The Rise of Niche Social Media and its Effect on Advertising
Mainstream social media has always taken the driver’s seat in the popularity contest; everyone is connected. Whether it’s Facebook, Instagram, or the like, every day more people are plugged in and engaged. But it seems that as the mainstream community grows, it’s beginning to shift the effectiveness of advertisements and their targeted audience. As the growing niche social media community begins to rise, it’s becoming apparent that in order to stay relevant in marketing, there is a need for a shift in execution. And through this, mainstream media is slowly but swiftly being pushed into the passenger seat.
When speaking with the younger generation nowadays, you mention Facebook, and they laugh. “That’s what my parents use.” Is more or less what you get, so what is to say that you can run an effective ad campaign targeting the younger demographic and it actually being successful? Facebook itself knew that it was becoming the old man on the block, and that’s why they bought up Instagram to keep themselves in the running. Right now, Instagram is pretty popular, but as the algorithms continuously change, it’s getting harder and harder to generate the “notice” one wishes to receive. This itself is pushing people to more niche media. They want a place where they are noticed, where they can connect, where they feel wanted. People want to stay relevant.
So, in relation to advertising, targeting more niche audiences will boost engagement. If you were to start an ad campaign for personalized dog toys on Facebook with a targeted audience of 800, you are less likely to be successful than if you ran the same campaign on a media site revolving around dog lovers targeting less. A campaign targeting less people on a more engaged outlet has a better chance at being successful. Niche media is becoming the new “it” thing. As more people search for others who are engaged in the same interests, the more the demand for this specific media will be.
Rise with the tides my dear ad agencies.
________________________________________________________________________
For more reading on related topics:
https://www.socialmediatoday.com/content/why-niche-social-networks-belong-your-social-media-campaign