Brainstorm Your Site Concept Part 2

Find Your Passion

Everyone, absolutely everyone, has a special interest... a passion. Everyone knows something that is of value to others… something that others on the Net seek.

Passion makes work fun and easy…

• What is it that you love to talk about? Read about?

• What is your hobby?

• What do you do for fun and games?

• What are your natural talents?

Don’t forget to look right under your nose...

• What special body of knowledge have you learned from your job?

• What do you do day after day, without even thinking about it (ex., child-rearing, taking care of sick parents, renovation contractor, customs inspector).

Think about what you do in a typical day, and what you’ve learned from it…

• What sections of a bookstore or a magazine shop do you automatically gravitate toward?

• What kind of TV shows do you tend to like most? Movies?

What activities do you enjoy most about your current occupation?...

• Is it research?

• Helping customers achieve their goals?

• Managing other people?

• Teaching or explaining things to others?

• Talking/selling on the phone?

• Organizing things?

• Making a process easier?

• Discovering or creating new products or services?

• Marketing products?

Problems are also a good source for ideas because problems need solutions!…

• What bugs you?

• What’s tedious?

• What does not work?...

We all encounter obstacles, problems, and nasty people in the course of whatever it is that we do every day. What are the three biggest problems in your work place? What are your biggest pains as a parent, or as a teacher, or as a gardener, or as a single mom, etc.?

Now repeat all the questions above, except pretend that you are in a “five years ago” time warp. Yes, ask yourself the same questions, except place yourself where you were five years ago. Next, repeat for ten years ago. To paraphrase an old saying...

“You’ve forgotten more about some things than other folks will ever know.”

Call friends. Ask your kids. Phone your parents or your siblings… or anyone else who can jog your memory. It’s so easy to miss what others see. Your mission, should you decide to accept it (!), and it is not as easy as it sounds, is to find a subject that you really know and like. Here are a few examples of starting points to get your neurons firing...

Advertising, Aerospace, Agriculture/farming, Antiques and collectibles, Apparel/clothing/fashion, Architecture/buildings, Arts & Crafts, Auctions, Automotive, Aviation, Beverages, Books, Chemicals, Children/parenting, Cleaning, Communications, Computers, Construction, Consulting, Conventions/Trade, Shows,, Design, Disabilities, Educatio, Electronics, Employment, Energy, Engineering, Entertainment, Environment, Ergonomics, Financial services, Food, Gambling, Games, Government, Health, Hobbies, Home/garden/flowers/plants, Hospitality, Information, Jewelry, Law, Manufacturing, Minerals, Music, New age, Office supplies, Publishing, Real Estate, Religion/Spirituality, Research and ,Development, Retail management, Science, Security, Sex, Software, Sports, Telecommunications, Toys, Trade, Transportation, Travel, Video, Weather

Take your time on this -- the final concept will, after all, form the foundation for your affiliate business. So, now that you have read this far, review all the above brain-stimulators with pen and paper (or keyboard) in hand.

Write down concepts as they hit you -- make the list as long as you can. Don’t censor yourself. Just write down ideas for Site Concepts as they occur.

Next, pick the three concepts that you love the most and that you think would have some appeal for others -- this is your “short list” of Site Concepts. Remember... if a concept really turns you on, you won’t be working. You’ll be playing. So focus on topics that you love.

You are now at a critical “Loop Point.” What do I mean by that? Well, at this point, there is no way to tell you which Site Concept to pick. Here’s why...

You definitely know which Site Concept excites you the most, but you have no idea which one is most profitable. You do not have enough information yet. Solution? Simply start with the Site Concept that excites you the most. As you accumulate more information during step 2, 3, and 4, grow your concept so that you maximize its profit potential.

For example, let’s say that your passion is the Renaissance artist, Sandro Botticelli (1445-1510), a highly individualistic and graceful artist who fell out of fashion and died in obscurity. (Hey, in art, ya gotta be good to die broke!) It’s your passion to give this man his due on the Net.

At first glance, the focus is rather narrow. It might be difficult to develop enough HIGH-PROFITABILITY topics to attract sufficient targeted traffic. And there may not be many affiliate programs to develop a substantial primary monetization model.

On the other hand...

• that may not matter to you -- the passion may be primary, while the money is secondary to you.

Or...

• since you really are an expert, you just may succeed in developing tons of Keyword-Focused topics to be able to create lots of high value Keyword-Focused Content Pages about Botticelli. You may end up “owning” this niche. And, while completing the prep work, you may discover...

• a superb art gallery that specializes in Botticelli, but that gets zero Net traffic

• a stock photo service that features a comprehensive selection of Botticelli art

• a Botticelli museum in Florence.

The stock photo service has an affiliate program. You set up a private referral arrangement with the other two. You’re in e-business heaven!

Or...

• you conclude that while you love Botticelli, there is not enough income potential for this narrow niche. So you expand it. How far?

Do you stop at Botticelli?...

Or do you grow your idea to include all Renaissance artists?

Or do you grow it into a comprehensive art portal?

Of course, you don’t have to go “the whole hog” all at once. You can start with Botticelli and widen the scope of your site over time. How big should you grow your Site Concept? How much should you change it? Only you can decide. And you’ll be able to do that when you finish...

Step 3 -- Develop high-profitability topics

Step 4 -- Plan Your Monetization Models

If the financial potential seems limited after you have finished the above, you have three options...

OPTION 1) Expand the concept -- make it more general. But remember... you don’t have to start huge. Build it over time.

OPTION 2) Loop back to this point and try the next concept on your “short list” of Site Concepts.

OPTION 3) Recognize that you’re “in it” for the passion, and not for the money. Botticelli rules!

Now that you have 3 Site Concepts that excite you, let’s find out where the profitability lies...