What is research and why is it important? Here is the definition that we will work off of (from Wikipedia).

Research is defined as human activity based on intellectual application in the investigation of matter. The primary purpose for applied research is discovering, interpreting, and thedevelopment of methods and systems for the advancement of human knowledge on a wide variety of scientific matters of our world and the universe. Research can use the scientific method, however it is not necessary.

Pretty abstract definition! Take a look at what I emphasized above in BOLD.

Discovering. Interpreting.

Research is all about being able to discover within your niche (data, keywords, sub-niches), interpret that from the perspective of a visitor. This leads to maximal success.

These are critical components of developing research for your Internet marketing campaigns and we should take a look into these a little further.

Discovering, Interpreting & Creating

Discovering is key to success within any market. In terms of Internet marketing. Discovery happens even when you have a successful campaign up and running as you should always be on the look out for new ways to promote products, new audiences, and new keywords. Discovery is also known as "collecting".

Ex: You may find that people want their dog to stop chewing.
Ex. You may find that people are looking up how to fix Firefox from crashing.
Ex. You may notice a trend of people in Michigan looking for jobs.

Interpreting something is taking the raw information and making sense of it. This is more of an art than the collecting stage where you are just setting out to find the information. Now you need to take a common sense approach and fit the pieces of the puzzle together. Interpreting the data can be looked at as the "why" of a market.

Creating. This is the last step and is beyond the research phase and into the "implementation" phase. This could be writing an article, building a website, creating a blog, or any other "action" that takes your research into fruition. This is where you reap the rewards of your research.

Examples of this would be building a campaign around "dog chewing", around fixing browser issues, or around how to find a job in Michigan. To connect with any audience, you first need to understand it. That is what the research component will accomplish and it will lay out the ground work for "what" your campaign will look like.

In this training I am going to be giving you an overview of the FOUR critical aspects of research.

1. Finding a Niche

You first need to choose a niche before you can do anything

2. Understanding your audience

Then you need to work towards better understanding your audience. Why are people buying within this niche, and what are they buying? Are they buying it online? If you can answer these questions, you will be that much closer to success within this niche.

3. Finding Products to Promote

Are there any related products to promote? Chances are there are a ton of affiliate programs within almost every little nook and cranny of the niche. You need to have products to promote within a niche if you plan on making money from it!

4. Finding Keywords

Whether you are writing articles, creating ad groups or planning an SEO campaign, keywords are the last "factor" in research success. Once you have an understanding of the audience and products within the industry, keyword research will come natural. This is the final step before campaign creation.