I see these kind of posts almost everyday, most days I quietly grumble about the stupidity of the discussion – especially when its not based on the facts.

Today, I’ve had enough – a post on a popular internet marketing forum caused me to voice my opinion after years of holding back on this topic.

There are two common questions aspiring entrepreneurs ask about the internet marketing space –

1. Is the internet marketing market the only market where anyone is making money online?

2. Should I choose the internet marketing niche as my first market?

OK, so here goes the rant – and by the way I really do want to hear others weigh in on this by hitting the comment post below this blog posting and letting us know your thoughts.

First, let’s clarify a few terms so we’re all on the same page:

1. Business opportunity niche – these are individuals looking to break into their first business, typically self-funded, starting on a part-time basis working up to replace their current or lost income.  They seek out opportunities such as distributorships, franchises, network marketing, and are keen to understand what online business opportunities they can tap into.  Key to marketing to this crowd is that the business must be turnkey and offer a relatively short-term potential for profit.

2. Internet Marketing – often mistaken for the first group, the true market niche of “internet marketing” involves marketing tools, systems, methods, information, and services to those involved in marketing a business online.  That business could be a single person marketing vitamins, an ebook or pretty much anything or a large business moving their offline business to a shared online/offline business model.  You are marketing to entrepreneurs (thus the crossover with business opportunity seekers), webmasters, marketing departments, and even CEO’s of small to medium sized businesses.

3. Business Market – here we are talking about a niche of either small or large business which is often further segmented into sub-niches according to industry, size, type or even segment of the business.  For example, business to business training on leadership, human resource management or strategic planning would target the business market.

Phew!!

Now that we have that out of the way, it should start to become a little clearer for you that…

1. The internet marketing niche is a large niche that covers many areas and many sub-niches.  All along the internet marketing guru’s have been telling people to NOT get involved with the internet marketing niche.  In some cases, what they are saying is do not get involved with the business opportunity side of internet marketing, and in other cases they are simply trying to keep you out of the market.

All of that said, the internet marketing niche is highly competitive, leading edge and heavily influenced by those taking action rather than general information.  If you enter this market, you will only be successful if you are highly plugged into the market, either active yourself with a certain level of success or close to someone who is, and will continue to be active in the market as you build your business.

In addition – if you do choose the internet marketing niche, you will need to further segment the market to align with a strength or experience you have.  For example, internet marketing covers allot of territory including:  finding or sourcing products, website design, online payment systems, traffic generation, writing and sales copywriting, online advertising, strategic planning, tools and support systems, and so on…

By differentiating yourself within a sub-niche in this growing market you have a good chance of capturing significant sales and business – no matter what the experts say.

2. The internet marketing niche is not the only competitive market.  It kills me when I hear – “don’t just stick to internet marketing, it’s too competitive”.  Hello, have you looked at the weight loss market?  How about cookbooks, personal development, home improvement – here’s the reality:

GOOD MARKETS ARE COMPETITIVE

Get over it, choose a market you are 1) Passionate about, 2) That you understand well enough to know you have an angle and differentiator that fits your personality and strength and 3) That you commit to being more than a passive observer with – you must be active.