Niche Platforms: How are they important, and how can we utilize them for our brand?
As a general consensus, I think it’s safe to say, social media has become an essential part of our everyday lives. Everyday, most of the general population picks up their phone at some point during the day, and clicks on an app like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or TikTok and begins to scroll. Within these different channels, based on an algorithm and people you follow, we begin to see similar posts being posted based off of our “likes” and/or “follows”.
So, what happens when we create social media channels or sites that revolve around a particular topic based off of a common interest? That’s where niche platforms come into play. According to computer.howstuffworks.com,
“A niche is a specialized subset of a larger set, so a niche social network is one that targets a select segment of the general population. Sites like MySpace and Facebook have grown so large that some users feel a bit lost in the shuffle. (Ronca 2009)
Great! But now you may be thinking, “How does that benefit my brand, my social strategy, and how is it going to bring me more potential customers?”
Ronca goes on to say in the same article,
“That’s where niche social networks step in. These networks allow users to connect with fewer people who have the same interests, hobbies or professional associations. It’s also worth noting that most social networks make their money through paid advertising, and a niche network is an advertiser’s dream because it’s a readymade target audience. For example, a social network for pet lovers would provide a logical ad slot for pet food.” (Ronca 2009)
Niche platforms are designed to help specific types of business interact with one another, and customers who share similar interests as one another. If you run a small bookstore business in your local area, a site like goodreads is the perfect place to help drive potential customers, advertise, expand your online business reach, and interact with consumers all in one specific area.
According to goodreads.com, under their about section,
“A Few Things You Can Do On Goodreads:
-See what books your friends are reading.
-Track the books you’re reading, have read, and want to read.
-Check out your personalized book recommendations. Our recommendation engine analyzes 20 billion data points to give suggestions tailored to your literary tastes.
-Find out if a book is a good fit for you from our community’s reviews.”
When I think of Goodreads, my mind automatically connects to a lifestyle Youtuber named Kalyn Nicholson. For those of you who aren’t familar with who Kalyn is, she is a 27 year old Youtube creator from Ottawa, Canada, as well as published author.
I started watching Kalyn back in my early years of college. She was a few years older than me, and I kind of looked up to her if I’m being honest. Her whole brand allured me, so needless to say when she started posting video reviews of what she had been reading, I fell down the rabbit hole and landed on her goodreads account.
Kalyn’s Goodreads account lines up perfectly with her brand because not only does she keep her Youtube up to date with the latest and greatest books she has read or is currently reading, but she takes it even further. She created an account on Goodreads as an extension of her Youtube channel, as well as to promote her own ventures as an author, and really put her work out there for everyone to enjoy, and interact with on a different level. Some people may have even discovered her channel THROUGH her Goodreads account. If you’re interested in learning more about Kalyn, click this link to check out her page on Goodreads!
In the end, Niche platforms are an essential for a small business or creators marketing strategy looking to expand their market to likeminded individuals who share the same interests as one another! Next time you or your business would like to drive up new prospective business, be sure to think about and research niche platform sites- you could be a few clicks away from meeting your next business goal.
