ZocDoc has raised $15 million in a Series B round of funding, led by Founders Fund, which put $12 million into the pot. Serving people with immediate information about nearby doctors for setting appointments or making last-minute changes, ZocDoc has built a business around serving a niche.

While I’ve always been interested in ZocDoc’s service, it’s early progress was undoubtedly slowed by the underdeveloped accessibility options for its product. New tech like smartphones helped nurture the consumer desire for service-based products, addressing a specific need at any given moment. This is one major area ZocDoc will be focusing on with its latest funding round.

There’s also the healthcare side of things, which has seen a similar revolution thanks to technology and improved access to information. That means consumers and healthcare professionals are being served, and ZocDoc acts as a platform connecting the two.

“We are excited to be part of an amazing company that is truly reforming healthcare,” said Ken Howery, Managing Partner of Founders Fund. “Since their inception ZocDoc has helped hundreds of thousands of patients obtain access to quality healthcare and we look forward to supporting their nationwide growth to provide access for all Americans. It’s a major innovation in healthcare efficiency and we hope it will transform the way people interact with their doctors.”

The direct approach dosn’t always have to remain niche, however. With Twitter’s first @earlybird tweet today, a deal for Disney movie tickets is an enticing offer you get when you complete the cooperating purchase. The offer bandwagon has gotten pretty crowded, though the participation of sites like Twitter bring validation to the concept as a whole. Its ability to partner with large brands makes it worth the customer’s time, and presents an opportunity for them to benefit from an action they were likely to do anyway.

The real-time opportunities around this broader method to connecting brands and consumers has its own pros and cons, with incentives having an ability to become redundant in their social media (viral) approach. Nevertheless, it could become a tool that leverages both the broad and the specific needs of consumers, as Twitter layers in additional demographics like location to associate around a single tweet.

Whether service-based or fire-hosed, the options for focusing content around consumer and business needs are expanding with every uncovered niche. Unlike the web 2.0 era where niche audiences had to be individually catered to, you can more efficiently connect brands and consumers with the growing number of well-funded platforms.