Not Using Niche Social Media Platforms – Here are 5 Reasons You Should

By now all businesses are aware that social media is a must for their marketing mix (and if not, you should immediately). And many are well-versed regarding the big players in the social media game – Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.

However, the last few years have seen a growing increase in niche social media platforms, i.e. small, sometimes closed communities focused on a specific topic, industry, etc. And more and more brands are realizing the many benefits of engaging with and targeting these niche platforms. Not using niche social media platforms yet? Here are five reasons your business should.

• Better Targeting – A major disadvantage of platforms like Facebook and Instagram is that they cater to massive groups of people from all age ranges, locations, gender, etc. And that’s great if your business product/service appeals to everyone. But realistically, no product or service does. There’s always a specific target audience or audiences that your business is trying to reach. And niche social media platforms make targeting your specific audience a lot easier. Have a product that’s specifically designed for mothers, find a niche social media platform for moms. Selling athletic wear, target fitness niche platforms, maybe even ones focused on yoga and meditation. The point is niche social media platforms allow businesses to target an audience that at the least, they know for a fact is interested in the industry they’re in.

• They are On the Rise – This alone is reason enough to at least consider niche social media platforms and find one or two that’s right for your business. Because at the end of the day, the goal is to be where your audience is. And if your audience is shifting away to niche social media platforms, you should be there too.

• Less Competition – Most niche social media platforms have a much smaller active follower total when compared to the millions of active followers found on platforms like Facebook and Instagram. However, this just means it’s much less competition for your business to stand out and reach potential customers. The massive reach and popularity of the bigger platforms mean that they’ve become saturated with competitors all fighting for individuals’ attention.

• Higher Conversion Rate – Smaller active followers on niche social media platforms also mean increased organic reach, which in turn, means an increase in the conversion rate.  Because as a general rule, the more targeted your audience is, the higher the conversion rate.

• Lower Cost – Unsurprisingly, the cost of advertising on niche social media platforms is significantly less than on the major platforms, particularly if you want to get the most out of your business’ dollars. As organic reach has steadily decreased on platforms like Facebook and Instagram, the cost of sponsored ads that will effectively reach a business’s target audience has increased. Advertising on most niche social media platforms is significantly lower while having a greater potential for conversion.

And there you have it, a few of the benefits of investing some of your social media marketing budgets into niche social media platforms.

Please note that this is by no means a suggestion to abandon all major social media platforms. Because while they do have their cons, many still have numerous benefits and are still worth investing in.

However, if your business is in a particular niche industry or you’re offering a very unique product or service, it may be worth considering adding one or two niche social media platforms into your social media marketing mix.

Contact Yello for all your digital marketing needs.