Think Niche!
Do you find yourself scrolling mindlessly through social media? Globally, during a typical day, people post 500 million tweets, share over 10 billion pieces of Facebook content, and watch over a billion hours of YouTube videos (Dizikes, 2020). It can feel very daunting to be on large social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram. People are becoming unsatisfied with these larger social media platforms (McHugh, 2018). According to an article in The Ringer, “platforms have been invaded by parents, the aftermath of the 2016 election is anything but over, and privacy concerns are at an all-time high” (McHugh, 2018, para.1). Niche platforms have become a positive outlet for specific communities to connect with one another.
A niche platform caters to a small, targeted audience. The individuals on the platform want to be there and are very passionate. Facebook and other large platforms can feel directionless, smaller platforms have purpose. These niche platforms inspire interactions in real life versus online (McHugh, 2018). Many benefits can occur when focusing your social strategy on a niche platform. A brand using a niche platform can increase brand awareness, foster loyal customers, engage with the audience, and provide excellent customer service. Brian Rashid says it perfectly about the benefits of using a niche platform, “once you’ve got your audience, you can start to get to know them- how they think, what they want out of life. The closer you get to your prospects, the more of a relationship you’re going to build with them. They’re going to trust you, which goes a very long way toward the health of your business” (Rashid, 2017, para.13). One of the most popular niche platforms is Reddit.
Reddit is a website composed of user-generated content, photos, videos, links and text-based posts. The site bills itself as the “front page of the internet” (Widman, 2020). Reddit is split into subreddits. They can be created by any user around any subject. In the simplest of terms, it’s a massive forum made up of lots of smaller forums (Widman, 2020). One of the most popular threads is the Ask Me Anything known as AMA. The individual who hosts the AMA answers questions from anyone who asks. The interview-style thread has over 18 million subscribers (Moreau, 2020). Some examples of brand marketing on Reddit include branded subreddits and AMA promotions.
XboxOne has a unique story on their branded subreddit. Microsoft didn’t have a hand in creating the active subreddit dedicated to their console (Bump, 2019). The subreddit came up organically. Customers founded it in 2013 for discussion about upcoming games, advice on common issues with the console, interviews with developers, and other XboxOne-related news and tips (Fuchs, 2020). The subreddit gain the attention of XboxOne game developers. They began to host AMAs on the subreddit to reward loyal fans with exclusive content (Bump, 2019). The gaming brand realized that many of its die-hard fans were on this subreddit and already produced hundreds of discussions. According to an article on HubSpot, “rather than spending time on creating a new subreddit, Xbox reps and developers added to communities that already exist” (Bump, 2019, para.77). This branded subreddit is an excellent way to provide customer service, listen to feedback, and maintain loyal customers.
The car company, Audi, took advantage of Reddit’s popular AMA thread. They launched a branded video series called ‘Think Faster” that featured celebrities answering questions live while riding at high speeds around a track in one of their sports cars (Smiley, 2019). According to an article on HubSpot, “while most AMAs are text-based, Audi leveraged one of the platform’s new features to do something interesting and unique” (Bump, 2019, para.59). Even though people might not be drawn to car brands, they might be interested in watching an action-packed celebrity AMA (Bump, 2019). The 30-minute episodes were very successful. The second installment of the series garnered 50.3 million impressions and 2 million views (Flynn, 2018). This AMA promotion has allowed Audi to showcase the excitement of their cars and engage with viewers.
A smart, diverse social media strategy is essential to reaching your audiences online. Being on every platform can be taxing on your resources and can negatively impact your brand (Brandt, 2018). So, what’s the right balance? The answer will be different for each brand. However, niche platforms cannot be overlooked. These smaller platforms allow brands an opportunity to interact with and understand their most loyal, focused, and engaged audiences.
References:
Brandt, Michaela & Kate Crouse. (2018, February 7). Consider Niche Social Networks in Your Social Media Strategy. dcustom. https://dcustom.com/blog/amplification/2018/02/consider-niche-social-networks/
Bump, Pamela. (2019, September 25). How 10 Brands Use Reddit for Marketing. HubSpot. https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/reddit-marketing
Dizikes, Peter. (2020, September 24). Why social media has changed the world-and how to fix it. MIT News. https://news.mit.edu/2020/hype-machine-book-aral-0924
Flynn, Kerry. (2019, May 22). ‘A nice balance: Audi launches Reddit campaign ‘Think Faster’ to drive conversation. DIGIDAY. https://digiday.com/marketing/nice-balance-audi- launches-reddit-campaign-think-faster-drive-conversation/
Fuchs, Jay. (2020, March 16). How 3 Brands Used Reddit for Customer Service. HubSpot. https://blog.hubspot.com/service/brands-on-reddit
Lally, Micah. (2019, October 18). 5 Brands Crushing the Reddit Marketing. Bluleadz. https://www.bluleadz.com/blog/reddit-marketing-examples
McHugh, Molly. (2018, July 16). Will Niche Social Networks Save Us From All-Encompassing Online Networks, or Just Replace Them? The Ringer. www.theringer.com/tech/2018/7/16/17576802/niche-social-networks-alltrails-untappd-runkeeper
Moreau, Elisa. (2020, February 26). What Exactly Is a Reddit AMA? Lifewire. https://www.lifewire.com/what-exactly-is-a-reddit-ama-3485985
Rashid, Brian. (2017, May 6). Are Niche Social Media Sites The Beginning Of A New Trend? Forbes. www.forbes.com/sites/brianrashid/2017/05/06/are-niche-social-media-sites-the-beginning-of-a-new-trend/#1c7378323804
Smiley, Minda. (2019, May 22). Audi brings back ‘Think Faster’ AMA series on Reddit. The Drum. https://www.thedrum.com/news/2018/05/22/audi-brings-back-think-faster-ama-series-reddit
Widman, Jake. (2020, September 23). What is Reddit? digitaltrends. https://www.digitaltrends.com/web/what-is-reddit/