What Market?

[ukwebdev1984]

Hi

Ok i am about at my wits end trying to build a web development business. This is generally the field i know inside out, although there is just far too much competition and too saturated. So i am looking at other industries i could start a business in, but there are so many i just can't make my mind up which to even start researching, never mind one to actually go for!

Any ideas how to be able to choose a market, before the research.?

 

[businessfunding]

Hi

Ok i am about at my wits end trying to build a web development business. This is generally the field i know inside out, although there is just far too much competition and too saturated. So i am looking at other industries i could start a business in, but there are so many i just can't make my mind up which to even start researching, never mind one to actually go for!

Any ideas how to be able to choose a market, before the research.?

Web developing or web design?

there are a huge number of 'competitors' rolling around without focus or target - the way to elevate yourself above them is to have a clear USP & market - add some value to your offering!

 

[ukwebdev1984]

this is the point, there is no focus being a web developer. there are so many people wanting so many different things.

there is no money being a freelancer, i have to work a lot to just keep my living going with nowhere to expand a business without having capital in the bank to employ staff of some kind.

i want to try a completely different market. it could be online, or offline i don't care, just something new and profitable!

 

[S-Marketing]

Happy to chat on Skype again if it would help.

 

[ukwebdev1984]

ok mate

 

[thelegalstop]

If you look around every second person is in the web development/design field. However people need web services more than ever, so you`ll be able to find your niche. Make sure you know what you are offering to your clients and build a good portfolio - this is one of the most important factors, when someone is choosing a web company imo.

 

[ukwebdev1984]

thing is iv been a developer for years, im not saying i don't get work but it's not ever focused which really doesn't help. I have been looking at areas such as focusing on being an AJAX developer, but again so many of them to compete with...it's almost impossible to showcase AJAX work as it is all code!

There are other niches such as ISAPI but im not sure there is a market for an ISAPI developer

people search "personal web design" about 13,000 a month on google, but are they searching for someone to design a personal site for them, or something else? I have no idea! There is nobody really competing for this to get an idea of why this is searched

 

[3sixty]

I hear what your saying. I'm a front end developer and inbound marketer, stroke freelance video editor. Basically, my core is web and just from networking with people I've expanded into different areas.

Unfortunately, at least from my experience, being a web dev is difficult, extremely difficult, and not for lack of trying. I've just been unable to get any kind of web business up off the ground to more than a group of 3-5 clients that you can rely on. And that's no reflection on the work I produce - I won't say, but I'm lead designer for a very large US corporation, so would consider myself to be very competent.

It's a tough one, but I read a great quote the other day 'The successful warrior is the average man, with laser-like focus' (Bruce Lee). And it's hugely helped me realign my focus, and to keep trying to spin that flywheel, eventually something will stick.

 

[ukwebdev1984]

I hear what your saying. I'm a front end developer and inbound marketer, stroke freelance video editor. Basically, my core is web and just from networking with people I've expanded into different areas.

Unfortunately, at least from my experience, being a web dev is difficult, extremely difficult, and not for lack of trying. I've just been unable to get any kind of web business up off the ground to more than a group of 3-5 clients that you can rely on. And that's no reflection on the work I produce - I won't say, but I'm lead designer for a very large US corporation, so would consider myself to be very competent.

It's a tough one, but I read a great quote the other day 'The successful warrior is the average man, with laser-like focus' (Bruce Lee). And it's hugely helped me realign my focus, and to keep trying to spin that flywheel, eventually something will stick.

I have been considering going more into a website production service, rather than web development. Most companies/small business want a website that works, shows info and designed nice. The work i usually get is from where i have contacted people wanting something specific coding..up and down money all the time.

Maybe select a market, i dunno, Beauty Therapy and focus on giving a set priced CMS website design to a couple of niches in the market. Maybe web design for financial services,such as Accountants. Such a pain!

 

[ukwebdev1984]

I just read something interesting. The owner of a big web design company agrees that the industry is dieing due too much competition. There is no money to be made anymore as a designer or developer. I am thinking money can be made much easier by developing mobile apps, that people pay a few pence to download. But what apps do you develop! I mean how do you find out what people want to download?

