Niche Marketing Strategies for Growth

Niche audiences aren’t small; they’re specific, and specificity sells. Chasing broad audiences in digital publishing? You might as well shout into a crowded room. While generic content attracts clicks, it rarely builds loyalty or revenue. Niche audiences, however, like urban gardeners, retro gaming enthusiasts, or indie filmmakers, crave tailored expertise. By focusing on specificity, you turn casual readers into invested communities ready to engage, subscribe, and pay. A food blog targeting gluten-free vegan bakers might have a smaller audience than a general recipe site, but its readers are 3x more likely to buy recommended products. Why? ↳Distinct needs: They seek solutions that generic content can’t provide (e.g., “How to make vegan croissants without gluten”). ↳Trust: Specialised content positions you as the go-to expert (e.g., a newsletter for indie filmmakers reviewing budget 4K cameras). ↳Monetisation leverage: Advertisers and sponsors pay premiums to reach hyper-engaged audiences. Monetising Specificity: Real-world tactics ✅ Subscription models: An example is a newsletter for urban gardeners offering seasonal planting guides and exclusive seed discounts, which saw a 200% YoY subscriber increase. ✅ Affiliate marketing: Partner with brands your niche already loves (e.g., eco-friendly potting soil for organic gardeners). ✅ Sponsored content: A podcast for remote workers secured sponsorships from ergonomic chair brands and local coffee roasters. How to build a Niche-first strategy 1. Identify the niche: Uncover gaps using surveys or social listening tools. For example, a travel publisher discovered demand for “solo female travel in Southeast Asia” via Reddit forums. 2. Develop specialised content: Solve one problem exceptionally. For example, a YouTube channel for indie filmmakers creates budget lighting tutorials with under-$100 gear. 3. Engage the community: Host live Q&As or members-only forums. For example, a sustainability blog built a 5,000-member Discord group for sharing zero-waste hacks. 4. Test monetisation channels: Offer a paid webinar or niche affiliate guide before launching subscriptions. Here are the key takeaways for publishers 💡 Specialised content builds loyalty: Readers return because they can’t find your depth elsewhere. 💡 Diversified revenue follows engagement: Micro-audiences support subscriptions, affiliates, and ads. 💡 Competitive edge: Generic publishers can’t replicate your authority in a focused niche. Specificity isn’t a limitation; it’s your monetisation superpower. Is your content strategy niche-focused? Share your wins (or lessons learned) below. #DigitalPublishing #NicheMarketing #AudienceEngagement #ContentStrategy #Monetisation 

Want to grow faster? Narrow your market. When I did this, my business doubled. Here’s why it works. You want your clients to think: • They explain our situation better than we do. • This is the perfect company to help us. • They know exactly what they’re doing. • They’ve done this before. • They understand us. • They care. That’s why niching down matters. Because you develop deep expertise. And it shows up in: • Your confidence • Your marketing • Your proposals • Your solutions In my first business, we provided data services to large nonprofits. That’s a big market, not a niche. Trade associations were different from charitable organizations, which were different from educational institutions. It was impossible for our messaging and solutions to fit all of them. We analyzed who needed us the most. The answer was trade associations. We committed. Turned away other work. And doubled our revenue. Prove your model in one industry first. Then later expand into other markets with confidence. It’s the same reason I don’t work with startups today. It’s not my expertise. I work with consulting and professional services founders who’ve been in business 5+ years and feel frustrated and trapped. Because I know exactly how they feel. I’ve been there. I know the way out. And I can explain it clearly. Be a leader in a niche market. • Your solutions are precise • You don't compete on price • Quality becomes consistent • You can systematize and scale • It’s more fulfilling for your team Your clients will say: “I’d be crazy to work with anyone else.”

