Social Media Marketing in a Niche Nobody Cares About

Forget Gen Z trends and viral dances. My battleground is beige, my weapon of choice, well, it’s actually beige too (okay, it’s Canva). No, I’m not a beige enthusiast gone rogue, I was a social media coordinator for a flooring company — the thrilling world of carpets, tiles, and oh-so-much laminate, and I’m here to share what I learned.

Yes, you read that right. The industry that hasn’t seen a revolution since shag carpeting went out of style (and let’s be honest, it shouldn’t have come back). So, how do you get someone to care about something that’s about as exciting as watching paint dry? Buckle up, content creators, because I’m here to spill the tea (beige tea, naturally) on my ride of niche social media marketing.

Challenge #1: Attention Deficit in Aisle 4

Let’s face it, flooring isn’t exactly trending on TikTok. The competition for eyeballs in the social media sphere is fierce,and let’s just say “luxury vinyl plank” doesn’t exactly have the same ring as “life hack”, “kbeauty” or “cat fails.” My first hurdle? Grabbing attention in a sea of screaming trends.

Strategy Shift: Niche Down, Humor Up

Instead of fighting the current, I embraced the niche. I became the queen of “flooring memes,” the master of “carpet puns,” and the whisperer of “DIY flooring installation” (because let’s be honest, we’ve all been there). Humor became my secret weapon, turning dry topics into relatable content that resonated with our audience.

Challenge #2: Tradition on Repeat: Marketing the Monochromatic

Flooring may be practical, but let’s be honest, it’s not exactly known for its pizzazz. How do you make beige sound exciting? Well, you don’t. Instead, I focused on showcasing the transformation. Renderings and Before-and-after photos became my best friends, highlighting the dramatic impact new flooring could have on a space. User-generated content became another key player, letting our business development team and customers be the trendsetters, showing off their unique flooring choices, the company culture and inspiring others.

Niche market and fixed mindsets

It’s important to mention that I faced significant pushback from my manager on most of the new trends I attempted to implement, which definitely impacted my creative freedom. However, I strongly believe that the success of social media heavily relies on the initiative and risk-taking of the people who manage it. If your channel isn’t growing, it might be because the team isn’t willing to try new things and embrace evolving trends. Take Duolingo’s social media team, for example. They’re a fantastic example of a team that’s bold, unhinged, authentic, and constantly stays ahead of the curve. This wasn’t the case at my previous company.

Unfortunately, the market itself was extremely niche, and the marketing approach felt stuck in the early 2000s. While I was eager to shake things up and brought numerous fresh ideas to the table, only about 40% of them were approved, often with heavy modifications. Therefore, it’s difficult for me to accurately assess the impact of my efforts on growth, considering much of my content was significantly altered. In reality, I felt I was mostly generating mass-produced, unoriginal, and mundane content. My goal was to build a community through humor, relatability, and leveraging current social media trends. I truly believe that social media is often an escape for many users, so it’s crucial to create engaging and fun content that doesn’t solely focus on pushing sales. The idea is to attract leads and attention first, then nurture them into friends and customers.

Challenge #3: Building a Community on a Foundation of Tiles

Remember, social media isn’t just about shouting into the void. It’s about building a community. In the land of linoleum,that meant creating a space for commercial builders to share their projects, ask for advice, and celebrate their construction wins. While it was incredibly hard to pull a lot of people in, slowly but surely, a community of flooring enthusiasts started to blossom.

The Takeaway: Niche Doesn’t Mean Niche Engagement

Being a social media coordinator in a niche market may seem like an uphill battle, but it’s one that was worth fighting. With a little creativity, humor, and a focus on building genuine connections, you can turn even the most mundane topic into engaging content. So, the next time you think social media marketing is all about the latest trends, remember,sometimes the most rewarding journeys happen on the least-traveled paths. While I’m not with that company anymore and probably won’t take up another social media gig again- I learned alot during my time there. And hey, who knows, maybe one day I’ll even make beige cool (don’t hold your breath).

P.S. If you have any flooring puns, feel free to drop them in the comments. Beige puns are always welcome in my world.