Membership marketing is an extremely profitable business – if you do it right. Use your membership site to bring in multiple streams of income but only if you target the right market, the market that will be happy to pay for your content, products, and resources. Here are three steps to ensure you hit your target!

#1 Identify Your Money Making Market

You may already have a market in mind. If you do – fantastic! There are a few steps that you’ll want to take to make sure that it is a market that will make money. There’s no point in building a membership website if it isn’t going to put cash in your wallet.

So, maybe you have a passion for nutrition and are interested in a membership site that sells information and products related to nutrition. If this is the case, there are a few things that you will want to do to narrow your niche or create a sub-niche. The more targeted your niche, the more money you’ll make.

A sub niche doesn’t necessarily mean a highly targeted topic, make it a highly targeted demographic too. Speak to friends, family, and associated to help brainstorm a possibility of sub niches. Explore forums, chat rooms, and other membership sites on relevant topics.

If you do not have a topic or niche identified then use your resources, this again means family friends and business associates for guidance. Ask them what topics they’re interested in. Search hobbies, passions, and areas that you are interested in learning more about. For example, rock climbing may be something that you’ve always aspired to learn. Use this desire to learn to launch a rock climbing membership site.

#2 Determine Demand

To examine whether there is a demand for this information you have a wealth of options.

Check out online bookstores or visit your local bookstore and check out what’s on the bestseller’s list. These may be topics with an abundance of membership sites already but chances are you will find a profitable sub-niche or specialty market.

Keyword research seems to be where people often go next, keyword research is a valuable tool. Consider repeating the process several times. The first time keyword research may actually help you determine a sub-niche. By searching for a general keyword like nutrition, you may find several sub niche possibilities.

However we’re talking about what to do with keyword research once you’ve determined your niche, keyword research to help you identify demand. For example, you’ve decided to create a membership site for the senior athlete, athletes over 50. Keyword research will help you learn what topics senior athletes are interested in and which topics receive the most demand.

#3 Dig Deep

It takes more than just a little keyword research to make sure you’re hitting the right target market. Remember if your aim is off, your profits will be too.

Dig deep in forums and chat rooms. Forums and chat rooms are a fantastic way to research your market anonymously. Behind the scenes research so to speak. When you learn what other people are looking for, then determine if your sub niche is specific enough to provide it, and if there are enough people interested in the type of information and products you’d be offering.

Feeling bold? Register for the forum and ask questions. Don’t give away the bank, there are many people that would gladly take your idea and run with it but asking questions and taking notes will definitely help you understand your market and their needs.

Dig deep by visiting relevant websites. Once you’re done digging through the forums and chat rooms, take a peek at the websites that are currently available and relevant to your topic. For example, visit sports nutrition websites and websites for senior athletes. Take a look at the products that they’re selling. Don’t forget to take a look at the advertisers on their websites too! Visit the sponsored websites to examine their sites and products and study their marketing strategy and audience.

Dig in the back of magazines related to your topic. There is a magazine on just about every topic under the sun. Grab an issue or two and flip to the back. Check out the advertisers. Why? It will give you a list of proven products to promote on your membership site. Magazines are expensive to advertise in, if these companies can afford to pay for an ad, chances are they’re doing well and their products are in demand.

Dig deep in article directories. Visit your favorite article directory, like Ezine Articles and search for information on your niche topic. This will give you a quick glance on the current demand for information. It will also give you a list of websites already established in your field. Visit the sites and examine what they’re doing right and wrong and what you can take from them and make better.