? Vast.

Profit potential? Rather nice I'd say.

And this has ALL been done by ONE person, in FIVE weeks and just on Twitter.

And this person has ANOTHER niche in mind in the entertainment sector, a sector with even GREATER audience potential. I know because I've already done their planning. Same strategy, different niche, same style, same result.

Add in Facebook, a website, videos on YouTube, and affiliate sales for arts related books from Amazon, which I know this person is planning because I helped set the Twitter account up, and with the right messages, it's possible to build a herd of committed, focused followers in a short period of time.

Once you've found the audience, THEN you can begin offering them gentle messages that speak to their desired outcome and that link to your sales funnel.

I hope this helps. Good luck to you.

Gary Bloomer
Princeton, NJ, USA