Capitalizing on Trends

by DazzlinDonna 

The one thing I’ve done a few times successfully in the past is to capitalize on a new trend before everyone else does. Generally, being a geek, that means I tend towards taking advantage of new technologies, grabbing a great domain name if possible, and then getting a site with some content up before the rest of the world catches on. This makes my site a leader, or an early adopter, and that makes SERPs domination just a little bit easier.

One thing I don’t tend to do is capitalize on non-geeky trends, such as fashion or non-electronic consumer goods. But that’s the challenge I’ve set for myself today. Today, I’m driving two and a half hours so that I can go to the mall. The Dollar General store here in town doesn’t qualify as a mall, so a big car trip is needed to accomplish this goal. The mall I’m going to is big and fancy, with all the pillars of malldom ensconced within its walls.

I won’t be spending any money however. Ok, I’ll probably spend a few bucks at the food court, but I’m not going shopping. I’m going to be doing some people-watching and some trend-spotting. I’ll be looking at what merchants have decided to display on their end caps, and how shoppers react to different merchandising. What am I looking for specifically?

I’m looking for that ONE thing…that one thing that is just on the cusp of becoming a BIG thing, but hasn’t made it there yet. The trip might be a total bust. I might not find the ONE thing. Or, I might THINK I found the ONE thing, only to discover that it’s really just a dud. But no matter how the trip turns out, the exercise is still a good one. Learning to spot upcoming trends, and then capitalizing on those trends before the packs of wolves do, can earn you a really sweet spot in the SERPs. It doesn’t happen all the time, but even now and then can be really profitable.

I’ll let you know what I find…er…well…maybe not.