The Move to Niches

No one wants to be mainstream any more. Everyone wants to occupy a smaller hardcore cadre of users/customers. Thus creating a built in audience of super fans. Lots of different products have launched to (relative) overnight success using this method.

Apple pioneered this niche "hipster" method with the Ipod and has since held to this type of product launch. By creating such a cultist obsessive fan-base (of which I am probably a part, based on my consisting drooling over the Iphone) Apple has set it off for consistent launch success. This type of brand presence, ideology, and following can be quickly broken if Apple makes a misstep. Thus this practice can only be applied to a few select products. Basically, one that appeals to a specific group/demographic that are considered "influencers".

Obviously, success builds copy-cats. Since Apple's return to greatness in the late 90's, companies have tried to niche themselves out, with varying success. You have to have the right amount of name recognition, usefulness of product and target demo to create the kind of success seen by apple.

However, you do not have to have such things when you are targeting a niche (or specific demographic). If you fulfill a need for these people within your niche and add value to them. They will keep coming back and buying your products and trying to learn from you. This is not a new phenomenon within blogging.

This is a marketing/pr/social media blog. I'm targeting that sub-section every day when I writer here. I'd like to think I'm making some headway. However, to brick and mortar businesses this idea of "niching" yourself out seems to be shortsighted and may even be detrimental to sales overall. However, if you look more closely at your business you may already be doing so. Say for instance that you have a flagship model product (along with a variety of others) and you decide to restructure your business to cut out some of the products and focus on those where you are most successful. In essence you are going after your niche.

Taking the lessons learned from those operating within the blogosphere companies are starting to condense their resources and focus on what they are best at before building out to fast. This is common business sense and it actually works. Growing to big to fast can be just as detrimental to a business as not growing fast enough. You need to have the resources, people and expertise to satisfy your customers, put forth a quality product, and satisfy a need. Simple to maintain right? Wrong. Either greed or a miscalculation can put your company out of business. So focus on your primary product and concentrate all marketing efforts there. Once you develop that product to the peak of effectiveness and value...then you can start rolling out a new line or new product but remember where you came from.

tagged as apple, Blog, Branding, Marketing, nice, niching, Social Media, social media marketing