Niche marketing versus general marketing I think is one of the classic debates, and I will tell you up front my conclusion, then I will tell you why I feel the way I do.

Niche marketing wins hands down over general marketing. Now, why?

If someone is looking for ‘pets’, online for example, they are a much less targeted visitor than someone who is looking for ‘puppy dogs’, for example. Why? The person looking for pets online probably doesn’t know what kind of pet he is looking for, which means that he is more steps away from buying than if he is looking for a puppy dog. And the further someone is from buying, the harder it is going to be for you to monetize that visitor.

Same thing with my niche online. Somebody types in ‘make money online’ into a search engine – my guess is, that guy is a long way from ever buying something from me! They probably don’t have a web site, they don’t know what a list is, etc. But if someone types in ‘how to learn to list build’ … now I have a shot. This person probably already has a list, already knows what one is, and is smart enough to know he probably cannot figure it all out himself.

The bottom line is, if you have a niche market, you are much closer to the sale – and probably a lot further from having to educate the visitor from scratch – than if you are in a general topic.