 

[Colin Smith CBP]

thing is iv been a developer for years, im not saying i don't get work but it's not ever focused which really doesn't help. I have been looking at areas such as focusing on being an AJAX developer, but again so many of them to compete with...it's almost impossible to showcase AJAX work as it is all code!

There are other niches such as ISAPI but im not sure there is a market for an ISAPI developer

people search "personal web design" about 13,000 a month on google, but are they searching for someone to design a personal site for them, or something else? I have no idea! There is nobody really competing for this to get an idea of why this is searched

The advice that you have been given to seek out a market niche in which to operate rather than compete in a crowded market place on an undifferentiated basis is sound. However, I would just make two observations on what you have said above.

• The niches you have identified are still very broad.
• You are identifying niches more relevant to potential customers already in the industry rather than to the majority of the market.

Remember that customers make up markets whilst suppliers make up an industry. I don't think that the majority of customers that make up the market for web development think in terms of "AJAX developer", "Drupal developer" or "PHP programmer". If you want to do contract work with marketing agencies or bespoke coding work for individuals who know what they want this might help (a little because it is still very vague), but I think that this kind of distinction is lost on most potential customers you could be targeting (e.g. small business owners or private individuals setting up their first website), so presenting yourself in those terms will not really help.

I think that the niches that you need to address are more like "web developer for tradesman looking for low maintenance on line source of leads in the north west of England" or "web developer for professional service firms in Leeds". The trick is to narrowly define your niche to eliminate as much direct competition as possible whilst leaving it wide enough to contain enough business to generate the living you deserve. If the niche is too small or you become more ambitious, once you have conquered one niche there is nothing stopping you from tackling an adjacent niche. Over time, you could take over the world by spreading your domination from one niche to another to another, until you have grown your business to a size that works for you. If competition within the niche you have defined is still too fierce, resegment the market again.

Ultimately, you will need to find a niche that matches your strengths and interests so nobody can tell you which one would be right for you. However, I hope this has helped you on your way to at least choosing a niche to try out.

 

[ukwebdev1984]

The advice that you have been given to seek out a market niche in which to operate rather than compete in a crowded market place on an undifferentiated basis is sound. However, I would just make two observations on what you have said above.

• The niches you have identified are still very broad.
• You are identifying niches more relevant to potential customers already in the industry rather than to the majority of the market.

Remember that customers make up markets whilst suppliers make up an industry. I don't think that the majority of customers that make up the market for web development think in terms of "AJAX developer", "Drupal developer" or "PHP programmer". If you want to do contract work with marketing agencies this might help (a little because it is still very vague), but I think that this kind of distinction is lost on most potential customers you could be targeting (e.g. small business owners or private individuals setting up their first website), so presenting yourself in those terms will not really help.

I think that the niches that you need to address are more like "web developer for tradesman looking for low maintenance on line source of leads in the north west of England" or "web developer for professional service firms in Leeds". The trick is to narrowly define your niche to eliminate as much direct competition as possible whilst leaving it wide enough to contain enough business to generate the living you deserve. If the niche is too small or you become more ambitious, once you have conquered one niche there is nothing stopping you from tackling an adjacent niche. Over time, you could take over the world by spreading your domination from one niche to another to another, until you have grown your business to a size that works for you. If competition within the niche you have defined is still to fierce, resegment the market again.

Ultimately, you will need to find a niche that matches your strengths and interests so nobody can tell you which one would be right for you. However, I hope this has helped you on your way to at least choosing a niche to try out.

Let me take "web developer for tradesman looking for low maintenance on line source of leads in the north west of England" for example. I understand where your coming from, but how am i supposed to know what tradesman are looking for this? Plus who is going to search that on Google from an SEO point?? Nobody!

 

[FIZIX Agency]

this is the point, there is no focus being a web developer.

This isn't true. There is focus, you just need to find that focus point and then figure out how to leverage it.

there are so many people wanting so many different things.