I grew an email list from 0 to 500K subscribers in just 10 months for a weekly travel email series. Here’s exactly how we did it: First, nail your strategy. → Identify scalable acquisition channels (cold email, giveaways, social media). → Focus on creating top-notch content that people love. Second, here’s a list of do’s and don’ts based on our success: 1. COLD EMAIL: DON’T: Treat cold email like spam. DO: Use data to personalize at scale. We built a tool that searched Instagram for public data: - Hashtags (like #travel or #wanderlust). - Geotags (places they visited). - Followed accounts (@natgeo, etc.). This allowed us to write hyper-personalized emails with subject lines like: - “Your #hashtag photo” - “Came across your Instagram” Results: 45-50% open rates, 10-15% CTRs, and 200K subscribers from this channel alone. Pro Tip: Warm up your email servers before scaling. Platforms like Gmass + SendGrid worked wonders for us. 2. GIVEAWAYS: DON’T: Run generic giveaways that only attract freebie hunters. DO: Offer niche rewards your audience actually wants. We gave away free flights and hotel stays (funded by rewards miles) and incentivized sharing. Every referral earned bonus entries, creating a viral loop. Results: 5K-15K new subscribers per giveaway, with tools like Gleam and ViralLoops doing the heavy lifting. 3. SOCIAL MEDIA: DON’T: Spend months building social accounts from scratch. DO: Buy and rebrand existing accounts in your niche. We acquired travel-themed Instagram accounts with 700K followers for $10K, then grew the network to 2.2M followers. Here’s how we used them: - Drove traffic to our website, giveaways, and landing pages. - Automated email collection through DMs using tools like MassPlanner. - Created Facebook Groups (30K members), collecting emails via sign-up questions. 4. AMBASSADOR PROGRAM: DON’T: Waste money on influencers who don’t convert. DO: Partner with micro-influencers and reward them based on performance. We recruited 100s of travel influencers from our email data and incentivized them with swag and free travel. Results: Tens of thousands of new subscribers at a cost of just a few cents per email. --- To recap: 1. Personalize cold emails with data. 2. Use giveaways and social proof to fuel virality. 3. Build or buy niche audiences and grow from there. These strategies helped us scale fast. Your email list is one of the best assets you can build. Start experimenting and watch it grow.

A brand came to us because a competitor went from zero to number one in their category in under 6 months. They were panicking. They'd been the dominant brand in their niche for years. Strong organic rankings. Good reviews. Loyal customers. But this new competitor wasn't playing in their niche. They were playing in the broader category. Let me explain. The brand owned a specific segment — think of it like owning "organic dog treats" while the competitor went after "dog treats" overall. The niche had about 700,000 searches a year. Solid, but capped. One single broad category keyword had 57,000 searches PER MONTH. The competitor targeted the broad category from day one. Aggressive ads. Clean listing. Competitive price point. Within months they were selling 20,000+ units per month on a single listing. That's roughly $320,000 a month. On one ASIN. When I pulled the impression share report for the brand, they were number 40 for the broad category keyword. Number 40. They weren't even in the conversation. Meanwhile, they were number 1 or 2 for every niche keyword in their segment. Dominant in a small room. Invisible in the building. Here's the thing — the brand actually had better differentiation. Licensed IP. Higher perceived value. A product people already loved. But none of that matters if shoppers searching the broad term never see you. The strategy shift was clear: 👉 Target the broader category keywords aggressively, even at a higher ACOS initially 👉 Lead with the lower price point SKU to compete on the search results page 👉 Use the licensed products as the differentiator once you earn the click 👉 Run sponsored display on the competitor's listing — we already had conversion data showing it would work You can dominate your niche and still be invisible in your category. The ceiling isn't your product. It's the keywords you're willing to go after.

