Finding Your Niche

Niche and niche marketing often involve building communities around specific interests or gaming niches. Gamers interested in niches can learn how to engage with and contribute to these communities, connect with like-minded individuals, and participate in discussions related to their niche interests.

This article explores what a niche is, the benefits of it, and how to keep growing.

What is a Niche?

A niche is a segment of the market or a very specific area of a broader industry that focuses on a particular kind of service or product.

In gaming, it can refer to finding an RTS game from 10 years ago that you hyper-focus on or being a master of an oddly specific Minecraft mod.

It's all about that special part of this bigger cake that you can call yours and can build a community around.

4 Benefits of Finding Your Niche

Now that we know what a niche is, let's examine a couple of key benefits that finding one brings to you as a content creator or a coach.

Attract a dedicated customer following: when you immerse yourself in a specific niche, you meet like-minded people who are also passionate about that particular topic. Thanks to it, it's significantly easier for your thoughts and insights to resonate. The following you gather is not only more engaged with what you do but they're bound to stay with you longer.

Distinguish yourself within your industry: At times, you can find certain industries and areas completely saturated with content and it becomes significantly more difficult for you to become noticeable. Within a niche, by definition, there are fewer competitors and possible - there could be none! You might actually be able to be the pioneer of a motif, content, or subgenre within an already existing community and cultivate very strong brand loyalty. There is no one who tries to win games of Magic: the Gathering with only mathematically optimal decks whose contents are semi-randomly dictated by die rolls but - you can be one!

Align with thriving trends: Once you've carved out a piece of that market niche cake for yourself, you can very easily follow trends within that narrow segment. You'll both be able to keep up with and capitalize on the most current trends, allowing you to deliver desired content to your target audience. You can use Google Trends to come up with product ideas or coaching topics that will answer the most burning questions.

Reduce advertising expenses: When it comes to your marketing expenses, be it Facebook campaigns or Google Ads, it's much easier to focus on a target market and a specific customer base than try to conquer the whole mass market. The marketing strategy will revolve around your niche and targeted demographics but thanks to all the specific info you have, any campaigns you undertake are much more likely to succeed rather than be a hit-or-miss. 

How to find your niche?

Now that we know what a niche is and what benefits it brings we need to get to actual work and try to find it! There are a couple of steps I recommend.

1. Find something you're passionate aboutsome text
   1. If you want to find a proper niche, it's best if you're personally an enthusiast of the topic. People will know if the passion you're exuding is organic and natural or pretended. You might already know that you love FPS games but that's a tad too broad still. Narrow it down to a specific game or subgenre - and maybe even a motif within it. Maybe be an expert on hand guns in FPS triple A games?
2. See if there is a market for itsome text
   1. When you know what that niche is, you need to verify whether there are people who'd be interested in reading about it, hearing about it, being coached about it.  Do some research by scouring through forums, reddit posts, discords, facebook groups. You can also try to find a phrase in Google Trends to see if there are people who are actively trying to find something out.
3. Validate your ideasome text
   1. When you think there is a market, now it's time to validate the idea somehow. Go small-ball and post here and there about it - focus on how people react, how many people engage. This is your way of verifying whether you can stir the pot a little bit.
4. Establish yourself as an authority on the topicsome text
   1. You want people to turn to you when in doubt. Show how passionate, engaged, up-to-date, and knowledgable you are about the niche so you're the first person they think of in that area. 
5. Go for it!some text
   1. There's nothing left but to just do it! You can start a YouTube channel, Twitch streaming, or maybe a Metafy blog to showcase your knowledge and dedication. Bear in mind though - building a community takes time. Don't get discouraged and go for it!

Niches Done Right

Let me give you my favourite examples of people who dominated a niche.

- Tolarian Community College. A YouTube channel with almost 100k subs run by Professor. He started out with a professor persona who's well dressed and educated. But his popularity really skyrocketed when he delved deeper into a very niche topic. Within the gaming sphere, he chose TCGs. Further within that, he focused on Magic: the Gathering. That's not all! Within it, he established himself as a true, no-fluff product tester who tears sleeves apart, throws boxes on the floor, and puts cards into water to see if they get wet. He looks at products and accessories on the market and puts them to proper tests to see if they're worth it. His reviews are always constructive and done in good faith. Great niche choice!

- Beastyqt from Age of Empires IV. He used to play Starcraft but now solely focuses on Age of Empires IV. So within the game industry he went for RTSs, and within that one specific title that's not necessarily the most popular. He then added his personality on top to make content truly his. His engaged audience gives him ideas on what to record and, because the content is community, gets regular viewership. Some of his recurring motifs are tier lists and reacting to people malding on reddit.

How to grow your niche

Growing your niche in the gaming industry involves several strategic steps tailored to engage and expand your audience:

1. Community Building: Foster a strong sense of community among your existing audience by creating spaces for engagement, such as forums, Discord servers, or social media groups. Encourage discussions, feedback, and user-generated content to deepen connections and attract new members.

2. Content Creation: Produce high-quality, relevant content that resonates with your niche audience. This could include gameplay videos, tutorials, reviews, or analysis tailored to their interests. Regularly update your content to keep your audience engaged and attract new followers through platforms like YouTube, Twitch, or blogs.

3. Collaborations and Partnerships: Collaborate with other influencers, content creators, or gaming communities within your niche to expand your reach and tap into new audiences. Partnering with like-minded individuals or organizations can introduce your brand to their followers while providing valuable cross-promotional opportunities.

4. Diversification of Content and Platforms: Explore new types of content and platforms to reach a broader audience within your niche. Experiment with different formats, genres, or topics while staying true to your niche's interests and preferences. Additionally, consider expanding beyond your primary platform (e.g., Twitch streaming to YouTube videos) to diversify your audience and mitigate risk.

5. Events and Tournaments: Organize or participate in gaming events, tournaments, or conventions relevant to your niche. Hosting or sponsoring events allows you to showcase your brand, connect with your audience in-person or virtually, and establish your authority within the niche. Additionally, participating in industry events can provide networking opportunities and exposure to potential collaborators or partners.

6. Feedback and Iteration: Continuously gather feedback from your audience to understand their evolving preferences and needs. Use this feedback to refine your content, engagement strategies, and offerings to better serve your niche community. Iterating based on audience input demonstrates your commitment to their satisfaction and fosters a sense of ownership within the community.

By implementing these strategies consistently and authentically, you can cultivate a thriving and expanding niche within the gaming industry, driving sustained growth and success over time.

Moving forward with Metafy

If you'd like to tap into a gaming niche by showing off your expertise and knowledge, join our Metafy community and become a pillar of your future niche today!