If you are hoping to market your product, service, or business to the world, then you can start online. The World Wide Web houses many different kinds of people, and thanks to the power of technology, you have a lot of tools at your disposal to help you get people's attention and to contact the masses much faster.

However, you cannot simply make a shot in the dark and start sending out a lot of emails to random people in a bid to increase your popularity. You will need to find your target market, talk directly to them, and when you have their attention, convert that attention to purchases and profit.

But how can you find your target market online? In the world of the Internet, anonymity is possible, and you can never tell if the person to whom you are speaking is actually part of the segment you are trying to reach, pretending to be a part of it, or even someone who is part of it but does not have the enthusiasm that you are looking for. There are techniques, however, for you to find your target market online.

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First, you will need tips on how to identify what it is.

- What are you selling and who exactly is it for? You may be tempted to say that your product or service will be for everyone, but you need to keep in mind that only a certain demographic will be able to afford it, and will have the right educational, familial, and personal background in order to enjoy it and come back for more. You need to do research on who this market is.

- Who can afford it? Sometimes, buying something is not a matter of taste, but of purchasing power. Be sure to take this into consideration.

- Be sure to consult surveys on the population of people who use the Internet for certain purposes. If you find that your target market does not use the internet primarily for making purchases or for doing things that will make you more money, then you might not invest too much on the Internet as your marketing vehicle.

When you finally have a firm hold on what you define as your target market, it is time for you to start hunting for them online. Here are a few places that you can search in when you want to start contacting these people.

- Social networks, such as Facebook or LinkedIn, can be great places for you to start your search. Such places will sometimes list people's favorite things, and you can start contacting people from there.

- Forums and message boards are also another way for you to start your marketing efforts. Forums will often be organized according to common interests, and if you are aware of the interests of your target market, or if you can find a forum that includes your product or service as an interest, then you should join that forum and start helping people out. That way, they know that you care about what they think, way before you start selling them anything.

- Ezine lists are also a good way for you to reach out to people. You only need to join an ezine list where the people gathered there are interested in your product or service. Do not spam, or you risk getting kicked out, which will definitely tarnish your reputation.

So, the key to making your internet business work is to determine who your target market is FIRST, locate where they hang out, and then offer help and assistance to them without hard-selling them upfront. Show people you care about their needs and you will be the one they go to when it's time to buy!

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