Epicenter Network Blog

One of the best ways to keep an edge in affiliat marketing is to keep up-to-date with technology, trends and search engine updates. So on that note, here are the most recent updates at Google (minor changes, but still important to take note of):

AdWords API
New version is now available featuring asynchronous calls, keywords and placement ideas and location extensions previews. Upcoming features will include ReportService, AccountService and the ability to pre-check for errors.

Custom Search
This is now available on smartphones and higher-end mobile devices. Your mobile custom pages can be hosted by Google or you can host them on your mobile site.

Google Search Appliance
Added new Self-Learning Scorer that analyzes employee clicks and behavior to automatically improve its built-in relevance tool.

Google Reader
Just added an Explore section and Personalized ranking. The Explore section will organize new content based on popular and recommended sources. The personalized ranking uses a sort option called “magic” to organize items in your feed based on your personal usage and overall activity.

Google Friend Connect
Now you can strengthen your blog’s community with the Google Friend Connect Wordpress pulgin.

In science, a niche is how an organism makes a living, including what it eats and where it lives. It describes how an organism, or group of organisms, responds to the distribution of resources and how it deals with its competitors.

In many ways an ecological niche is no different than a marketing niche.

Finding your marketing niche means finding a targeted portion of the market to promote and sell your product. Affiliate marketers can use niche marketing to become specialists, focusing on a targeted audience and building a loyal customer base.

Sometimes, like in nature, finding your niche takes some trial and error. The first thing to consider when finding your marketing niche is your interests. If you are really passionate about something it will show in your content and in the amount of work you put into it. This also needs to be matched with search trends and what is currently in demand. If you love it but its not in demand, then you probably need to find something else.

There are a couple ways to determine if your niche is in demand. The first thing you can do is some keyword research to see how many people are searching for your product or area of interest. Try using wordtracker or the Overture suggestion tool. Also try using Google trendsand look at the top Internet searches over the last few months.

Your next move is to examine your competition. Check out their sites and see what they are doing to stand out from the crowd. Then find your own unique angle and begin promoting your site. You can do this through writing informative and captivating content, blogging or getting involved in social networking.

Once you’ve found your niche you’ll need to stay competitive. Keep refreshing your content and ask for feedback from your customers. Always think of new ways to enhance your site and build customer loyalty.

Here is a video with some tips for finding your marketing niche. It’s a bit monotone, but it’s only 10 minutes long and can help get you started.

watch?v=fVPzjyaRJWk