Dealing With Covid-19 Part 2

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Profiting in a Covid World

In a previous post citing Covid-19, I suggested ways for you to benefit during the pandemic. We have many lessons from the past year. Our society’s buying habits changed. The ways we interact with one another changed. And retail sales may be firmly entrenched in a new paradigm.

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In my lifetime the retail change is matched by suburban shopping malls eroding the center of city department stores. I’ve experienced Amazon growing from an online bookstore to the behemoth it is today. I’ve watched the Internet grow from a university & scientific text communication system to a world-changing communication pipeline.

People are still buying stuff. They’ve just changed how they do it.

The good news is those of us working online may prove exceptions to other business models. We’re flexible, having no permanent base other than a domain. The Internet is ours to use as we will.

Successful businesses always solve their problems.

Note I wrote “successful.” We cannot always do things our way. No matter how deep your experience working online we must evolve. to keep achieved success or move to a higher earning level. If you make the same revenue as last year you are falling behind. Current inflation models indicate we must increase income to merely ‘stay In place.’

The question is how do we do that? Consider this: Great changes bring great opportunities. Your challenge is learning how to recognize an opportunity when things go wrong. Last year (2020) was a disaster for business. Peel a few layers from that onion and figure out how to take advantage of this year’s situation.

Start with the understanding that your product is determined by the customer’s want or need it satisfies. The big 2020 want was Covid-19 relief. Most of the other wants flowed from Covid-19 social restrictions.

My advice

Review your business model. If sales are down consider exploring another niche. If sales are stagnant consider drilling deeper into your niche. Often a broad niche gets crowded making it hard to rise above the noise level of competitors. Some of us are finding new streams to fish.

The affiliate marketing standby niches are relationships, weight loss, and income. 2020 and now 2021 make these stronger niches than before. Our government at all levels is opening and closing gathering spots, then repeating the cycle. Think about how you can thrive in this on/off/on again situation.

What are the new needs we can satisfy?

Are you watching the growth of fresh meals delivered to the home and the emergence of tailored diets on demand? Have you noticed not as many weight loss programs are advertised on TV these days? I wonder if the top meal delivery services have affiliate programs? Click this link for a list of the top 12.

Your job is figuring out how to satisfy these needs/wants in a restricted economy. Let’s look at weight loss. Gyms may be closed or in restricted operation due to Covid-19. In many parts of the country parks and free outdoor exercise areas are restricted areas. Now is a great time to market exercise tools. weight loss programs and diet cookbooks.

Drill down into the health niche and locate products that are quick sellers. Use them to build a list and expand your offerings. Covid-19 varients open doors to more opportunities. The health supplement market is worthy of inspection. Magnesium, Zinc, and Vitamin D3 are recommended for Covid-19 prevention.

Caution

Don’t try to be all things to all people. Stay true to your niche and milk it for all you can. If you’ve chosen wisely that niche will give you the rewards you seek.

I’ve accelerated my online money-making products. They sell well when people need additional sources of income. Are you noticing how many of the online big dogs are bringing out new products and marketing more heavily than in recent years?

Keep your list fresh.

If you have a mailing list keep it fresh. If you don’t have a list start one. Use a good vendor to help you manage your lists. Notice the plural (lists). No matter what your niche you are wise to segment your list into sub-niche areas. If your niche is recreational fishing products think of the subcategories you can sell into.

Freshwater fishing,
Saltwater fishing,
Surf fishing,
Basic tackle (rods & reels),
Terminal tackle,
Tacklebox tools,
Clothing.

There are hundreds more if not thousands of other sub-niches; rivers, streams, ponds, lakes, geographic areas, fish species. Visit this niche site and learn how a friend captured a huge market segment FishtheSurf.com. Bill Varney is a congenial guy who’s an investment advisor by day and surf fishing expert other times. There are many fishing sites dedicated to surf fishing. Bill carved out a niche, Light-Line Revolution. He teaches California surf fishing using lightweight gear.

FishtheSurf.com offers an affiliate opportunity.

Keep your list fresh by offering good information regularly. Don’t just sell, sell, sell. Use your list to build your brand and establish a solid relationship with your followers.

Think of your best personal friend. How often do you contact them? Are you a part of their support circle, available anytime with advice or a pat on the back? That’s what we all need.

Keep your list fresh by gifting via information, advice, or actual products. Everyone on your list is a potential missionary for your site and products or services. Treat them well and they will help you grow your online business.

Treat your existing customers well. Give more and better reasons to continue following you, staying on your list, and making purchases. I send 3 informative emails for every single selling email. I also offer a solid return for their investment.

I recommend AWeber and Bluehost for email list management. Both operate under the same ownership, have competitive rates, and in my experience are very reliable. I’m an affiliate of each.

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