The Internet Is Like Tokyo
There is room for any niche in the big wide world that is the Internet
Introduction
The Internet is like Tokyo is a big idea within the Impact Generation. It is a way to describe the incredible amount of freedom you have to pursue NEARLY any interest.
It is also the antidote to a couple of big problems of modern e-commerce:
Soulless marketing - The relentless pursuit of sales based on highly optimized sales funnels and emotionally manipulative copy.
Shallow content - Cheap AI or human produced content that is like filler and which now floods much of social media and the web.
In this post, I’d like to break down this idea of the Internet being like Tokyo, and provide some implications for you as a sovereign creator of the Impact Generation.
The Internet Is Like Tokyo
The original phrase comes from an an interview that Derek Thompson did with Masters in Business (link here for full interview). Derek is a writer for the Atlantic. In the interview he is asked how writers can break through the noise.
His advice is applicable across any discipline or market.
“There's a paradox to scale. People who want to be big sometimes think, “I have to immediately reach the largest possible audience.” But no, weirdly. The best way to produce things that take off is to produce small things. To become a small expert, to become the best person on the internet at understanding the application of medicaid to minority children or something like that.
And the reason I think this is true is my Tokyo example. If you go to Tokyo, you'll see there are all sorts of strange shops. They'll be a shop that's only nineteen seventies vinyl and nineteen eighties whiskey. And that doesn't make any sense if it's a shop in a Des Moines suburb, right? To exist in a Des Moines suburb, you have to be Subway. You have to hit the mass market immediately.
But in Tokyo, where there's thirty, forty million people within a train ride of the city, right then your market is forty million. And within that forty million, there's a couple of thousand people who love nineteen seventies music and nineteen eighties whiskey.
The Internet is Tokyo.
The Internet allows you to be niche at scale.
Here are a few takeaways.
First, to be niche at scale means that even though your craft, market or niche might appear narrow in scope, the size of the Internet audience is so vast, that your tiny audience can still be quite large.
It is possible to grow into a healthy size business serving a small portion of the Internet.
Secondly, if your vibe is more offbeat, eccentric, weird, or quirky, it won’t matter. There are large pockets of weirdness in a virtual city of 5 billion people.
Why Passionate Niche Audiences?
One of the principles we stress within the Impact Generation is to build out passionate, niche audiences. I define niches as groups of people with similar characteristics AND / OR similar problems to solve.
Thus, it can be weekend warriors who drive a Harley OR folks who are looking for adventurous eco-tours. The first niche is more limited, while the second can incorporate various groups looking to solve the same problem.
Remember also that you can start with one group of people, generate results, then expand to other groups.
There are many advantages to adopting this approach to building an audience.
Your research can be more focused and in-depth - When you concentrate on getting to know a passionate niche, there is less background material to cover. You can also do deep dives on your audience’s profile. All of this helps with messaging and product development.
Your messaging will pop - When you try to reach the masses, you get plain vanilla messaging. Blah. But when you focus on a tiny audience you get message coherence combined with emotion. An ad for motorcycle riders will not create the same visceral reaction as one for white collar weekend warriors who drive a Harley.
Niche audiences tend to be more passionate - People love to be part of groups, especially VIP groups, or those who have particular hobbies or passions.
You escape the noise and hype of traditional marketing - There’s a certain grind now to traditional marketing campaigns and having to create complicated funnels with persuasive copy. Let everyone else fight it out with the piranhas. You can focus on serving a smaller subset of people, while making real connections with folks who are passionate about the same things.
Your content can be more in-depth - Passionate niche audiences want to learn all there is about their chosen hobby or interest. You have an incredible opportunity to research and write in-depth articles that provide insightful and valuable information.
Conclusion
Internalizing the idea that the Internet is like Tokyo, allows you to get very personal with your brand. You can pursue your genuine interests and passions knowing that there’s room for the eccentric and unique in the wide expanse that is the Internet.
By the way, if you need help in uncovering the wonderful traits and skills that could turn into a viable business for you, I invite you to learn about our One Workshop Away model. That training is part of our awareness campaign as we prepare to open the doors to our One Workshop Away community.
Stay tuned.
Here’s to your success!
Gustavo
