MMC 5636 Niche Platforms Thought Paper
Niche platforms are part of the future of social media and the success of influencers. You may wonder why are niche platforms so crucial to the future of social media. Well, there are probably more reasons than the ones that I will list in this paper. So let’s break down some of the most prominent points of how niche platforms will be a big part of the future of social media.
Niche platforms allow brands or influencers to connect with a smaller, targeted audience engaged in the platform. This type of audience can enhance the future of the brand and the platform because it allows for positive growth. The audience is where they want to be, and engaging in the content, they find essential.
Many articles have evaluated the benefits of niche platforms and how they can help benefit one’s social strategy. An article in Forbes magazine discussed the niche platform, Infield Chatter, which allowed players to communicate with their fans in a safe place. According to the author, Brian Rashid, “They’ve gathered their target audience into one place. If they treat them right, people will continue to be enthusiastic about baseball, go to games, and buy their merchandise.”
When thinking of niche platforms, one can think of the movie Field of Dreams movie statement, “If you build it, they will come” If you give a target audience the content they want, then they will come to your platform. The content is easily located on the niche platform and provides relevant information for the viewers instead of never-ending searching.
As mentioned above, content on niche platforms provides concise, relevant information that the target audience seeks. The capability of an audience to access one platform to connect with a specific forum will be a time saver for many. An audience can access a particular niche platform with the preset notation regarding the information provided. There will be no need for searching or scrolling through unrelated content to reach desired material.
Engagement is another positive aspect of niche platforms. A platform that provides the audience with content to continuously engage will thrive on social media. Engagement is a two-way street, meaning the audience wants material they can connect with, and platforms need to provide content that engages them.
Niche platforms are on the rise due to audiences wanting content that connects to them in some way. An article in The Ringer stated, “People are unsatisfied with the larger social web, and there are plenty of reasons.” Basically, the larger social platforms try to please and accommodate everyone, so no one area is for a specific group. The Ringer article summed more prominent social media up nicely with this statement, “Now, they’re all-encompassing do-everything machines that all look increasingly alike as they borrow and copy the features of their competition.”
The increasing desire for niche platforms instead of larger social websites is why many influencers use and promote them. Some niche platforms that are already popular include Reddit, Houzz, Goodreads and Quora. Reddit provides user-generated content, Houzz is a design community, Goodreads uses social media to recommend books and Quora allows people to ask and answer questions.
An example of how an influencer used a niche platform would be Keith Gill, aka Roaring Kitty, on the Reddit platform. Gill continuously posts information regarding his stock choices about GameStop, which eventually gained followers and began influencing others. Gill’s influence on Reddit changed GameStop’s stock, which led to the frenzy affair of plummeting stock prices.
Social media influencer Orlando Soria, an interior designer, has used the niche platform Houzz to help promote designs and ideas. This niche platforms is technology-based and continuously changing to remain relevant in a constantly evolving world. Houzz continues to thrive as a niche platform by providing unique and new platforms, such as Site Designer. Houzz also continuously adds new features to their platforms, such as Sketch and Visual Match. All of these aspects make Houzz a niche platform for those wanting design content.
I have personally never noticed social media influencers promoting niche platforms. After extensive research on the subject, I now realize the need for such a platform and probably just haven’t been paying attention. Niche platforms are everywhere and have content on just about everything. The use of niche platforms can increase your social strategy by providing relevant content to your audience and promoting your brand. Discover what you want, and then search for the niche platform with the desired content.
