What is niche marketing, and how can Pokémon Go teach you helpful things for your business?
100 million app downloads… 21 million active daily users… $10 million daily revenue… umm, how can I get some of that?
Ah Pokémon… if you’re a millennial, or perhaps a parent of a millennial, you probably know all about these little catchable critters, or at least enough to know it was a massively popular show/game/subject in the late 90’s.
As well I’m sure you’re aware of the phenomenon that stormed the streets…sidewalks, and parks….this summer with an app all about Pokémon, battles, prizes, and catching those coveted creatures in “real life”. And if you really don’t know about it, you at least were thrown off by the herds of random people, mainly pale kids, roaming the streets with their eyes glued to their phones (admittedly you may have seen me out there once, or twice…).
This app generates more daily active users and usage time that even WhatsApp, Instagram, or Snapchat, and it targets a very niche audience, which goes to show us that even targeting a very particular group of people can certainly generate traffic, and $$$.
I encourage you to go and read this article which we will summarize here, that shares seven niche marketing lessons we can all take away from this whole crazed Pokévent.
Niche marketing: “concentrating all marketing efforts on a small but specific and well defined segment of the population. These niches are created by identifying needs, wants, and requirements that are being addressed poorly or not at all, and delivering goods or services to satisfy them.” TL/DR: You want to be a big fish in a small pond.
Find a new angle or new way to approach a proven niche
The developers of this game were well aware they had a great audience, so they took their already successful game, approached it in a new way with modern tech advances, and voila.
This same strategy can be done for any industry. New angles are only limited to your imagination.
Test your product before a massive launch or going too far into production
We all have an Uncle Bob who had a great idea, invested his retirement funds into it, only to have it fail miserably…right? Be wise like a Pokémon. The developers did a low-key test launch in Japan, the show’s original home, with local gamers who could provide feedback to improve the app before world wide launch. You can do the same thing, with for example a small portion of your email list. And don’t forget to ask for feedback!
Sometimes the herd mentality can be useful
When everyone else is having fun, I personally get a little FOMO (fear of missing out). The same feelings are seen in society with the stock market, fads/trends, and superstition. Social media users tend to experience higher levels of this feeling, studies say, and thus they continue to post and engage on umpteen different platforms. The Pokémon app was engineered to be heavily social-media oriented, and well, see photo above. This then brings around the importance of writing an inviting title – one that invokes curiosity, intrigue, and perhaps a little FOMO.
Reuse old content to target a new audience
Content has become the most important and sought after thing on this planet it seems, but with all that we’re churning out and so quickly, it becomes difficult after awhile to keep the same pace with new [relevant] topics. Try to find a way to repurpose old content if you have a bunch sitting in the blog basement. That is what Pokémon did: old idea, new environment, new way of doing the same types of things within the game. And it exploded with happy critter hunters everywhere! Even turning some of your old text into a video or infographic can spark new attention.
BuzzSumo’s Headline Elements
The formula for viral
Research done by BuzzSumo on the most viral content, found that each piece contained very specific elements, not only within the content itself, but once again, within the title: emotion, the content type, the topic, the format, and a promise.
Follow this formula, be the next viral sensation, and then send me a check ;).
Continue to provide value to existing customers
No matter how satisfied a customer appears, always keep them going with incentives, rewards, great content, like Pokémon – for a certain action you get a certain reward, which causes users to want to complete said actions. Always give them a reason to come back.
A strong brand builds trust
As with Pokémon, a long standing well known brand (with a good reputation) aids in the launch of a new project. Building a great name for your company is one of the most important things you can do for the longevity of the business, and your retirement account. Perhaps its as true for you as it is for me, I buy brands that I either already trust, or that someone I trust recommends. Build and maintain a good name, and you’re one step closer to enduring success.