For the last 3 months, I have chatted with a different leader who is running a HubSpot solutions partner every week. I've asked them the same questions. What do you wish you did earlier? And they all say the same things: "I wish I niched faster." It's odd how it works. Constraints on a business actually "unlocks" rather than restrict. Here is why it works: 1. Expertise Development: Specializing allows a company to develop deep knowledge and skills in a specific area, enhancing the quality and effectiveness of its services. This is a double dose of goodness - because it helps train and attract new talent as well. 2. Targeted Marketing: A niche focus enables more precise marketing efforts, making it easier to connect with and attract the ideal customer base. Don't sleep on this. When you aren't everything to everybody, you get to be someone to somebody. Solve a clear pain and do it well. 3. Reduced Competition: By serving a specific segment, companies face less competition and can dominate smaller markets more effectively. Said another way, be known for 1 thing. Be the best at that 1 thing. 4. Increased Customer Loyalty: Specializing helps in understanding and meeting the unique needs of a particular group, fostering stronger customer relationships and loyalty. You can start building "systems" or "IP" around pain points in your niche. 5. Operational Efficiency: Focusing on a niche streamlines operations and resource allocation, enhancing efficiency and potentially increasing profitability. In other words, you can give more value faster. Now niching isn't just "industry" specific. You can solve function specific or combine the two. Example: 1) Best service company at HubSpot to Salesforce Sync 2) Best service company at HubSpot to Netsuite sync for industrial 3) Best service company for running outbound plays for Saas In Hubspot. 4) Best service company for HubSpot + [enter industry or function] Go all in. You won't regret it. Stay awesome -Matt

Most people think growth only comes with the title. It doesn’t. It’s been over 4 years since I was a VP of Marketing. And my growth only came after I walked away from it. Why? Because I like too many people: → Set impossible standards. → Tried to hit them overnight. → Thought in days instead of years. → Obsessed over vanity metrics. → Burned out and went numb from too much overstimulation… But years of trial and (t)error later taught me what actually works: → Authority and results attract clients—content alone never will. And when you put it into practice, here’s what that looks like: 1 | Owning your niche The sharper the audience, the faster the brand grows. “Anyone in business” isn’t a niche. But “[x industry] executives navigating digital transformation”? That makes people stop scrolling. 2 | Showing up consistently Authority isn’t built in bursts. It comes from being a steady voice people can rely on. 5 years later, people still contact me and remember my posts from 2020, and they are ready to work with me. (And no, consistency doesn’t mean daily) 3 | Leading with your story. Facts tell. Stories sell. That's just what it is. When I launched The Borden Group in 2021, sharing my journey—the f ups as much as the wins—pulled people in. 4 | Speaking to the right people. The right message makes the future client say: “They’re talking directly to me.” 5 | Showing the answer first. Don’t promise you can fix it. Show how you already did. Proof converts faster than pitches. 6 | Compounding visibility. Show up where your audience already spends time. If they are reading Harvard Business Review on Saturday mornings or listening to niche podcasts on Sunday, it makes sense to be there too. Then bring them back to you. 7 | Checking your ego. Feedback from fresh eyes is free data. Use it. Sometimes the most obvious thing is in front of you. The long game works... Start building now for the next season of your career. P.S. My growth hasn't just been about the career wins. I've been building a life and a brand that complement each other.

How questions, not product demos, built our 2,000-person waitlist: Early on, I didn’t have a single “magic bullet” growth hack that unlocked massive sales overnight. Instead, I focused on grassroots tactics that consistently moved the needle. One of my most impactful strategies was joining hundreds of parent support groups on Facebook, specifically those centered on autism and special needs. Once inside, I asked for feedback. I intentionally didn’t sell. By creating a two-way dialogue with our prospective users, it helped me shape a better product while also building an email list of a couple thousand people who felt personally invested in what we were creating. Once we officially launched, that community was primed and ready to buy because they’d been part of the journey from the start. Another underrated tip for early growth, especially for consumer-facing products, is engaging with every single comment on your ads. Too often, brands run social media ads, see a flood of comments, but never respond. By replying to each person, you spark mini-conversations that build trust and can even show up in that user’s friends’ feeds, generating organic reach beyond the paid campaign. From day one, we bet big on authenticity. Whether online or in person, I showed up as a real human being. I listened to feedback, asked questions, and stayed open about our progress and challenges. This not only validated demand but also created a sense of community around our brand. In niches like ours, where word of mouth is vital, that genuine connection can make or break your initial traction.

