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- We're wrong about niche
It’s November 8th and today we’re talking about depth vs. breadth and the one critical piece no one’s talking about.
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We are way wrong about niche
This is Bob. He grows tomatoes.
hey
In fact, Bob obsesses over tomatoes. Bob’s dedication to his craft has landed him several fruitful contracts with local grocers and canneries. He spends his leisure time on Reddit debating about the merits of Brad’s Atomic, hydroponics, and the beefiness of Cuore di Bue. He loves to talk shop.
Mari wants to build a community. She’s been considering which niche to serve and is all but committed to creating a space for tomato growers. Her grandfather was one and she knows just enough to understand that there is an underserved need. She starts putting a plan together and even throws up a landing page with the headline “You say tomato, we say hell yes!”
Mari is about to make Bob’s dreams come true.
As she’s planning her community launch, she gets lots of advice.
“You’re missing a big piece of the market.”
“What other grower types have the same problem?”
“You could make more by serving more people.”
“Tomatoes taste like dirt!”
The last part wasn’t helpful but after some consideration, she decided to open her community to all growers. The new headline read “Growing better, together.” She launched.
It never crossed Bob’s radar.
You may be thinking: not another lecture on niche. The idea of narrow focus is so ubiquitous—is there anything left to say?
But if we understood the merits of niche, we wouldn’t be seeing failed marketing, generic communities, and products for no one continue to make their rounds.
The community never crossed Bob’s radar because there was nothing remarkable about it. Nothing so compelling that a friend would see it and think of him. No reason for him to find the landing page and say “Woah!”
The discussion around niche is often missing a huge part of the equation. It’s subtle, it’s not talked about often, and even if you pick just the right people, if you miss it, you’ll fail.
The Depth-Breadth Dilemma
Depth involves creating an intimate, tightly-knit community where members share a strong bond and often have specialized interests. In contrast, breadth focuses on casting a wider net, aiming to include a more diverse range of members, even if their interests are less specialized.
The choice between depth and breadth is not a one-size-fits-all solution. It depends on the goals, vision, and target audience of the brand community you're building. Let's break down the pros and cons of each approach:
The Power of Depth
Stronger Connections: Members of a niche community tend to bond more deeply due to shared interests. These connections have the biggest influence on a community’s longevity.
Higher Engagement: In-depth discussions and specialized content often result in higher engagement levels. Members are more likely to participate actively because so many of the conversations feel directly applicable.
Expertise and Authority: Niche communities can establish the brand as an authority in a specific field, attracting those seeking guidance and knowledge.
However, there are also some challenges associated with depth:
Limited Growth Potential: Niche communities will struggle to expand, as they are exclusive by nature.
Risk of Stagnation: Deep communities can sometimes become too insular, risking stagnation in the long run.
The Power of Breadth
On the other hand, going for breadth has its own set of advantages:
Scale and Reach: Broader communities can grow rapidly, reaching a wider audience and potentially increasing brand exposure.
Diverse Perspectives: With a broader scope, you can benefit from a more diverse set of perspectives and ideas.
Adaptability: Breadth allows you to pivot and adapt more easily to changing market conditions and trends.
However, breadth also presents challenges:
Lower Engagement: With a more diverse audience, engagement can be diluted, and it can be challenging to create deep connections.
Competing for Attention: In a broader community, members may have multiple interests and commitments, making it challenging to hold their attention.
High Churn: Because of the two reasons above, these communities tend to see a high volume of attrition.
Garfield…put down the butcher knife
The internet changed the landscape of what it means to niche. If you had a weird affinity for blending Garfield and Cosmic Horror, you’d be hard-pressed to find folks in your town who shared your…proclivities.
But head over to the r/imsorryjon subreddit, and you’ll find almost a million new friends.
In particular, there have been four trends in community niche that have been steadily rising in popularity for the last two years:
Hyper-Personalization: Members are seeking even more personalized experiences within their communities. We’re seeing more communities tailor content and interactions to individual preferences. In fact, “How do you best like to experience community” has come up in three applications I’ve seen as of late.
Focused Curation: Programming efforts are seeing more and more curation, with posts and newsletters acting as a filtering mechanism so members can get relevant news and stories without having to leave the community space.
Cross-Pollination: The blending of different niches is on the rise. For example, while you may think Lessons in Chemistry is a novel story, a cooking community exploring the science of food can be found on multiple platforms, attracting a diverse audience interested in both culinary arts and science.
Hybrid Models: Some brands are finding success by combining deep and broad elements within their communities. They create hubs for core enthusiasts while also offering sections for casual participants. A sort of Disneyland approach, members can walk down Main street for general enjoyment but may veer off into Tomorrow-land for a more memorable experience. (For a short, fun rabbit hole, check out the origin of Disneyland Weenies, and how they’re used to reduce decision fatigue)
Missing the Mark
Living on the frontline of community, I get to see a lot: sad, quiet failures, brilliant, quiet success stories, and very loud versions of both—and the way we get this wrong is more subtle than we think.
The natural response is to say: ok, how can I take this group I want to serve and make it more specific?
You love the handyman lifestyle, so you decide to build a community specifically for Dewalt brand enthusiasts. You’ve niched well. The problem is that you’ve only understood 30% of the assignment.
The niche will allow you to target the right people and hopefully build great messaging. But time and again, even community builders with a well-selected focus will land in the wrong part of the breadth vs. depth quadrant.
Via Alan Mackenzie
They handle the breadth piece but forget about the depth. Narrow and shallow is the community with a great focus but lackluster experience and programming.
The right people + a clear idea of what the community will do once they get there = a winning community.
I don’t want you to just think about what you can serve, but how you will serve them.
Yes, I’m a Gryffindor 🙄
Unsurprisingly cliché, I am a Potterhead. I’ve read the books many times. I’ve watched the movies (eh). I have a Pottermore account. My plants are named after Hogwarts residents. I even played the Hogwarts Legacy game…twice.
If I saw a poster for a “Wizarding World” event, I would take an interest. If it were for a “Night in Hogwarts”, I wouldn’t even read it, I’d just give them my money.
However, if I showed up and the place looked lovely, people were nice, but we didn’t do much of anything except a lot of “what house are you in?” stuff, I’d be disappointed. I certainly wouldn’t go back. Because they threw out the bat Deathly Hallows signal, lured me in, but gave me nothing more than an average experience.
In summary: get clear on who you are serving, yes. Build it in a way that makes them feel unexpectedly seen. But once they sign up, know exactly where you’re going to take them, and how, because many beautiful promises have been made, and almost as many communities have died.
(By the way, if you want a great, three-minute walk-through of depth vs breadth, this video will give it to you.)
Onward,
April
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