One major benefit of blogging
is tapping into niche audiences. If you are representing a company with a
specific product, discovering your niche audience is a must.
Not
everyone wants to read about the best independent concerts to see in Dallas,
but some do. It is that certain few that must be targeted. Blogging is a proven
method for effectively capturing the attention of niche audiences.
Marketing a product or communicating
with a certain audience isn’t always efficient when sent through traditional,
mass media channels. Newspapers and magazines are great places to send press
releases and photo opportunities to, but they will not always reach the desired
audience. For that, there is blogging.
Blogging is an untraditional
yet effective way for a company to reach its desired niche audiences.
Take the outdoor clothing
company, Patagonia, as an example. Patagonia runs a separate blog titled “The
Cleanest Line.” The blog is filled with pictures and articles of outdoor
activities and adventures. This not only reinforces Patagonia’s brand, but also
communicates to the niche audience members who may be interested in rock
climbing in Darjeeling, India.
“The Cleanest Line” connects
Patagonia’s target, niche audience to its products and brand. Patagonia prides
itself for being a leader in outdoor sports gear and apparel. Patagonia’s blog
shows its products in action. The blog allows members of Patagonia’s niche
audience to see customer testimonials, videos and pictures representing the
company and its outdoor lifestyle-centered brand.
Fiskars, the scissor company,
successfully connects with an even narrower audience than Patagonia. Fiskars created
its own blog, Fiskateers, to reach out to its niche audience. Fiskars tapped
into a lifestyle, much like Patagonia did, by reaching out to scrapbooking
enthusiasts. The blog includes tips and tricks on scrapbooking and how Fiskars
scissors can help.
Patagonia and Fiskars both utilized
the same simple strategy. Both companies used blogging to capture their niche
audiences. They recognized the lifestyles and hobbies their niche audiences
were a part of and fit their products into them.
“Guerilla Marketing for
Nonprofits,” a book on marketing advice for nonprofit organizations, offers
great advice on targeting niche audiences. One of the suggested tips is an old
marketing standard: sell a solution, not just a product. Fiskars and Patagonia
followed this exact standard when they created their blogs. Perhaps some
scrapbook enthusiast is having trouble with cutting designs. Perhaps some rock-climbing
enthusiast is having a tough time rappelling. Both companies appealed to the
lifestyles of their niche audiences while simultaneously offering their
products as solutions. Either way, blogging was the
essential tool used in reaching out to niche audiences.
Forbes, Chris. "Seven Keys to Finding Your
Nonprofit’s Niche." Guerrilla Marketing for
Nonprofits RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Nov.
2012. http://gmnonprofits.com/2011/01/seven-keys-to-finding-your-nonprofits-niche/
No comments:
Post a Comment