I'm a big fan of niche marketing. I guess you could say niche is my niche. Normally, even when I work with a client who has a very broad audience, I'll start by breaking it down into smaller niche segments. Why? Niche audiences are passionate audiences. It's a bit more work up front, segmenting, analyzing, listening to the audience, taking the time to find out what each group is in to, where they spend their time, how they interact. The constant information stream generated by social networks, tools and technologies make locating, listening to and communicating with niche audiences possible on much more granular levels than ever before. If a brand can appeal to a niche audience, and authentically engage them with content that appeals to their affinities, that brand reaps the rewards and will realize a much higher ROI than traditional wide net tactics.
Niche is pretty sweet |
Submitted by Jackie Peters on Sun, 05/11/2008 - 23:54
A great example of what not to do |
Submitted by Jackie Peters on Wed, 05/07/2008 - 19:18
I recently decided it was time to hire a new strategist. I knew I wanted someone who was already getting their hands dirty and understood the social media landscape. I began by reaching out to people I know personally for recommendations as I trust WOM first and foremost. The particular position I'm looking to fill isn't an easy one, not tons of people out there with that skill set. No one I knew could recommend anyone who wasn't already doing their own thing or working for someone else. My next step was to post the job. But I wanted to weed out anyone who wasn't qualified. Posting on a site like Monster or Craig's List or just about anywhere would have left me with a stack of resumes to go through for people who definitely wouldn't have been qualified. I'm into niche, so I went niche.
Niche Social Networks |
Submitted by Jackie Peters on Tue, 03/04/2008 - 15:08
A big trend in marketing at the moment is targeting niche audiences. The idea is that rather than casting a wide net to an audience who may or may not be interested in what we have to say, we cast a very narrow one, to people we know are interested. We are able to refine our messaging to communicate as efficiently as possible to this audience, thereby increasing conversion rates and ROI. Another trend: Word of Mouth Marketing, a strategy for which social networks is an amazing tool. Social networks provide automated WOM. Our friends and peers are our biggest influencers. If I see an ad for a film and it looks interesting, it's possible I will go and see it. If a trusted friend tells me it's an amazing film and I have to see it, well, I'm there. Enter: niche social networks.
