Obscure products can find their buyers far more efficiently because of the internet's long tail, and this will only continue to accelerate, catering to increasingly specific interests.

Much has been written about the long tail created by the internet, but I don't think the long tail is anything new. It's just that the internet has made the tail infinitely more discoverable, and that also makes what it has to offer far more accessibly for sale.

My dad reminded me of this last month. He grew up just a couple hours from Chicago and came over to watch the Bears beat the Saints in the NFC Championship Game for their first Super Bowl berth in 21 years.

He showed up that morning with a cake to enjoy at halftime, but this wasn't just any cake. It was a stadium-shaped cake, and he'd frosted the entire thing to look like Soldier Field (the Bears' home turf), complete with fans and grass.

Stadium cake pans aren't exactly available at your everyday Wal-Mart.  They likely can't be found very easily at most specialty cooking and baking stores, either.

Stadium-shaped cake pans are an ultra-specialty item, but thanks to the long tail, they're more discoverable and more accessibly for sale.

Fifteen years ago, in fact, stadium-shaped cake pans existed. If you could find them, you could buy them.

But that was the problem. Unless you knew specifically which vendor made them and sold them, you were likely out of luck.

Specialty catalogs for such obscure items as stadium-shaped cake pans have existed for decades, but their availability in such catalogs doesn't exactly increase their discoverability.

I've recently taken up woodworking as a hobby and have been amazed by how many specialty woodworking catalogs exist for hobbyists across the country. But unless you have subscribed to such catalogs (let alone flipped through every page), your chances of finding and buying anything from them are slim.

This channel problem has impacted more than just discoverability; it has an impact on availability to the average Joe.

Twenty years ago, for example, stadium-shaped cake pans could be purchased by certain bakers and caterers, but they weren't widely offered to the general public. Why? Because without effective marketing channels to consumers, manufacturers of stadium-shaped cake pans could only sell those pans profitably through more efficient sales channels.

Bakers and caterers were far more likely to want those specialty cake pans, and so manufacturing them was only cost efficient as far as the efficient channel customers existed and were able to be located in a cost-effective manner. 

Finding consumer buyers just wasn't cost-efficient.

But the internet has changed that. I can do a search for "stadium-shaped cake pans" on Google and be linked straight to a seller. Now, obscure products can find their buyers far more efficiently, and with greater volume.

My guess is that this will continue to accelerate the variety of products at our fingertips, catering to increasingly specific interests. It's a win for consumers with specialty interests, and also for creative manufacturers who are able to hear the smallest of consumer passions and react with niche products that create a strong and passionate (if small) following.

But as long as the discoverability and accessibility channels remain efficient, how small is too small for a market between seller and buyer?

My dad's stadium cake pan was molded from a relatively generic stadium design. But how long will it be until someone creates a cake pan shaped exactly like Soldier Field? A quick Google search turns up dozens of Chicago Bears fan sites, blogs and discussion forums, many of which are likely visited by thousands of active Bears fans who would be an easy audience for such an ultra-specialty item.

I believe the opportunity for marketers with the long tail is clear, but the opportunity for manufacturers is just beginning. Products that didn't make sense due to market size 20 years ago are wide open today.

Are you one of those companies? Do you represent one? Are there niche markets you can pursue that collectively represent an enormous lift in sales and revenue for your business?

If so, what are you waiting for?

Matt Heinz is senior director of marketing for HouseValues, Inc. Read full bio.