Small Business | Forum « A Trend? « Social Media Examiner

A Trend? (9 posts)

Mark Johnson said
2 months ago:
I’ve noticed quite a few new dating sites targeting more and more specific demographics. Is this “micronization” a trend that will bleed into other social networks like Facebook and Linkedin?
@mtheory | # | Top
Ann at greenoak said
2 months ago:
i would be careful on this idea….unless you wanted your business to mainly serve some   specific group…like birthers or  gay rights etc etc…
it probably does happen already…..once in a while i see businesses in my world, retail, making a big point that they are christian…. not a good thing in my opinion , it wouldnt make me buy more from them..i would worry that their god might   give them permission to   do me wrong…..but for dating it might be a great idea.;…
we already do it a bit…online by   the places we invite to our feed and the groups we join… but as a business i think it would be   wrong…im a progressive  but i want all the   political parties and even birthers to come and enjoy my store…. they are all welcome…
@annfurnivall | # | Top
Rich Brooks said
2 months ago:
@mtheory
Many successful businesses started by targeting one group, becoming very successful there, and then branching out.
Remember when Mashable was a blog about social media? When Huffington Post was about left-leaning politics? When Facebook was for Ivy League college students?
Startups often fail because they try and be all things to all people. I’m sure that many of those “micro-niche” dating sites will grow into other segments if they are successful.
@rich-brooks | # | Top
Judith Gotwald said
2 months ago:
Yes, they are appealing to comfort zones. The customers feel comfortable thinking the site is just for them. The owners can concentrate and test their business model.
The needs of both will surely change.
@judithgotwald | # | Top
E N Brown said
2 months ago:
Hi @mtheory
Targeting specific groups is smart, depending on the business model you may wish/need to follow. Retail could be an antiques/country decor store like @annfurnivall or a toy store – both might serve the same group but probably not at the beginning. A toy store demographic would be parents, any age and grandparents too – so would Ann’s store but with a different niche in mind. The approach, at the beginning would be entirely different. Antiques vs. Toys is just an example.
Dating sites however is a whole new (and different) ball of wax. Micronization (another new word?) happens in every group – it’s a pyramid thing which, if you follow an off-shoot, you’ll see growth or the bottoming out thing happen.
I certainly don’t think this is new – perhaps a new way of looking at an ago old thing actually – this is where that new word comes into play.
Eileen
@supereb | # | Top
Ann at greenoak said
2 months ago:
@supereb right….aim and focus is a real basic of business….maybe he was talking about politics …..i would aim and do aim at my target people , …. upscale homeowner women….but i dont aim at progressives /gays/ birthers / republicans/ christians , jews or atheists…i dont want to go there……. so aiming at one niche, my target customer is crucial but i stay away from the political niches….obviously aim is good imho… i wouldnt aim at welfare women becasue they couldnt afford me…or teen girls because they dont have a house, or sports guys because they might have a say so on the buying but they probably dont care about the style….
i always think a social media company would be smart to get informed and up to date on a certain segment [hairdresssers. truckers, resturants, whatever] and focus on serving that segment…. they would be far ahead of the game….imho… and be able to offer something much deeper to the potential cllient, than a total generalist social media company who would have no insight into the clients world….
@annfurnivall | # | Top
Amy Hall, Virtual Assistant for WordPress and MailChimp Help said
2 months ago:
@mtheory In business it’s called a niche. I always go for the niche and I end up with clients in my niche and outside my niche. I don’t think enough small business marketing is niche focused. People are afraid to exclude anyone for the chance they may miss a sale. I say they are missing a sale because they don’t target anyone. This goes with the persona conversation that Rich started.
@amyhallbiz | # | Top
Robin Carlisle said
2 months ago:
This makes me think of Valerie VanBooveren (spelling?). A former nurse, her total focus is on serving the senior care, assisted living, and nursing home market. She heavily centered her work on Google Places, even selling an awesome training course on how others could use that as their focus, too. Of course, then came G+ and local pages shifted, so she had to shift, too.
But the fact that she chose ONE market, of which their are thousands, if not millions of customers with very similar needs, actually cuts her research time into almost nothing. She knows ALL the target KWs ALL her clients are competing for and is better able to focus her time, talents, and assets because she excludes all else.
Awesome power-house marketer! Great strategy!
Robin Carlisle
@atlantarobin | # | Top
Ann at greenoak said
2 months ago:
@atlantarobin great post and example… i think thats really smart…and the clients probably love it……….. each market has issues that arent   easy   to understand   if you arent somewhat educated in the specific market …….its not all about   the tekk parts and tekk options….
i always figure we could do about anything…. the hard part is figuring out what we SHOULD do to make things work right…thats where your example could be real help to her customers…she would have the background for that important   discussion with her clients….
its odd to me that this idea isnt  on the front burner more…. . .
@annfurnivall | # | Top