27 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}
27 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}

Is this a viable niche?

by Playmaker77
21 replies
Hey fellow Warriors, I could use some help deciding if a niche I'm interested in is viable.

The niche has to do with parenting and developing young hockey players.

I played at a high level and was a professional coach (meaning I was paid to coach, not that I coached professionals), so I can speak with some authority on the subject. I have three sons and they love the game even more than I do. My sons play at various levels (from elite to club) and have different levels of interest/commitment so I see the game from several different perspectives.

Personally, I've often looked for advice on how to handle certain things that come up as a hockey parent. How to handle the politics of youth hockey. How to handle getting cut from a select team. What kind of off-ice training is suitable for kids. How to make practice fun. Things like that. I can't find anything out there that tackles these kinds of questions.

If nobody is doing it, does that mean it isn't viable, or just undiscovered? Where can I find some indicators of this market? 500,000 kids play hockey in the United States and over 2 million in Canada. But are they or their parents online, looking for advice and training aids? How do I find out, and then tap into them?

Thanks in advance.
#niche #viable
  • Profile picture of the author rendell
    You should really do a market survey with your son's teammate's parents to see if they know of any blogs about parenting and hockey. It is quite obvious they are your targeted market.
    Signature

    .
    Ever notice that people who spend money on WSO, memberships and courses, are always complaining about being broke and not making any money ?

    They should have bought ASSETS instead.

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6889428].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Playmaker77
      Originally Posted by rendell View Post

      You should really do a market survey with your son's teammate's parents to see if they know of any blogs about parenting and hockey. It is quite obvious they are your targeted market.
      I have asked around, and I've yet to meet anyone who reads a blog for hockey parents or that offers advice on youth hockey development. I've looked online myself and found a couple badly done sites with weak content. And the keywords I've researched have such small search volume: Hockey parents, youth hockey development... the real specific terms that match up with what my site are about get little to no search volume. Even "youth hockey" gets under 1000 exact searches (yet it gets 246,000 broad searches).

      Terms like "hockey training" and "hockey drills" get 2000 to 5400 searches, and they touch on part of what I want to do with this site, is that a good indicator of this market? Do you think I should optimize my site for those terms, rather than hockey parenting advice?

      What about the term "youth hockey?" As I said, it gets about 880 exact searches, but has a search volume of 246,000 broad. Would creating a site called YouthHockey101.com, that was optimized for the term youth hockey, help me get in front of more eyeballs, or do you think I'd just be pushing my site on people who aren't really looking for what I'm offering? If a site like that was well done and well built, would it be possible to engineer it so that it would appear whenever someone searched for "[your town] youth hockey"?
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6889497].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Mark Singletary
    For the most part, if no one has done it, it means there's no money in it.

    Just think about the thousands and thousands of parents around the world who love hockey and have children that play. Out of all those smart people no one decided to start a business around it? They started fast food restaurants and dry cleaning services and are selling real estate but no hockey?

    While I do believe that there is an opportunity to be on the ground floor of many different topics - I mean there was a first computer game and a first cola drink and a first automobile and a first website about how to make money online, etc. - unless you have a lot of money, time, and resources, being a follower, at first, is normally what the "gurus" advise. Go to where others are ALREADY making money. THEN you'll have the know-how to think about leading in another topic.

    Mark
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6889534].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Playmaker77
      Originally Posted by Mark Singletary View Post

      For the most part, if no one has done it, it means there's no money in it.

      Just think about the thousands and thousands of parents around the world who love hockey and have children that play. Out of all those smart people no one decided to start a business around it? They started fast food restaurants and dry cleaning services and are selling real estate but no hockey?

      While I do believe that there is an opportunity to be on the ground floor of many different topics - I mean there was a first computer game and a first cola drink and a first automobile and a first website about how to make money online, etc. - unless you have a lot of money, time, and resources, being a follower, at first, is normally what the "gurus" advise. Go to where others are ALREADY making money. THEN you'll have the know-how to think about leading in another topic.

      Mark
      Thanks for your thoughts Mark.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6889563].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author mgreener
    Hi,

    You might want to do a quick book or guide of some sort, put it on Kindle and see what kind of response it gets.
    Signature
    2 Free Pro List Building Templates - Turbocharge Your Opt Ins
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6889547].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Playmaker77
      Originally Posted by mgreener View Post

      Hi,

      You might want to do a quick book or guide of some sort, put it on Kindle and see what kind of response it gets.
      That's an interesting idea. Thanks.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6889580].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author IMSince2003
    Hockey is a big niche. Kids hockey is a sub-niche. With the right affiliate offers (for hockey equipment, etc.), you would not need a lot of traffic to make a significant amount of money.

    Also, now that I think of it, you can create a site on youth sports topics, training, growing confident children through sports, etc. Think out of the box and find your own road. Keyword tools only go so far.
    Signature
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6889567].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Playmaker77
      Originally Posted by IMSince2003 View Post

      Hockey is a big niche. Kids hockey is a sub-niche. With the right affiliate offers (for hockey equipment, etc.), you would not need a lot of traffic to make a significant amount of money.