Talk Broadly, Build Narrowly Recently, a founder asked me whether she should start broad or narrow when exploring business ideas. Here's my advice for those facing similar dilemmas: Start Broad, Execute Narrow 1. Cast a Wide Net: Begin by talking to potential customers across a broad segment. For instance, if you're interested in serving postpartum women, explore various pain points: - Medical advice needs - Support group requirements - Product recommendations - Baby care challenges - Self-care struggles 2. Identify the Passionate Few: Segment your research and pinpoint the group with the most pressing needs and highest engagement. 3. Build for the Niche: Focus your initial product development on this passionate subset, bring them along as design partners for your product. Addressing the "Too Niche" Concern Some worry about a market being too niche. However: - #Traction Trumps Breadth: It's far easier to gain traction in a narrow market than to build broadly and resonate with no one. - #Expansion Comes Later: Once you've established a foothold, you can expand by: - Serving adjacent markets - Deepening your offering to existing customers Additional reasons why it's easier to go niche - Become the Expert: Establish yourself as the go-to authority in your niche through content marketing and thought leadership. - Leverage Community: Build a strong community around your niche. Engaged users become your best advocates. - Iterate Rapidly: In a small market, you can quickly test and refine your product based on direct user feedback. - Find Underserved Segments: Look for niches within niches that larger competitors might overlook. - Partner Strategically: Collaborate with complementary businesses serving the same niche to expand your reach. Many successful companies started by dominating a niche before expanding (Amazon started with used books, Doordash started with deliveries in Palo Alto, Uber started with excess inventory of black cars). Focus on solving a specific problem exceptionally well, and growth opportunities will follow. Have you found success by starting narrow or broad? #StartupStrategy #NicheMarkets #EntrepreneurshipTips #ProductDevelopment

When launching growth initiatives, we often aim for their Total Addressable Market (TAM)—the largest potential market we can reach. However, this can lead to spreading our efforts too thin and disappointing results. Instead, focusing on the Service Obtainable Market (SOM)—the segment we can realistically serve with current capabilities—provides a more achievable target and smarter resource allocation. Concentrating on SOM allows us to create strategies tailored to the specific needs of the customers we are prepared to serve right now. This approach aligns better with current market demands and increases the potential for sustainable growth. Starting strong in a smaller area can pave the way for broader success later. Examples: • 𝗚𝗲𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗵𝗶𝗰 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻: A dessert brand focuses on introducing its new frozen treat in warmer temp regional markets with a known appreciation for frozen desserts before planning a nationwide launch. • 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗲: A beverage company launches a new line of organic juices in cities known for health-conscious consumers to test market reaction before rolling it out to broader markets. • 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗩𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹: A gourmet snack company begins selling its new artisanal chocolates in upscale grocery stores, aiming to establish a premium brand image before expanding to more general supermarkets. To do this... 1. We have to say 'NO' to the allure of being opportunistic 2. We have to say "YES' to winning where we've already got strength 3. We have to niche down into our SOM until it hurts (especially for visionaries) Last year, we were winning new clients at Schaefer in many categories. Sidnee and I were saying "yes" a lot. We saw opportunities everywhere, and we doubled our revenue year over year. That sounds like a win, right? Wrong. Not all growth is healthy. In the process, we discovered that our win rates were far lower outside of our niche (food & beverage). We were expending far more energy into these other deals than when we showed up to a new opportunity with the deep experience we have in food and beverage brands. The difference was stark! By conserving more energy and resources during the sales and operations process, we've found that we win more work, have better output across all clients, and are carving out a leadership position as a boutique research and marketing strategy firm helping food, beverage, and nutrition brands nail their next expansion. How can being more focused on the customers you currently serve help you find more success? --------------------------------------------------------------- 🤔 Poor strategy kills even the greatest effort --------------------------------------------------------------- Need help entering a new market? Geography | Verticals | Product | M&A We can help you make the right decisions. Backed by strategy.