[stars]A hot new niche has surfaced today: the release of 1940 Census data. Savvy Internet marketers are advised to hop on the train before it leaves the station. On Monday, the Unites States National Archives and Records Administration publically released records from the 1940 Census, which were previously stored privately, away from the public’s eyes. The department has been tweeting apologies to Internet users all day today because most were unable to access the site once the 1940 census data release went live.

This was a huge surprise for the agency – according to the National Archives and Records Administration spokeswoman Susan Cooper, “In the first three hours, we had 22.5 million hits on the site … We’re a victim of our own success.”

What’s with all the Interest in 1940 Census Records?

Legally, there’s a waiting period of 72 years until census data can be made public. Every 10 years, the public gets access to decennial census information. Now, the US 1940 census data is up to bat. This census release is different from the others, however; hence the absurd amount of interest in the records.

The primary reason for the difference between this census and others released in the past is that users can access the 1940 census records online for the first time in history. This means that pictures, genealogical information, long-buried family secrets – it’s all available right at your fingertips, and you can get it for free right from the agency’s website. No Ancestry.com membership required. The second reason that this is considered such an epic release of census information is due to the time period the data represents. In 1940, America was just beginning to recover from the Great Depression, so the information about people’s life during that time is of great interest to people in the US today who are coming out of a very deep economic recession. The parallels to our struggles today are precisely what makes 1940 Census data such a hot new niche.

Why is this Important to Internet Marketers?

Given that the information was made public less than 24 hours ago at the time of this writing, why wouldn’t it be important to Internet marketers? When something unusual pops up that elicits such a massive and immediate response from the public, there is money to be made – if you capitalize on the trend fast enough. Clearly, there is a marked interest in the 1940 Census that no one saw coming.

And, for the record, almost 25 million hits and counting? Someone should get a fire extinguisher! This niche is hot! There’s a variety of ways you could use the information to make money online; the trick would lie in getting a site up and running fast enough to make the most of the mind-boggling public interest in this topic before it fizzles out. Staying on top of hot niches is a great way to diversify your Internet marketing portfolio, and the 1940 Census data release is most definitely on fire.

Tags: 1940 Census data, 1940 census data release, 1940 census records online, us 1940 census data