      Also, now that I think of it, you can create a site on youth sports topics, training, growing confident children through sports, etc. Think out of the box and find your own road. Keyword tools only go so far.
      "If you build it, they will come."

      Thanks for the input. I'm willing to think outside the box, I just don't want to blaze a trail to nowhere (and to be honest, I'm not sure where to start).

      The other website I built has a clear focus, and a specific set of keywords. I knew there was a market. I knew who to target. I started with an EMD. Then I optimized my page for my keywords. Then we wrote tons of great content around those keywords and created backlinks...

      With this, it's like I know there's a market out there, I'm part of it, I just can't see it (online) and don't know what to do to get in front of them (online).
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6889763].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Anthony Carrera
    the truth is there is nothing untapped... but if no one is doing it means nobody has manged to make money in that niche... or the market is in a stage that you would need to educate them too much for them to buy either or its not worth it you want a proven niche where you know your efforts will not go for not
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6889591].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author fedor50
    here is a simple method to discovering whether or not a particular niche is profitable. Go to Google. Type in some keywords related to your niche and observe whether or not there are any Google Adwords Ads displaying. If there are people investing money in a certain niche to advertise, then you can bet that there is money to be made.
    Signature


    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6889608].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author echelon820
      Originally Posted by fedor50 View Post

      here is a simple method to discovering whether or not a particular niche is profitable. Go to Google. Type in some keywords related to your niche and observe whether or not there are any Google Adwords Ads displaying. If there are people investing money in a certain niche to advertise, then you can bet that there is money to be made.

      This is some pretty good advice to use actually with other niches that may not have high search volume as well. Indicators like this one will definitely help. I can use this right away. Good idea!
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6889684].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author RobertoM
    Originally Posted by Playmaker77 View Post

    Hey fellow Warriors, I could use some help deciding if a niche I'm interested in is viable.

    The niche has to do with parenting and developing young hockey players.

    I played at a high level and was a professional coach (meaning I was paid to coach, not that I coached professionals), so I can speak with some authority on the subject. I have three sons and they love the game even more than I do. My sons play at various levels (from elite to club) and have different levels of interest/commitment so I see the game from several different perspectives.

    Personally, I've often looked for advice on how to handle certain things that come up as a hockey parent. How to handle the politics of youth hockey. How to handle getting cut from a select team. What kind of off-ice training is suitable for kids. How to make practice fun. Things like that. I can't find anything out there that tackles these kinds of questions.

    If nobody is doing it, does that mean it isn't viable, or just undiscovered? Where can I find some indicators of this market? 500,000 kids play hockey in the United States and over 2 million in Canada. But are they or their parents online, looking for advice and training aids? How do I find out, and then tap into them?

    Thanks in advance.
    Disagree with Mark.
    You have a small niche there, but you shouldn't think that because of it you'll fail.
    There are a lot of small niches out there and few marketers are silently succeeding with their products. And they are constantly looking for those kind of niches with very low competition.
    In your case you're right making an exact KW search because the broad one would be misleading.
    If you have some 1,000/2,000 monthly searches, you can make some money there. (Did you make the search only for USA? you should do it for all english spoken countries).
    You have a great advantage: you are an expert in that niche and you can write a bunch of articles and curate others, and then easily rank high in the search engines.
    Try to buy a domain with a name closely related with your niche.
    Build a WP blog. It is very easy and free.
    Pick some products related to hockey (both physical and digital) and become an affiliate for it.
    Write some articles for your blog -- this is your main strenght -- and submit them (spinned or with a few small variations of your own knowledge) to other sites to get some backlinks.
    In summary, make some basic SEO and you'll see that you'll get subscribers to your LP because of the low competition in that niche.
    You are not going to make millions, but maybe a few 100s bucks monthly won't be too bad
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6889711].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author travlinguy
    When no one is serving a market it usually means there's nothing there but not always. I think this is the exception. I come from a hockey town. Hockey fans can be fanatics. Hockey parents can be fanatics.

    You know the market. You know what they're looking for. You're articulate. How much of a three million North American fan base do you need to capture to make money? Not much. Monetize it properly and one percent could make you a millionaire.

    Create a site that speaks to these people. Provide excellent content. You already know what they want. If not, go to junior baseball and football sites and just adapt what they're doing to hockey. You could end up owning this market if it's actually true no one is serving it. Good luck.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6889803].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Playmaker77
      Originally Posted by RobertoM View Post

      Disagree with Mark.
      You have a small niche there, but you shouldn't think that because of it you'll fail.
      There are a lot of small niches out there and few marketers are silently succeeding with their products. And they are constantly looking for those kind of niches with very low competition.
      In your case you're right making an exact KW search because the broad one would be misleading.
      If you have some 1,000/2,000 monthly searches, you can make some money there. (Did you make the search only for USA? you should do it for all english spoken countries).
      You have a great advantage: you are an expert in that niche and you can write a bunch of articles and curate others, and then easily rank high in the search engines.
      Try to buy a domain with a name closely related with your niche.
      Build a WP blog. It is very easy and free.
      Pick some products related to hockey (both physical and digital) and become an affiliate for it.
      Write some articles for your blog -- this is your main strenght -- and submit them (spinned or with a few small variations of your own knowledge) to other sites to get some backlinks.
      In summary, make some basic SEO and you'll see that you'll get subscribers to your LP because of the low competition in that niche.
      You are not going to make millions, but maybe a few 100s bucks monthly won't be too bad
      Thanks for the advice.

