What is Niche Marketing?

Niche marketing is perhaps best described as a strategy to target a specific segment of the overall market and share messages that will resonate with that specific audience.

While this may sound like any other marketing strategy, it’s important to recognize that niche marketing isn’t necessarily about promoting your business or product or service; rather, its primary objective is to attract the most relevant customers in order to further establish an online presence.

It can be difficult for some people to differentiate between traditional marketing platforms (paid advertising) and niche marketing platforms (passive revenue); however, they are two very different entities. Knowing how they work, what features make them unique, and when each should be used appropriately will help you become more successful at reaching customers.

This post is meant to familiarize you with the following niche marketing platforms, describe how they work, and explain when each should be used for maximum success:

1. Google Adwords

One of the most popular digital advertising choices available, Google AdWords provides businesses with access to millions of users who are actively looking for products or services online. Your ads will appear on relevant web pages amongst organic search results based upon keywords that are relevant to what your business offers. This form of paid advertising is known as “Sponsored Links” within the Google platform and can be activated from within your AdWords account.

2. Yahoo/Bing Paid Search

Similar to Google Ads, this option will enable your business’s website to appear on relevant pages of the Yahoo or Bing search engines amongst organic results. You can also control which users see your ads by setting geographic locations and limiting their display based upon a user’s previous queries. This form of advertising is known as “Sponsored Results” within the Yahoo and Bing platforms and can be activated from within an account manager dashboard.

3. Facebook Ads

Although many people use Facebook for personal reasons, it also provides businesses with access to over 1 billion active users who can be targeted with specific ads tailored toward various demographics. Your ads will appear in the right sidebar of user’s news feed depending on age, gender, location, and interests that are most relevant to your business. This form of paid advertising is managed within an Ads Manager platform and can be activated through your Facebook Business Page.

4. YouTube Ads

If you have a video marketing strategy in place for your website or business, this option will provide you with access to over 1 billion users who visit YouTube each month! You can set up specific ads on top of your videos that are shown to the viewers depending upon their age group, gender, geographic location, and general demographic profile. Advertisements can also appear on secondary YouTube channels as well as Google’s search results at the bottom of the page if they’re related to what your video discusses. This form of paid advertising is managed within an Ads Manager platform and can be activated directly from within your YouTube account.

5. RSS Feeds

An RSS (Rich Site Summary) feed offers a way for users to subscribe to content that is constantly updated by its publisher; therefore, those who subscribe will receive those updates in their favorite RSS reader or other feed aggregator (e.g., Flipboard). Although this option may not provide direct traffic to your website like other forms of niche marketing, it’s an excellent way to increase brand awareness and search engine rankings as you’ll be able to control the specific keywords targeted through your blog posts and subsequent press releases! Businesses looking to take advantage of this form of passive revenue should set up an account with FeedBurner, create a unique URL for their feed, and then submit that URL to Google Webmaster Tools

6. Twitter Ads

Twitter recently updated its advertising platform for businesses looking to gain exposure within the millions of users targeting specific geographic locations or other demographics. Tweets can be promoted by turning on the “Promoted” button at the bottom of your account page, which will enable you to set up ads anywhere on Twitter as well as promote existing tweets so they appear higher in search results depending upon how much you’re willing to pay.

7. Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Affiliate Marketing

Paid commercials are probably the best known form of Niche marketing because they’ve been used for decades now by major corporations like Proctor & Gamble, Johnson & Johnson, and others. If your business provides products or services that can be purchased online, you might want to consider promoting those items through a third-party affiliate network like Commission Junction, ShareASale, or FlexOffers. You’ll earn commissions of up to 50 percent on each sale you make as well as increase brand exposure and generate more leads for your business.

8. Pay Per Call Marketing

If you’re struggling with how best to incorporate phone calls into your overall marketing strategy, look no further than pay per call marketing services such as Intellistreets’ CloudPhone360 VoIP platform. This is an ideal option for local businesses who struggle with not being able to connect with customers over the telephone despite having a phenomenal website that clearly describes their products or services.

9. LinkedIn Ads

If your business provides products or services that are professional in nature, you owe it to yourself to take advantage of one of the most popular social media websites on the Internet today: LinkedIn. This platform allows marketers to engage with top decision makers by setting up a business page and then advertising products and services directly from within the site itself. You can also target specific users based upon their job titles, location, demographic profile, etc., so your message is always relevant to those who see it – whether they’re browsing for jobs at similar businesses within your industry or simply looking for ways to become more productive with their time!

Many business owners have taken advantage of Niche marketing opportunities simply by asking satisfied customers and clients to leave a brief review or endorsement on Yelp, Angie’s List, Merchant Circle, or even Facebook. You can also include endorsements in your email signature, add them to your website, or post them on LinkedIn if that would be beneficial for the testimonial giver.