And all of those people and all of those things are different markets you can target. If you try to target them all, you'll struggle. If you target one or a few of them, you can start to get focus and make money from them.

there is no money being a freelancer, i have to work a lot to just keep my living going with nowhere to expand a business without having capital in the bank to employ staff of some kind.

Again, untrue, there is money to be made and lots of it. You just need to know how.

Going off at a tangent, I hear a lot of freelancers and small studios; often who are still quite young at what they do; complain about the competition, value being driven down, lack of good clients, lack of money etc.

When you dig a little deeper, the reason why they find themselves in that position usually becomes clear.

That old adage, "fish where the fish are" is where they fail; and usually because they don't know where to fish to find the fish they want to catch; or how to catch that fish.

i want to try a completely different market. it could be online, or offline i don't care, just something new and profitable!

I'm not going to try and tempt you away from a desire, if you really want a complete career change or industry change. But I would ask how you market yourself now, where you see yourself, who you target and how; and where.

Because that is usually the most useful thing you can state and will often lead to help.

 

[ukwebdev1984]

This isn't true. There is focus, you just need to find that focus point and then figure out how to leverage it.




And all of those people and all of those things are different markets you can target. If you try to target them all, you'll struggle. If you target one or a few of them, you can start to get focus and make money from them.




Again, untrue, there is money to be made and lots of it. You just need to know how.

Going off at a tangent, I hear a lot of freelancers and small studios; often who are still quite young at what they do; complain about the competition, value being driven down, lack of good clients, lack of money etc.

When you dig a little deeper, the reason why they find themselves in that position usually becomes clear.

That old adage, "fish where the fish are" is where they fail; and usually because they don't know where to fish to find the fish they want to catch; or how to catch that fish.





I'm not going to try and tempt you away from a desire, if you really want a complete career change or industry change. But I would ask how you market yourself now, where you see yourself, who you target and how; and where.

Because that is usually the most useful thing you can state and will often lead to help.

"But I would ask how you market yourself now, where you see yourself, who you target and how; and where."

Ok i market myself on freelance profiles, forum profiles etc. I get work by waiting for people to post projects on forums (freelance sites you just end up being under-cut by indians and no chance of getting work). Forums is the only way i know how to get work, as people actively post what they want! But again, it isn't targeted to anyone specifically which i think i need to work out. The issue i have is confusion! There are so many different markets and niches i have no idea which one to start targeting.

I see myself being rich! lol But that seems never to happen. Im a brilliant coder, i just suck at targeting and finding a niche. When i find a niche like, i look at keywords and nobody searches for it...which puts me back again. Maybe im looking at that completely wrong, and should ignore keywords???

 

[Colin Smith CBP]

Let me take "web developer for tradesman looking for low maintenance on line source of leads in the north west of England" for example. I understand where your coming from, but how am i supposed to know what tradesman are looking for this? Plus who is going to search that on Google from an SEO point?? Nobody!

That was just an example of how targeted a niche might have to be in an extremely crowded market place. It wasn't a researched suggestion of a niche that might be sustainable. The point that you have made about who will search for certain terms is important in terms of assessing market size, and doing keyword research will help you weed out those niches that are very competitive from those where there is a little bit more room to breathe.

It's important to realise, however, that your market will have potential customers that have latent needs and these will not be searching for web developers on Google. They might not know how you can help to solve their problems (they just want more business and don't care where it comes from). You will need to find them and persuade them that you are the answer to their problem. In an on line industry, a big point of difference between yourself and your competition could be that you are heavily focused on offline marketing methods and producing websites for technophobic tradesman for example.

Ultimately, the best way to know if there is a demand for your services is just to do a bit of research and then get yourself out there and sell. If that niche doesn't work, try another. With something like web development, at least you aren't carrying lots of expensive overheads whilst searching for a profitable niche.

 

[Faevilangel]

opensource developers are in hot demand, so if you know how to develop with an opensource system such as Opencart, Magento etc then target your needs to that niche, it's working for me on 3 different OS systems with plans to expand further.

