by Kristina Knight

Social marketers have been looking for something that will push their products and services ahead of the pack. According to a new report from In-Stat, the key to pushing your brand is to create a social niche.

The study, US Online Social Networking - Here To Stay, states that niche sites are going to be the difference between a social marketing campaign and a social marketing campaign that works. This means that marketers need to define what audience is wanted and research which social platforms can deliver that specific audience.

"Development of niche social networking sites is an essential piece of the monetization puzzle," says Jill Meyers, In-Stat analyst. "The more specific a social networking site is to a select group of users, the more targeted the advertising can become; the more loyal the membership will be because it caters to specific interests; and the more opportunities the site will have to be profitable."

By 2012, there will be an estimated 92 million users on social networks. Currently only about 66% of social networkers pay for their social services and less than 20% access social platforms from mobiles. The mobile aspect will likely change as more mobile social platforms are created that appeal to consumers. The non-payment is not expected to change.

With most social networks allowing users to create free profiles, the consumers will want to continue in that vein.