What happens when a niche goes mainstream?
I was reading an interesting article by one online marketer that was serving the Sci. Fi. market. He was talking about how the popularity of TV shows like "Battlestar Galactica," "Lost,"and "Heroes" has contributed to the popularity of the genre.
What has been the results of that popularity? His Web site, and others like it, have experienced a huge slowdown in visitors.
Why is that happening? The mainstream media, and others not necessarily in the 
niche, are writing about it because the general population has an interest at this time. In other words the market has gotten big enough for general media sources to write about it.
The result is that visitors now can go to an increasingly large number of sites to get their information, so the huge slowdown in visitors to the site.
Is this the end of the site, and other niche sites? No! What is happening will eventually die down, and fans will return to those that specialize in what interests them.
What's important is to realize that a niche can suddenly surge in popularity and it can have a strong effect upon your online business. Have a backup plan or two in place to counter this possibility.
One thing that can be done is to have several niche sites if you're able to do that. Then you basically have a portfolio of sites that at any one time can carry the major load of the business.
The other thing is to have such a good site up that no matter how popular a niche gets, people will want to come to you for in-depth coverage.
Another idea is to have a mailing list that you can send interesting information to so that you can keep your site in the minds of your core group all the time. This is something that many niche online marketers won't do.
Do these things than you'll have a solid base in place to protect yourself from sudden surges in interest. If you have a true niche, this will always be a temporary situation. But temporary could go on for several years, so have backup in place.
Other Niche Marketing Resources:
Niche Marketing: Searching for a Profitable Niche
Niche Marketing: How to Define a Unique E-Business Niche
Niche Marketing vs Mass Marketing
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Tracked on: June 14, 2008 10:26 PM | Permalink to Trackback