Is Niche Media Replacing Mass Media?

By Yosef Solomon on Mar 18, 2010

After reading a few excerpts from Seth Godin’s best-selling book “Permission Marketing” I was interested in his point about Mass Media being dead and Niche Media taking its place. He notes that in the past 30 years media content has grown exponentially and the World Wide Web has become a defining factor. People are no longer watching TV waiting for their favorite shows to come on (unless it’s Lost). They are going online and getting the commercial free versions. “With an almost infinite number of options, the chances of a broadcast…reaching almost everyone are close to zero.” In this quote, Godin is referring to Television and the fact that commercials don’t have nearly the same impact they once did.

In the past year, we’ve seen how larger companies are embracing niche media and turning to their customer community for insight. We’re seeing a major shift away from mass marketing to more niche campaigns. From the Pepsi Refresh project to Ford’s Fiesta movement, larger corporations understand that direct niche marketing will lead to direct sales and more word of mouth buzz about their brand.

We can all agree that commercials don’t have the same effect as they once did. And why would they? We have the option of ignoring them with DVR and Hulu. When the message is no longer getting across, companies need to find a new way to send it. Enter Niche Social Media Marketing. What are your customers saying about you? About your competition? By joining the conversation you’re not only giving a voice to your brand; you’re also creating a presence online that is transparent and real.

Why is it important to focus on your niche market? The answer may be obvious, but we still see plenty of companies ignore their faithful clientele. This is not only a concern for brand loyalty, but potential sales as well. In a recent survey, conducted by Nielsen on global online consumer behavior, they found that 90% of buyers ask for recommendations from friends before making their purchase. 70% look at online reviews and customer opinions before they buy as well. Granted this survey only asked about 25,000 people, these statistics prove that word of mouth marketing matters.

Influencing potential customers through niche social media is the future of marketing and has ultimately replaced mass media promotion. It’s only a matter of time before we start seeing tailored campaigns speaking directly to individuals (i.e Facebook sidebar ads). Small is definitely the new big and embracing niche media marketing is definitely the way to go.