The Value of Niche Social Networks

With all the noise and distraction on popular social networks that are set up to "force" you to advertise for visibility, consider having a presence on smaller online spaces to promote your business. While it may seem logical to try to reach your target audience within the millions-or even billions-of active users on long-standing platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn, sometimes taking a more surgical approach will give you better results.

That’s where niche social networks can come in as an addition to your social media marketing mix. Niche social networks operate similarly to Facebook and the other popular networks. They let you set up a profile, post publicly, connect and communicate with others directly, and in many cases, pay for advertising, usually at a much lower rate with a higher return than the bigger networks.

The key to identifying the right niche social network starts with the type of business you have and the audience you’re trying to reach. Niche social networks have a much narrower focus than a regular social network, based around specific interests or areas such as Ravelry for knitters and crocheters, or Nextdoor for neighborhood-specific forums.

Niche social networks are not the right place to post all of your marketing messages due to their hyper-focus. Think of them as supplementary to your other social media presences.

Here are niche networks and how you might leverage them.

Nextdoor

This social network breaks down into neighborhoods mirroring the actual neighborhoods in cities across the country. Users join based on their addresses and are able to communicate with actual neighbors and opt to expand their interactions to surrounding nearby neighborhoods.

If you do business locally, you should consider a presence on Nextdoor to reach people in your immediate vicinity. You can claim a free business page for your company, add a profile photo and contact information, and post to your page. You can also advertise through your page.

Spotify, GoodReads, Letterboxd

Even if your business has nothing to do with music or books or movies, setting up a presence for your company on special interest social networks such as Spotify (music), GoodReads (books), and Letterboxd (movies) can not only put your brand in front of new audiences, but also provide entertaining content for your other social networks.

For example, you can make a Spotify music playlist and share it on your Facebook Page. An accountant could add a playlist of songs about money. A vet could compile songs about animals. Don’t dismiss entertainment value to help break up your more business-oriented or promotional posts. You can also advertise in various ways on Spotify, GoodReads, Letterboxd, and other special interest networks to reach highly engaged audiences.

Discord and Twitch

If you want to reach a younger crowd, especially techies and gamers who tend to be very brand loyal, there are niche social networks where they like to spend their time.

Discord is a free communications platform where users can chat via text, audio, and video based on their interests. As a company, you can create your own dedicated servers on Discord to build a community, as well as interact with other users to build your brand. Advertising on Discord is more limited than major social networks, but they offer unique opportunities such as sponsoring a "quest."

Twitch is a live streaming platform that has a strong focus on video games and esports. You can set up a Twitch channel and stream video, engage with other users, advertise on the platform, or partner with Twitch influencers to promote your brand.

Niche social networks may not be for every company, but expanding your brand’s visibility in new spaces online can potentially bring in new customers or clients. Testing out advertising on these smaller, hyper-focused networks could also bring in new business at a more affordable rate.