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How I conducted market research with no audience

njsinko

Contributor
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
192%
Oct 28, 2015
13
25
30
I wanted to share with you the method that I used to confirm there was a market for my niche product before I created it.

1. Join a Facebook group related to the Niche that already has a good amount of active members

2. Begin providing value to the group in some posts, without asking anything in return. Put your foot in the door so to speak.

3. Eventually you are ready to leverage someone else's group to your advantage. Create an online survey using a free online survey service. Ask people to participate in your survey about the problems they are experiencing in this niche, and what they need help with the most. It helps to present yourself as a sort of "expert". Be careful that you don't come off the wrong way. Emotional intelligence is needed to make this work - you don't want to get kicked from the group. If a mod senses that you are trying to leverage the group THEY built for your OWN gains, you will get kicked. Be careful and ADD VALUE along the way! If you do, you should be able to do this.

4. The last question of your survey should read something like "Would you be willing to pay $X
for a product that solved these specific problems (list a couple pain areas)"

5. Judge the responses. If people answer YES, then you can redirect them to a sales page to "pre-order" a product that doesn't actually exist yet. See if you can actually get a credit card number... ie: a real purchase.

6. If you are able to collect money - you have a solid idea.

7. MAKE THE PRODUCT AND DELIVER.

8. If you are unable to make the product for whatever reason, refund their money.

I like this method because people will often say they will purchase something until the time comes to actually hand over their credit card. Make them THINK the product is in the final stages of development, with a nice landing page, and ask them to buy. If they do... now you need to work like hell to actually make the product.

I learned the hard way not to make products before you can sell them. I wasted a LOT of time writing a book that nobody wanted, starting a gift company nobody was interested in, and starting a blog in a space that was too crowded without anything to differentiate myself. Talk about a waste of energy.

Sell it before it exists - the best confirmation of a valid market there is.
 
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Last edited:

smark

Bronze Contributor
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
225%
Oct 25, 2017
95
214
I like it. Simple and to the point.

The only "disagreement" I have when it comes to market research is that sometimes a product/service may be either too new/revolutionary or too unfamiliar for people to decide that they truly want it before they can see it firsthand; think of all the people a few decades ago thinking that the Internet is useless and only for geeks.

Of course, this only applies to a (very) small number of markets/niches.
 

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