Could You Be Missing Out By Not Using a Niche Social Media Platform?
You’ve probably heard about Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter but have you heard of ActiveRain, Stage 32, or Peanut. While being present on a social media giant is great for business, finding a niche platform that suits your specific business or interests can be just as, if not more beneficial. Niche platforms allow businesses or influencers to capture a very specific audience. While these niche platforms might not have millions of daily users or a diverse set of interests, they have the potential to lead to a greater return on investment for a business.
When a business is looking to expand their social strategy into more niche platforms it is first important for them to have a clear understanding of their target audience. Niche platforms are a great place to reach a very specific audience. For example, if an influencer’s target audience is moms, Peanut is a great niche platform for them to put their time and money into. Peanut is a social networking app for women and was initially founded for women in the early stages of motherhood, but has since expanded into other life stages as well. For an influencer trying to reach moms there would be a great benefit to adding this platform to their social strategy because this is where their target audience is. Users, companies, and influencers alike are leaving behind older, larger platforms in hopes of connecting with more specific audiences.
Platforms like LinkedIn and Facebook allow for groups to be created so like-minded people have a place to collaborate and communicate, but a niche platform allows this process to be streamlined. No need to go searching though Facebook groups to find specific interests, as a niche platform is the perfect place to easily connect on specific topics. By adding a niche platform to a social strategy, it allows companies to really get involved. For example, on LinkedIn companies cannot even join LinkedIn groups, this can only be done from a personal page. Adding a niche platform can help a company connect with specific groups of people they may not have direct access to otherwise.
Adding a niche platform can benefit a social strategy by allowing a company to find an innovative way to solve industry wide issues. The start of the pandemic caused many companies to rethink their social strategies in hopes of finding new ways to communicate and reach people. As the world around us changed so did the use for niche platforms. For example, when the entertainment industry was forced to shut down in March of 2020 the niche platform Stage 32 made its way into the picture. Stage 32 is a platform for creatives and professionals to create relationships and bring content to big-box producers and streaming services. As a company in the entertainment industry, adding this niche platform to a social strategy may help find talent that would have gone unnoticed. This is especially true in a time when the entire industry came to a halt.
Many influencers and companies share their niche interests on the social giants, for example having accounts specifically for mom blogging, travel, beauty, Disney, heath/wellness, recipes, and the list goes on. Many of them have also branched off to include niche platforms into their social strategies. For example, there is a brewery near me called Pro Re Nata and they use UNTAPPD in addition to being on the social giants such as Instagram and Twitter. UNTAPPD is a niche social media platform that allows users to check in as they drink beers and try new breweries, while allowing them to share their location and opinions with friends. The platform makes it fun for users by allowing them to rate beers, earn badges, and unlock new achievements.
When the pandemic hit Pro Re Nata had new hours, new beers, and had just added a massive expansion to their main building. Being on this app allowed them to connect with a niche group of people and be able to keep them up to date on hours, operations, and what was on tap in a safe way. Including UNTAPPD as part of their social strategy made a difference for them. It allowed them to connect with consumers in a different way than on Instagram and Facebook. Allowing real beer drinkers to rate their beer, add photos, and tag their location has helped their venue stats increase far beyond their total of Instagram followers.
