Why your brand needs its own niche community

Maybe it's the aftereffects of Covid.

Maybe it's a collective longing for the days when we all lived in villages together.

Maybe we all just want to move to a commune and throw off the shackles of capitalism.

Whatever the reason, we're all longing for community right now.

We've seen all the examples of this in the "real world." The rise of run clubs, the revival of book clubs, the recent tendency towards social sports (ok, this might not be new to all, but it is in my circle of friends)...I could go on.

But this longing to connect with a friendly bunch of would-be strangers over shared interests and joys isn't contained to in-person meet-ups.

It exists online, too.

As described by Jess Maddox, Assistant Professor in Digital Media at the University of Alabama, "Social media users have been turning towards niche apps and spaces for a long time."

Take platforms such as Goodreads, Letterboxd, and Strava. 

While each provides the solo user with functionality (tracking your reading, watching, and exercise history, respectively), what's caused these websites to achieve success is the ability for users to engage with other people who enjoy the same things.

Making your niche hobby social is an easy way to relate and meet new people.

Seems simple, right?

Well, it kind of is—but it's genius, too.

By allowing users to create a network of people with similar interests, these apps keep people engaged with the specific platform.

I mean, think of it like this: all your friends go to the same café each morning. They're always there; you catch up casually, get your coffee, and move on...

Another café opens across the road. They might do better coffee, but your mates aren't there! So you stay put.

In this vein, by allowing users to create a community on these niche hobby apps, these platforms can rest assured users are less likely to jump to a new competitor.

And because these websites aren't social media, people are more likely to post on them.

I speak from experience here.

Instagram is kind of scary to post on. It feels like you need to be saying something important, and so I avoid saying anything at all.

And so do most of my friends!

Seriously, I know more about what my friends are up to via their movie updates on Letterboxd or their running updates on Strava than Instagram or Facebook.

Why? Because there's no pressure, and it's tied to my daily life, I'm more likely to post on there, too.

Plus, as Bernie Hogan, Associate Professor at the Oxford Internet Institute, puts it, “People from work, from your family, people you meet on a date—all of a sudden they’re now part of the same audience [on social media].”

Not exactly the most forgiving audience in the world, is it?

But that's exactly why your brand should consider creating its own niche community.

It's the perfect way to tap into your target market.

Teresa Xie of BNN Bloomberg describes niche communities as “refuges” from social media while also "offering other businesses a new way to target consumers."

So, think about how your business could provide your customers with functional use with a social edge.

Activewear brand? Unify the Pilates princesses and have them rating their reformer workouts.

Yarn creator? Let users track their knitting progress alongside their friends, sharing patterns and wool preferences.

Golf store? Get the swingers together in a group chat to talk about the best courses and compare their shots.

Whatever you're selling, encouraging your customers to connect will result in more buy-in, plus have the added benefit of creating something pretty special.

And, it's amazing to see communities form as people support one another! MyFitnessPal is another example of this. The app allows users to support each other in their health journeys as they track their progress.

Doing this for your brand could be as sophisticated as creating a dedicated app for tracking their progress or experiences alongside like-minded individuals. But curating a strong community through social media is another, easier (cheaper) way to do this.

Anyway, this long-time user of Goodreads, Letterboxd, and Strava is off to update her recent reading, watching, and running history.

-Maggie, Copywriter