| Before delving into the benefits of using Market | | | | thing about marketing online is that almost all the |
| Samurai, let's just look at the basics of any | | | | data you need is available to help you figure this |
| marketing endeavor. Any business opportunity | | | | one out both in terms of market size and |
| whether online or offline should go through at | | | | competition. Enter Market Samurai, a relatively |
| least some reasonable amount of market | | | | new online market research tool that helps any |
| research. Let's look at a simple and more | | | | beginner and expert alike. |
| traditional example. | | | | One of the founding principles of marketing online |
| Let's say you decide to setup a Thai restaurant in | | | | is to find great keywords. And whilst you can do |
| your local town. You know that there aren't too | | | | this manually using Google's keyword tool, Market |
| many of them around so you figure that you've | | | | Samurai takes this element of market research |
| got a decent chance of being different and | | | | to a whole new level by also assessing the level |
| therefore, attracting more customers. That's your | | | | and strength of your potential competition for |
| Unique Selling Proposition or USP because you're | | | | each keyword that the tool generates. Doing this |
| the only one in town offering that kind of food. | | | | manually is certainly possible but very |
| But do you really know if there's a market there? | | | | time-consuming. Yet Market Samurai doesn't stop |
| I mean, does anyone actually like Thai food | | | | there. There are two more features which are |
| around your neck of the woods? You probably | | | | particularly useful. Once you've selected some |
| don't know. So probably the best thing to do is | | | | possible keywords, the "Domains" module |
| undertake a little market test. Instead of going to | | | | provides you with any matching and available |
| all the trouble, hassle, time and money to setup a | | | | domains to purchase (very useful for Search |
| new Thai restaurant, you offer a Thai | | | | Engine Optimization purposes). Another module |
| home-delivery service. You work from your | | | | called "Monetization" actually searches for products |
| home kitchen to actually make the food and | | | | (across several affiliate programs such as |
| deliver on just the weekends. Then you produce | | | | ClickBank and Commission Junction) related to |
| a simple yet attractive flier and hand-deliver them | | | | your keywords. |
| into a few hundred mailboxes in your town. If you | | | | There's much more to Market Samurai that I |
| don't get the calls, something's wrong. But if you | | | | don't cover in this article but overall, Market |
| do, you might well be on to a winner. Once | | | | Samurai is, in my view, an essential market |
| you've got a raving bunch of customers (who will | | | | research tool that will save you at least 50% of |
| talk to their friends), then maybe it's time to go | | | | your time over manual methods. Remember that |
| ahead and open your restaurant (or just stick | | | | online marketing is about providing additional value |
| with your home-delivery business). | | | | to your visitors and drive cash to your online |
| It's no different online. You need reasonable | | | | business, so make sure you start off on the right |
| assurance that a market is there before you go | | | | foot and do your market research. |
| about trying to sell something online. The good | | | | |