Today it’s all about niche. Small is the new big.

Wikipedia describes niche as being …

a focused, targetable portion of a market … a business that focuses on a niche market is addressing a need for a product or service that is not being addressed by mainstream providers. You can think of a niche market as a narrowly defined group of potential customers.

If you focus on a niche topic, blog about it and stay the course, you will in no time be seen as a leading authority on said niche. I’ve seen it with many bloggers. It works.

But how does that translate into information products?

Simple. People buy from experts. And experts have attained the trust of their prospects by being credible day-in, day-out over the long haul.

Example: Darren Rowse. We all know Darren Rowse, right! The Pro Blogger himself. Now unless Darren does something really, really stupid, his eBook (and in fact, any eProduct he creates) will be a great success. Why? Because he has earnt the respect and credibility over time. He has a fan base. His audience loves him. People trust him. And so on.

So your goal basically is to build trust.

MarketingSphere has a useful article on building trust…

Trust is essential for business transactions to take place both in the physical and internet world. It’s one of the key factors in determining your sales success. Building trust is especially vital in internet sales … in order to boost internet sales, it’s imperative that you establish your credibility in order for people to trust you, otherwise, they’ll not do business with you.

Willie Crawford is a recognized internet marketing expert and I’d urge you to read his 2003 article, Don’t Pretend To Be An Expert - Become One!

The problem for the beginner is that he sincerely believes he cannot be a success unless he comes across as an expert. He believes that to be accepted, and to have people buy his products, he has to “talk the talk.” This is true to an extent. It would make absolutely no sense for someone to buy a book from you on a topic that you are admittedly totally unqualified to write about. So, for the beginner it would appear to be an unwinnable situation.

Read Willie’s article to gain a fuller picture of how one can become an expert from scratch.

I believe the growing internet economy has made it possible for more individuals than ever before to pick a niche and to become experts in a shorter period of time. The whole internet economy is highly suited to, and thrives on, niche businesses. The internet is essentially made up of endless niches.

What’s your niche and are you working towards being an expert in it?