Could 2012 Be The Year Of The Niche Social Media Site?

We’re only eleven days into the new year and already there has been a lot of activity among the major social media players. With Facebook, Twitter and Google+ vying for people’s attention, it’s become harder and harder for new sites to gain a foothold as they are automatically compared to the main players.

But with the numerous changes made to Facebook and Google+ to try and make their sites into a online hub for all your activity, it means that sites which focus on a particular quality will stand out far more. It’s a strategy that’s been adapted by big companies such as Microsoft (university students) and Warner Bros (family photos) as well as former social media giants MySpace (Music and celebrity).

These are just some examples of  a massive field that will only continue to grow. Yet with users who have become more savvy with social media and smartphones, this could be the year where they will pick social media sites that reflect their personality and interests. The landscape is ever changing and such movement will be beneficial for both users and smaller developers for the following reasons:

The Rapid Growth of Mobile

The most obvious reason is that the explosive growth of smartphone owners means that there will be an increased focus on the mobile experience, developing accompanying apps for every site. The spontaneity associated with updating or posting something anywhere you go is addictive , and so more and more people are updating via smartphones or tablets. It’s come to the point that any self respecting social media site has a dedicated app for users to download and this year, the benefits of such a feature will become even more apparent.

The Major Players Are Fighting Among Themselves

This has been mostly limited to Facebook and Google+, but with the search changes made by Google yesterday, this fight has recently engulfed Twitter too. Both Facebook and Google+ have been making significant changes over the past few months not only to score points against the other, but to make their site a central hub where all web activity converges.

Consider Facebook’s recent additions to the site outside of Timeline: social reading, social music via Spotify and now actions. Because Facebook’s rapid growth is going to end one way or another, their strategy is shifting to giving users more reasons to make their page the first one you upload. And that doesn’t mean Google+ aren’t trying to do the same either – their addition of social search yesterday was perhaps their most blatant attempt to convince people to use the service yet.

Ultimately it means that people will become disillusioned with these changes and reactions that they will then look elsewhere for social media interaction, sites that focus on making the experience consistent and free flowing.

Diverse Choice; Tailored To Specific Interests

With more and more social media sites and apps appearing before us, we are truly spoilt for choice when it comes to range. There are apps and sites which focus on specific areas such as photography, food, tourism, art, and even emergencies. Through this, you’ll be able to interact with like-minded people who share the same interests, apparent since the site in question will appeal to a particular demographic.

One example would be Oink, a review site designed to help users discover new places to eat and drink. The app is simple, to the point and targets a specific demographic (food lovers). Because of this, it has gained popularity in the U.S., where the app is designed mainly for those living in urban areas, and continues to grow over there (however Europe isn’t as quick to pick up).

Easier To Establish A Core Audience

The most important factor for startups or companies dipping their toes into the market is whether there’s an audience for their site, and there’s no better way to establish a foothold than to focus on a niche interest. Referring back to the examples given at the start, there’s a greater chance of success if a site focuses on a particular niche and focus on a single strength instead of trying to shoot at many different targets at once.

While the audience size is determined by the niche you’re appealing to, once you’ve appealed to them, you’ve obtained a core audience who will be loyal to your service. Developing a community tends to be the hardest part for any social media outlet to achieve – just look at Google+ – and knowing your target audience goes a long way towards establishing a site or app.

One app that’s received a lot of coverage recently is Path, which is similar to Facebook but instead gives you a limit of 150 friends to connect with. This appealed to those who felt that Facebook lost its purpose when you could become friends with someone you had minimal or no contact with, meaning you could connect and share information with those who truly matter to you. The fact that it’s a well designed app also helps matters.