We asked advertising experts for their tips on crafting advertising strategies in niche industries, identified the upsides of creative niche advertising, and examined real-world examples.
There’s a classic bit of advice in advertising that you hear over and over again. “Know your audience.” And while that is of course true, nowhere is it more possible AND more powerful than when you are trying to market a company, product, or service in a niche industry.
We spoke with a number of marketing experts and advertising partners who have worked in a wide range of industries, and all of them were quick to point out that specialization can be a superpower for marketers. Here we’ve gathered some additional creative advertising tips for effective niche advertising, whether you are focused on social media advertising or full-blown advertising campaigns. From messaging to marketing strategy, target audiences to influencers and beyond, let’s take a look at their advice for how you can structure a niche advertising strategy that effectively engages the right market segment and ideal customers.
Major Upsides for Niche Advertising
As we mentioned above, our advertising consultants and niche industry experts were all quick to point out some of the many benefits for advertising agencies and entrepreneurs working in specific niche industries.
“Being in a niche business can be an advantage. This is because there’s often less competition, less content, and fewer resources out there for prospective customers—all of which represents an opportunity for you and your business.” —Ray Cheselka, CMO at webFEAT Complete
One specific niche advertising benefit that came up time and again was the audience. The smaller, more specialized audience is both easier to know and, in many cases, easier to reach.
“Niche industries have the benefit of a specialized audience, which you can use to your advantage by creating something unique that aligns with your audience’s interests and which gets people talking.” —Beau Broering, Founding Partner at AGNT
From SEO efforts to PPC campaigns, webinars, social media marketing, engaging influencers, and several other specific examples, our experts agreed that reaching your niche audience and identifying an accurate customer base or target audience was oftentimes easier within a highly specialized market segment. Niche products and services exist for a reason, and there are people and companies looking for just what you are offering.
Top Tips to Add to Your Niche Advertising Strategy
As an entrepreneur or small business owner operating in a niche industry, chances are you know your audience and their needs pretty well. But our panel of experts was quick to remind us not to assume that all of the advertising efforts we employ make sense for the audience. Needs, outlets, search terms, and many other factors can ebb and flow over time, so there’s no substitute for taking the time to study and learn about (and from) your target audience.
“Never stay in your own shoes as the niche business owner. Your customers don’t see your product the same way you do, so when creating your digital advertising and eCommerce content, make sure to put yourself in the customers’ shoes and consider how they would view the content you are delivering to them. This will help you increase conversions and paint a better picture of your messaging and advertising campaign.” —Ben Precious, CEO of Pace Social Media
Knowing your potential customers and niche audience came up in a number of specific areas, including how you create the tone and voice of your brand and your digital content. If you’re going to engage with social media influencers, for example, do they truly represent your audience? Is this someone that your customers can identify with?
“Speak your audience’s language, and apply visuals that are representative of their lifestyle. You can look at companies like Patagonia or REI to see how they utilize their visuals and brand voice to create a community and strengthen the connection between the company, the products, and the customer.” —Brandon Fuller, Owner/Designer at Tripass Design
Connecting Customer Base and Content
Delivering for your current or potential customers and partners applies in a number of areas, and content was one of the examples that came up time and again.
“Create great content with your prospective customer in mind. Answer any questions they may have, make exploring information on your site easy and convenient for them, show you’re an expert. Link to this helpful, relevant content in your ads.” —Ray Cheselka, CMO at webFEAT Complete
Niche advertising can go well beyond the basics of what you offer and who would benefit, too. There is endless potential within niche advertising to engage potential customers with high-quality content that is particularly interesting to a specific audience within a specific niche.
“Never think small. Be creative and think RED—Relevant, Entertaining, Daring. Offer meaningful advice, cutting-edge information, and creative ways to expand their passion and interests.” —Michael Campbell, Chief Creative Officer/Founder at DocuFilms
Identifying your customer base and niche audience, and developing content for them, was only one part of the equation. Our expert contributors also raised the idea of building a community—bringing like-minded individuals in an already specialized industry or field together thanks to their shared challenges and interests.
“When you work in a niche, especially one with a passionate audience, creating content clusters is a great way to build a tribe. You can promote niche content on a variety of platforms, and the cost per click will be much lower than for bottom-of-funnel keywords. This not only allows you to rapidly build an audience, but it also positions you well for joint ventures with other related service types in your niche —since you solve a different problem for the same audience.” —Travis Bliffen, CEO at Stellar SEO
3 Examples of Great Niche Marketing and Advertising in Action
Whether you’re advertising products or services for a specialized hobby community, industrial application, or narrow and focused niche industry, there are basics of advertising that always apply. Keyword research, which social media outlets to use (such as LinkedIn for B2B clients, for example), identifying similar niche businesses and studying what has worked for them, and applying an ongoing content advertising strategy are just a few examples of planning and processes required for any advertising effort.
No doubt you can think of a few examples of niche industries or businesses off the top of your head. Here we’ve brought together just a handful of great examples of niche advertising that had a great impact, and which really honed in on the desired audience and communicated directly with the right people at the right time.
Lefty’s—Products Strictly for the Left-Handed People
Lefty’s is a classic example of niche product advertising. The site and the products are targeted at left-handed people, and they have a lot of fun with the way they communicate with their audience and the types of products they offer. Best of all, thanks to their niche offerings they have an advantage in terms of digital advertising; they can target keywords and search engine advertising to people who specifically search for left-handed items (or even memes) online.
LUSH Cosmetics—Ethical Beauty Products
LUSH has built a loyal following of customers who are specifically interested in high-quality beauty products that are also ethically sourced and created. Their approach to content, including a focus on positivity and honesty, has endeared their customers to them and kept them coming back.
Nomatic—Travel Products for On-the-Go Workers
Long before the pandemic, there was a growing shift in the workforce toward more flexibility and more freedom to work from anywhere. That shift has only accelerated, and Nomatic was one of the companies to recognize early on that when you want to take your work wherever you go, you need durable, reliable products to make that happen. Their niche is the freelance or remote worker, and their content is completely tailored to this growing segment.
Advertising that Fits Your Niche
Whether your small business makes lab equipment or gaming keyboards, vegan baked goods, or gender-neutral clothing options for everyone, there are a number of upsides to marketing and advertising in a niche industry. And there are many more tips to take into consideration as you consider who your ideal customer is, where to reach them, and how to shape your advertising efforts to have the most impact. While things like demographics and social media channels or social media platforms are important, nothing will have as big an impact as knowing your audience and speaking directly to them. Getting a new product placed with retailers requires being able to assure them that people are looking for what you offer. And convincing them that your subset of the purchasing public is an audience that their business needs.
The same advertising tips and considerations apply whether you’re a small firm trying to sell products on Etsy or Amazon, or you offer services to a very narrow group of businesses. Talk directly to them (whether through social media or forums or digital advertising outlets), find out what they need and what they value, and deliver in a way that demonstrates your authenticity and your connection to them.
There’s much more to learn and explore about niche advertising, and our expert partners are always available to start the conversation and help you learn how you can thrive within your industry and product or service space.