Niche marketing is an exciting way to reach underserved markets, but it also presents a unique set of challenges. Many products and services face considerable competition when businesses are aiming for similar demographics. Once they identify their market, organizations then face the challenge of pinpointing content that resonates with their audience. We have five tips to help leverage your content strategy once you solidify your target market!
1. Email
Businesses that appeal to wider audiences but also cater to specific niches need to learn how to use email effectively if they want to stay top of mind. As an ongoing marketing tool, email helps nurture leads and maintain interest in the brand. There are two specific areas of email marketing to which responsible niche marketers should pay close attention:
List segmentation:
Segmenting email lists based on gathered metrics makes it easier to pinpoint who on a given list would be more likely to open a message targeted to a specific niche. Since it is unlikely that everyone who opts into the list will share the same interests, segmenting concentrates messaging to focus in on the specific ones who do. Most autoresponder services include gathering and reporting relevant metrics as part of the overall service. Not utilizing that part of the service leaves important niches under-served and under-reached.
Subject lines:
The way you present your email messaging matters. The subject line should function like ad copy, giving the reader a reason to click through. Generic subject lines or those that are too sales-oriented rarely accomplish this goal but those that include specific language that appeals to the appropriate niche get much more positive engagement. In short, getting good at writing email subject lines is essential to successful niche marketing.
It is almost always going to be necessary to experiment with the messaging to get the best response. Split testing subject lines remain the most effective way to gauge how well you communicate with the target niche. This can be done with very small sub-segments and then rolled out to the target subgroup when a winner emerges.
2. Social Media
While email is the most effective marketing tool in any industry or niche, social media is the most effective way to identify a broader audience and bring its members to your list. Facebook, in particular, makes it easy to target marketing to very tight niche segments, but zeroing in on such a narrow audience often results in little more than wasted time and money. Before investing too much in paid ads, understand the right audience via straight content delivery and engagement. Here’s how:
Deliver relevant content by platform:
While there are plenty of apps and services out there that automate social media posting, it is not recommended to serve the same content across all social platforms. The various networks attract different types of users who are looking for specific types of content so be prepared to help material that is relevant to the particular platform(s).
Instagram and Snapchat are more visuals-oriented so deliver as much visual content on those networks as possible. Facebook and Twitter are better suited for starting meaningful conversations so provide those audiences thought-provoking content that spurs engagement and interaction on a conversational level. These are easy examples, but we think the point here is clear: the right material for the right audience is a recipe for success.
Be consistent in content delivery; never leave your audience hanging, or you might find them straying off to engage with the competition. Being active and visible on social media (interacting with your audience in real time) is also an excellent way to build trust and loyalty among followers and customers. It is also a great idea to use social listening tools, follow and engage in competing channels or those that serve your target niche in various ways. The familiarity it creates will only help build a brand and name recognition within the target niche.
3. SEO
Optimizing to serve niche markets is necessary for long-term engagement and new lead generation. The key areas of SEO to which niche marketers should be paying the closest attention include:
High-quality written content: Professionally-written, optimized blog, email, and ad content is the best option here. Don’t skimp on this part of the process.
Relevant keyword usage: You need to thoroughly research your keywords for every post using key terms and phrases. The market fluctuates rapidly, as do the words they use in searches.
Custom visuals: Anything that accentuates branding and appeals to a specific niche will help with SEO. Steer away from stock images whenever possible but choose images wisely if curation is the only option.
Meta tags and image descriptions: You need to optimize all of your pages with keyword-rich meta descriptions, image tags, etc.
Site auditing: Use one of the many free SEO auditing tools available online to keep up with a page and site-specific trends.
Link building: Create as many backlinks as possible using white-hat, natural insertion into conversations, social media posts, and email messages.
4. Metrics
Real-time social media monitoring is essential in measuring your content strategy. It allows your company to incorporate social listening and be part of the conversation. You can also use these metrics as a crisis management tool to prevent or mitigate a communications crisis and protect your brand’s reputation and credibility. The quicker you respond to your audience’s sentiment, whether positive or negative, the better off you’ll be in the long run.
5. Incentivized engagement
An easy way to learn more about the interests and habits of a specific niche is through activities like polls, conversation starters, games, and prize giveaways. Prizes don’t have to break the bank. They have to have enough perceived value to hold interest. This is where real-time engagement becomes even more necessary.
Observe and interact with your audience. Keep levels of excitement high and encourage both positive and negative feedback on anything and everything you use as an incentive. This will teach volumes about how to better market to a specific audience.
Until next time!
Critical Mention
Jilian Woods is a freelance journalist and a contributing writer having more than two years of writing experience. Currently, she is a member of the essay writing service writers’ team at EssayPro. As a writer, she sees her purpose in producing and sharing relevant content with people who are willing to expand their knowledge base and learn something new for themselves. Apart from her day job, you may find Jilian engaged in volunteering or doing yoga. You can connect with her on Facebook.