 

[ukwebdev1984]

opensource developers are in hot demand, so if you know how to develop with an opensource system such as Opencart, Magento etc then target your needs to that niche, it's working for me on 3 different OS systems with plans to expand further.

I develop for wordpress a lot. Perhaps i should work with that seeing as i know the system inside out.

 

[ukwebdev1984]

you know it would be great to have a partner who knows how to do market research, because i am finding this is the area im failing. i look at things, then that leads to looking at something else and so on. i get lost in it and give up.

 

[KeithP]

Let me ask you a simple question...

Why do most small businesses need a website?

The biggest single problem with most web design studios is that they sell a website - small businesses don't want a website, they want more customers and a website as a stand-alone product probably won't achieve that.

You need to sell solutions, not websites.

Find a problem that a lot of businesses have, develop a solution and sell it to them. There are probably in excess of a million poor websites being run by small businesses in the UK, that's before you take into account the 40% that don't even have a website. But if you just say "Hey, you need a website", most of them simply don't 'get' why and therefore don't see any value in what you're offering.

The market is huge but it takes effort, persistence and a decent business plan to carve-out your piece of the action.

Stick with it, the grass isn't any greener.

 

[ukwebdev1984]

Let me ask you a simple question...

Why do most small businesses need a website?

The biggest single problem with most web design studios is that they sell a website - small businesses don't want a website, they want more customers and a website as a stand-alone product probably won't achieve that.

You need to sell solutions, not websites.

Find a problem that a lot of businesses have, develop a solution and sell it to them. There are probably in excess of a million poor websites being run by small businesses in the UK, that's before you take into account the 40% that don't even have a website. But if you just say "Hey, you need a website", most of them simply don't 'get' why and therefore don't see any value in what you're offering.

The market is huge but it takes effort, persistence and a decent business plan to carve-out you piece of the action.

Stick with it, the grass isn't any greener.

all well said! but... this is where i fail, im not a marketing expert. i have no idea how to find what problems small businesses have, never mind finding the problems a website would solve.

 

[FIZIX Agency]

all well said! but... this is where i fail, im not a marketing expert. i have no idea how to find what problems small businesses have, never mind finding the problems a website would solve.

Forget AJAX developer or web developer; think about what kinds of products can you build and how you can apply that to todays market.

For example; I know quite a few flash developers who have been toying with Augmented Reality and are now creating tablet apps using Adobe AIR that use AR to solve consumer purchasing problems.

Think about how you buy certain products; you see the example in the showroom; you select custom options from a book and then pay for it.

You don't know exactly what it will look like until it's delivered or fitted (think cars, kitchens all kinds of things).

So; you create a tablet app that uses AR and allows you to see how it will look in context.

Targeted an emerging market. That is finding a niche, that is finding a market.

1. What can I create?
2. What problems can I solve?
3. Who for?

THEN, where are they and how do I sell this service to them?

 

[KeithP]

all well said! but... this is where i fail, im not a marketing expert. i have no idea how to find what problems small businesses have, never mind finding the problems a website would solve.

Well, you're in the right place to find out

In all seriousness, I would concur that if you just want to sell websites then there will always be somebody who will do it cheaper than you can. If you can't add value to your products/service in some way then basically, you need to either:

• Learn about marketing
• Team-up with somebody who can help with the marketing side
• Look at another business

Sorry if that seems harsh but it's a reality I'm afraid

 

[ukwebdev1984]

Forget AJAX developer or web developer; think about what kinds of products can you build and how you can apply that to todays market.

For example; I know quite a few flash developers who have been toying with Augmented Reality and are now creating tablet apps using Adobe AIR that use AR to solve consumer purchasing problems.

Think about how you buy certain products; you see the example in the showroom; you select custom options from a book and then pay for it.

You don't know exactly what it will look like until it's delivered or fitted (think cars, kitchens all kinds of things).

So; you create a tablet app that uses AR and allows you to see how it will look in context.

Targeted an emerging market. That is finding a niche, that is finding a market.

1. What can I create?
2. What problems can I solve?
3. Who for?

THEN, where are they and how do I sell this service to them?

