Be Unique And More Success Will Come Your Way
Look, making money online is not that difficult, as I’m sure you’re aware of by now it is possible. The easiest way is learn from someone who is successful and copy what they do. But if you really want to make good money in this business and establish yourself as a respected expert, you have to be unique! This is so important that it’s worth repeating several times.
To get attention you need to come up with a unique product or service or a unique twist/angle to an existing product. But before you can do this you need to understand what your customer is going through. What are the main problems and frustrations of customers that other marketers and business owners aren't addressing?
Look for an area within your field/niche that needs attention but isn't getting any. Look for 'holes' in your niche. If you're in a highly competitive niche, take existing ideas and products and find ways to improve on them considerably. Look for something that's highly needed but not being addressed by others. Do surveys, visit message boards and forums, etc.
Target a sub-niche (a smaller niche within a large niche) that isn't overflowing with competition, or one that isn't being addressed yet. I did this with my Japanese product, Japanese Proficiency Power. There were many products on the net for learning Japanese, but very few for learning how to pass the Japanese Language Proficiency Test. I made a quality product which I have been selling for $97 for the past few years.
Another example of this is when I first got into online marketing, I found many newbies didn't believe that money could be made online. Many felt that they had been ripped off after buying product after product promising instant internet riches. Many were very resentful and started hating the gurus and internet marketing.
I saw this as an opportunity to establish myself as an Internet Marketer who could teach people how to make a few hundred dollars rather than promising a ridiculous amount of money
I noticed that many people would get caught up in the hype of product launches and invest hundreds, or even thousands of dollars to buy a product they thought would bring them lots of cash and success. Yet, most of these newbie marketers didn't really have a niche or product. They had ignored the most important factor of Internet Marketing – finding a lucrative niche. It was an area that needed attention and wasn't too competitive: finding niches that would generate an income. Most newbies would make the mistake of not doing enough research or going with one of their hobbies. But people soon found that nothing would work. They needed a step-by-step guide to finding a profitable niche that would generate an income
So, that's what I wrote about. And, that's the book that put me on the map… Prime Niche Marketing! was born.
Find out what's missing from your market and fill that need! Study your market. Find the holes, and then find a way to fill them. If you don't think you have the skills needed, find someone who does and market that person's assets!
Example: think of celebrity agents. They don't have the acting/dancing/singing skills themselves. But it doesn't matter because they go out and find the talent, then they sell that talent!
A really powerful way to come up with unique ideas is to study other businesses that are NOT related to your market. If you’re in the online marketing field, look at the real estate business, the plumbing business or any other non-related business. If you look closely, with an open mind, you will find many creative and unique ideas that you can bring back to your own business and surprise your market! They will think you’re a creative genius! 
Don’t hold back when you’re trying to come up with new and creative ideas. Let your brain take off – freely and unhindered. Think back to when you were 8 years old. Get back in touch with that “nothing is impossible” energy that children possess. That can be your greatest ally in business.
Every now and then I’ll come up with a completely original product idea, but usually it’s just stuff I see happening around me. I look at what’s already selling, what’s already (or is starting to become) popular.
I use my creativity to put new twists to existing "winning" ideas. That's the shortest route to success!
By giving it a twist, it sort of becomes a unique product. Just learn to pay attention. Keep one ear on the ground. Notice what’s getting the most shelf space in bookstores. Visit discussion groups in your niche. Get on mailing lists, etc.
In short, get out there and hang out among your customers and competitors (either online, offline, or both.) Do that and you’ll never run out of ideas to write about.
However, I’d strongly recommend that you give your product idea a little “twist.” Make it unique in some way so that it’s not the same ol’ product that everyone else is selling.
That little twist can make your product stand out and sell very well.
Here’s an example from my past…
When I first started my ‘Secret Collection’ of ebooks several years ago, no one was selling it the way I was. People were selling individual reports, on various niche subjects, but you rarely saw anyone put it together the way I had.
And there was a reason no one was doing it. It was difficult to group those products together and still maintain a “theme.” I’m talking about subjects like online investigation, self defense, credit tips, beating speeding tickets, UFO’s, etc. None of these products had anything to do with each other.
Well, I decided to use the “secrets” theme. My main selling point (and headline) was.. “Discover Secrets You’re Not Supposed To Know About!”
And, in the package, I revealed online investigative secrets, self defense secrets, credit secrets, UFO secrets… and so on. Suddenly, all these products – on different subjects that normally could not be grouped together - worked very well as a “package.”
My uniqueness in this case was the way I “packaged” the products, and of course the “secrets” hook that I used. The moment I gave it a "theme" it was a hit.
I got the “package/membership site” idea from the Internet Marketing Warriors site, of course. So it wasn’t an original idea. (Like I said, pay attention to the top marketers and you’ll get lots of ideas.)
But, I gave it a twist that was original. At least for the online crowd.
So… you don’t have to be an inventive genius to have a hot product. Just watch for what’s selling. Then, focus on solving problems, on providing solutions, on creating value for others, on making your product better than what’s already out there, and you’ll do fine.
Power Tip: Here’s another major reason for coming up with a unique product. Not only will the customers love your product (since they’re always after what’s “new” and “hot,” a unique product will also get other businesses in your field/niche interested in working with you.
Nothing can build your business faster than joint venturing (partnering) with other successful businesses. And nothing will get other businesses to want to partner with you more than a unique product that really solves the problem of your target market.