By creating "communities of interest," hosting resellers
can cater to niche markets by attracting consumers who are interested in
their customers' products and services.
Web hosting resellers can enlarge their profit margins by
targeting niche markets.
A niche market is composed of individuals and businesses
that have similar interests and needs, which can be readily identified and
that can be easily targeted and reached. Niche marketing is effective
because people tend to feel more comfortable dealing with someone who has a
great deal of experience in their specific area of need. Despite the fact
that they may be able to obtain similar results elsewhere, people will often
tend to go to a person who serves a niche because of their belief that
"experts" are better equipped to handle the task.
Hosting resellers have been taking advantage of this fact
by providing specific Web hosting and design services to specific market
segmentations. They have been addressing niche marketplaces to gain access
to a broad base of businesses ready and willing to purchase their hosting
services in order to reach the individuals who consume niche services.
Most hosting resellers that offer services to niche
markets brand themselves as "communities of interest" rather than strictly
technology-driven businesses. Such hosting companies thus portray themselves
as community "portals" in conjunction with marketing themselves as service
providers.
A reseller targeting a niche market will most likely
provide news and other information services to their audience, along with
Web hosting services. By integrating information products into their service
offerings, resellers can also feature the products and services of their
clientele. Such hosting companies thus build directories of and for their
users. Notable communities of interest that utilize the portal model include
ethnic communities and religious denominations. Such communities are popular
because they act essentially as tools that connect interested parties,
facilitate knowledge sharing and provide a repository of readily accessible
information.
Web hosting resellers will also target niche markets by
providing services especially custom-tailored to their client's regulatory
specifications. An excellent example of this is hosting companies that
specialize in providing services to the medical sector. Such firms will
fine-tune their hosting operations to conform to regulations that must be
observed to ensure the highest levels of safety.
There are also a huge number of hosting and design
operations that specialize in building Web and hosting sites for family
doctors, hospitals, dentists, pharmacists and chiropractors. These
operations also tend to build "community portals" which allow consumers to
comparison shop for health care services.
By creating "communities of interest," hosting resellers
can cater to niche markets, by attracting consumers who are interested in
their customers' products and services.
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