Ok:

1) I can create anything i like, im a good programmer
2) No idea
3) No idea

Lol

And you also have to think , developing software takes time. I don't have time, because i don't have money in the bank to live!

 

[FIZIX Agency]

There is the problem, unless you can figure out what you can create, then you can't really move.

You need to figure out what kinds of services you can offer in a more tangible way and then start to look at what tangible problems you can solve.

The reason I used the example I did (AR) is because it can be applied to a broad variety of things. From utility apps, to entertainment, to games, to advertising and marketing, to simulation to god knows what else and each of those things can involve a huge range of things.

So, it fits into the "I can create anything" bracket.


Or to try a different tact; who for. What kind of clients do you want to sell your services too? Are you looking to create websites and internet applications to the bottom market, or are you thinking more middle market or even brands?

Then work from that way out.

 

[ukwebdev1984]

There is the problem, unless you can figure out what you can create, then you can't really move.

You need to figure out what kinds of services you can offer in a more tangible way and then start to look at what tangible problems you can solve.

The reason I used the example I did (AR) is because it can be applied to a broad variety of things. From utility apps, to entertainment, to games, to advertising and marketing, to simulation to god knows what else and each of those things can involve a huge range of things.

So, it fits into the "I can create anything" bracket.


Or to try a different tact; who for. What kind of clients do you want to sell your services too? Are you looking to create websites and internet applications to the bottom market, or are you thinking more middle market or even brands?

Then work from that way out.

I don't understand what "bottom" and "middle" market means?

 

[ukwebdev1984]

I think most of my problem is that i always thing if i choose an audience to target, that it might just be totally worthless and wasting time. So i then look at another and repeat that thought pattern. Stops me going anywhere.

 

[FIZIX Agency]

I don't understand what "bottom" and "middle" market means?

Bottom market; sole traders and very small SME's who just want a website because "I need a website right?". Budget is very low, they do not understand the value of an online presence or their business is of the nature where there is genuinely limited value.

Therefore, they are interested in cheap solutions where cost is the absolute bottom line.

Providers to this market include DIY website services, providers who supply wordpress websites with stock templates etc.


Middle market (you can define this as several categories really) are companies (usually SME's, larger companies and funded startups) who have more meaningful needs, have a stronger budget, where results outweigh cost.

They see value in a web presence or online campaign and believe they can make money by commissioning the right services; AKA value.

Often they want solutions that are semi bespoke or fully bespoke; original designs, a strategic approach; they want to see results (they are results driven) and have higher expectations. Budgets in the thousands or tens of thousands. (look at the small and medium agencies and freelancers who have "profile").

The upper end of the market would be larger companies, VC backed startups and brands who want highly strategic solutions; performance critical; 6-7 digit figure budgets etc (look at the big agencies).

I think most of my problem is that i always thing if i choose an audience to target, that it might just be totally worthless and wasting time. So i then look at another and repeat that thought pattern. Stops me going anywhere.

But your audience shouldn't be too specific in that sense. Like for example you wouldn't exclusively target hair salons. You might exclusively target a vertical or group of verticals (google market verticals). You might target a particular type of solution or several types of related solution (user experiences, social media applications, campaign websites, brochure websites, ecommerce solutions, CRM solutions, apps, widgets) - quite broad and more likely the result of a team of specialists.

 

[ukwebdev1984]

i was wondering if this was sort of the right direction in ways of thinking. i just quickly started reading a Health forum,specifically topics about Anxiety. Some immediate problems i spotted:

1) Worrying
2) Difficulty Breathing
3) Shaking
4) Feeling Sick

I suppose in the real world there are solutions that could be provided for these problems. Feeling Sick - anti-sickness medicine for example.

 

[ukwebdev1984]

Beer anyone?

 

[FIZIX Agency]

Have you considered just getting a position within an agency or within a company? If you're struggling to find your feet that much; maybe going solo isn't for you?

I'll give you a push to a website via PM; a good project posting site (freelance and full time); mostly USA but that doesn't matter.