      Originally Posted by travlinguy View Post

      When no one is serving a market it usually means there's nothing there but not always. I think this is the exception. I come from a hockey town. Hockey fans can be fanatics. Hockey parents can be fanatics.

      You know the market. You know what they're looking for. You're articulate. How much of a three million North American fan base do you need to capture to make money? Not much. Monetize it properly and one percent could make you a millionaire.

      Create a site that speaks to these people. Provide excellent content. You already know what they want. If not, go to junior baseball and football sites and just adapt what they're doing to hockey. You could end up owning this market if it's actually true no one is serving it. Good luck.
      I don't know if it's wishful thinking on my part, but my gut is telling me that you are right and that there is a market out there to be tapped. I know parents come up to me every day at the rink asking questions and looking for advice. Maybe I just have to follow IMSince2003's advice and think outside the (Google) box to get the traffic. Go offline and promote it in the rinks. Be active in the forums, and so on.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6889960].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Thomas W
    anything can be monetized. I mean you can talk about Boats, but not necessary have to sell boats. People who look for that kind of stuff properly need something else that can sold online easily, like Lifevest, fishing poles.. etc.

    The goal is to find a niche that you know well about.. That way you can write a 350 word article in no time. Plus you will come off as genuine and not robotic. Or what i call the Used car salesmen
    Signature

    Established webmaster since 1998. Bought my first domain name for $70 and had to pay $1000 a month for hosting. It was the good life

    Skype: twool9
    Email me at thomasw9 ((((a)))) G mail

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6889975].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author shane_k
    do a search on technorati.com using your keywords. this will bring up different blogs that are related to your topic.

    I typed in youth hockey training camp and came up with youthhockeyreview.com. Looks like an interesting site.

    My thoughts on this are that if you read some of these blogs you might be able to look for different types of keywords that you haven't thought of yet, that might be more appropriate.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6890073].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author stoltingmediagroup
    If I was researching this niche, my initial todo list would include:

    1. Collect a list of directories and individual links to related organizations such as:

    Leagues < Youth Ice Hockey in the Yahoo! Directory

    2. Contact each to find out if they have an online or offline newsletter / magazine.
    If yes, find out how large their subscriber base is, and who reads their newsletter..
    Youth? Parents?

    3. Optin / Subscribe to same.

    If from there it all seems viable...

    4. Make friends with the editors, and other key people for potential JV's down the road.

    4. Start writing brilliant articles for publishing consideration in their newsletters.

    5. Have my informative site, optin form, and products / recommendations ready

    Arnold Stolting.
    Signature
    Arnold Stolting - Stolting Media Group
    "I LOVE The Song! The Vibe Is Positive And Firm!" - Kymani Marley. (Son of Bob Marley).
    "Very High Quality!" Jeremy Harding - Manager / Producer. Sean Paul.
    "They Are FANTASTIC!" - Willie Crawford.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6890096].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Kommrad Khol
    My advice would be to definitely do it. Start the site as a side project without trying to sell anything. If all goes well, procede to step two, get serious, and start figuring out what and how to market to them.

    Oh, and delete this thread before 20 MNS pop up for this niche by tomorrow, you've got a solid idea my friend
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6890125].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author GforceSage
    Hi,
    A youth hockey ebook on all that can come up in the sport would be 1 layer of interest.
    Selling equipment would be a second layer.
    Any affiliate products ( official NHL merchandise) that may be of interest would be a third layer.

    You could also offer a discussion forum where adults come to discuss kids hockey issues that come up. This could also be a place to share info on tournaments, camps, and club teams.

    It has possibilities for sure.

    Good Luck!
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6890902].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Trev81
    I'll probably get slated for saying this but I think most niches have the ability to be monetized. It's not always black and white and might need some thinking outside the box. The monetization might not be quite obvious to you at first but I bet if you delve deeper into the niche you will see there can be quite a few topics in that niche that you can work from.

    My advice is do some research. Start with a mind map to come up with topics. When you come up with topics or some things associated with your niche then try and write a list of things that you could monetize. When I think of hockey I think of equipment, hockey school and clubs, hockey shoes, technique, coaches, hockey drills. Brainstorm and see what you come up with. You'll be surprised.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6891134].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author GorillazGoods
    Looks like you probably got yourself a good niche. At this point you should probably either make a website/blog where you cover the various aspects of youth hockey or make a product/ebook where you teach how to deal and handle the various aspects of youth hockey. With your experience and expertise in the subject, I'm pretty sure you would be very highly qualified to make great and practical material for others. After that, you should try to promote it through various means, targeting parents who live in areas where hockey is very popular.
    Signature
    Get Exclusive Access To Top Rated Marketing Products of 2014

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6893842].message }}

Trending Topics