Social Media: Find Your Niche
Digg, Reddit, Stumble Upon, Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, Newsvine, etc. I am sure that most Internet users have heard of at least one or two of these social media/news sites. A good percentage of active Internet users have a profile on at least one of them. They are great places to share ideas, market your business or yourself, and share news. They all have their benefits and drawbacks and they are all a little bit different. One thing they all have in common is that they try to include everyone and everything. None of these sites is dedicated to news and interaction for individuals in any specific industry. They still offer excellent opportunities for businesses to market themselves but a new crop of social sites may be better for your business.
While the general social sites mentioned above offer excellent marketing and networking opportunities there is a new breed of social media sites that may suit some businesses much better. As social media has taken off some industries have moved past the general sites and developed social networking and media sources specific to their industry. The niche social networking sites bring related industry professionals together and allow them to share ideas, news, opinion, and provide networking opportunities. They also provide businesses the ability to manage their reputations, market to interested users, and establish their authority in their industry. By establishing yourself or your business as a power user in the niche sites you will stand out from the crowds and become a resource for individuals looking for information about your industry. This authoritative status builds trust and authority in the eyes of your peers and potential customers.
There are new social media sites popping up every day and while we are seeing a tipping point in the general sites the industry specific sites are just beginning to take off in many markets. This is where the social networking trend will expand and forward thinking businesses will take note and become active in those sites focused on their industry. Here are a few of the niche social sites that I believe can benefit businesses and individuals in related industries.
- Real Estate
- Photography
- Law/Legal
- Lawyers.net - Beta
- Law Link
- IT
- Developers
As I said these are just a few of the industry specific social media sites out there. If your industry is not represented here you should try to find a site dedicated to what you do. Don’t just join them. Interact with the other users and establish yourself as a power user and a leader in the industry. Doing so will make you a go to source for your industry in terms of information and the product or service you are selling.
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Mark is right on the mark here. The general knowledge and post are much more engaging with niche social media. Just look at Sphinn for instance.
November 14th, 2007 at 4:42 pm[...] profiles on StumbleUpon, MySpace, LinkedIn, Facebook, Yelp, and the plethora of general and niche social media sites. On sites that allow you to build a company profile make sure you do that. On others like [...]
November 15th, 2007 at 3:37 pm