The internet is one of the best places to discover business opportunities – you can do research, gather data, research competitors, and more.
And the great thing about looking for business opportunities online is that it is free!
If looking for business opportunities is a new thing for you, or if you always end up getting results for get-rich-quick schemes don’t lose hope!
Here are some good methods to find out what business opportunities are in demand and what people are looking for.
1. Don’t just Google it
You can do research on business opportunities on practically any product or service using search engines – but don’t just limit yourself to Google.
Google is great for looking at things from a consumer (or customer) point of view, and you can find how many competitors you have, what they are promoting, how long they are into business, what their unique selling points ares, their prices
But there are other search engines that you can use to get business-to-business results:
- Kelly Search (www.kellysearch.com) is a search engine that you can use to find business to business suppliers.
- The Best Of (www.thebestof.co.uk) is a great way to build business contacts in your area.
- Approved Index (www.approvedindex.co.uk) is another site where you can compare and get free quotes from suppliers.
2. Keep up with trends to spot business opportunities
You can try Google Trends (http://www.google.com/trends), which will
help you to see what demand is for your product or service and look at peaks in your sector. So, for example, if you provide a seasonal service like bouncy castles, you’d expect to see peaks during the summer months.
3. Find out what your customers are looking for
If you want to make money, you need to know what your customers are looking for.
If you run a retail website or sell products online, go to eBay Pulse (http://pulse.ebay.com) and Amazon (www.amazon.com), and magazine websites to find out which products are more in demand, the products people are searching for, and what people are buying.
You may find that there is a gap in the market somewhere, and that is a how some people find business opportunities.
4. Use the right keywords and you could spot a gap in the market
You can use the Google External Keyword Tool (https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal) to look for the keywords that your customers are looking for. Looking at keywords is another great way to find a gap in the market and to find potential business opportunities.
