Small but mighty, niche influencers can create an impressive impact on your influencer marketing strategy. The ability to connect with a highly targeted audience can be valuable to brands looking to reach specific groups.
Keep reading to learn how your brand can harness the power of niche influencers.
What is a niche influencer, and how do they vary from micro and macro influencers?
A niche influencer is a creator with a smaller, but extremely engaged audience within a specific interest or industry. Not to be confused with micro influencers, who have small followings, but may cover a variety of topics, niche influencers only post about a specific area of interest. Niche influencers generally have smaller followings, so they are also often defined as micro influencers.
Essentially, not all micro influencers are niche, and not all niche influencers are micro, but they often do overlap. Got it? Good.
What do niche influencers post about? Whatever is in their niche! Niche influencers can cover topics including technology, food, gym/fitness, biking, camping, skin care, pets and other interests, but they stick to one specialized area. Almost anything that has some sort of following can be its own niche and have its own influencers.
In contrast, macro influencers are those with large followings, at least 100,000 and sometimes over a million followers. Macro influencers are often celebrities, public figures or celebrity influencers whose following have substantially grown over time.
What are the benefits of working with a niche influencer?
When creating your influencer marketing strategy, a targeted influencer campaign can be a valuable resource. Think about it: this niche influencer has the attention of a target audience—your target audience—interested in exactly your vertical.
There are several benefits to using a niche influencer marketing strategy:
Higher engagement – With a very focused account and small community, engagement rates are generally higher. Sprout Social found that micro influencers, which many niche influencers are with smaller followings, had a 6% engagement rate compared to the 1.97% of macro influencers.
Cost effective – Niche influencers also come at a more affordable rate since the following is smaller. This means you can work with more influencers within a specified budget.
Highly-targeted reach – Macro influencers have a wide following with large demographic ranges and interests. With a niche influencer, you know you’re talking to your people.
Authenticity and trust – Again, because niche influencers often have a close online community, the authenticity and trust with the audience is already baked into the content.
Pro tip: Don’t micromanage your influencer when it comes to posts about your brand. Let them connect authentically with the audience through their own voice and style.
How can you work with niche influencers to reach your goals?
Before engaging with a niche influencer, consider what your influencer marketing strategy goals will be. Niche influencers can help brands reach a variety of marketing objectives including:
- Boosting engagement
- Announcing products and product launches
- Brand awareness campaigns
- Increasing conversion rates
- Building trust and community
- Improving website or landing page traffic
- Bolstering social media and follower count
How to select a niche influencer partner
Okay, so you’re excited about finding a niche influencer. We don’t blame you! How do you know which creator is the right person for your influencer marketing strategy?
When selecting your niche influencer partner, consider audience alignment, engagement rates vs. follower count, content and style fit, content quality and posting cadence, shared values and how the influencer themselves engages with the audience.
Why partnering with an agency is smart
You want to make the right choices in your niche influencer partners, after all, these people will be representing your brand and communicating directly with your target audience. That’s why having an agency guide the selection of your niche influencer(s) is a smart move. PR agencies have the expertise, efficiency, connections and knowledge of influencer contracts to help you and your new influencer start a mutually beneficial relationship.
A targeted niche
Your influencer marketing strategy may benefit from harnessing the power of niche influencers. These creators may have small followings but can pack a mighty punch when it comes to making an impression with a targeted audience. If your brand is interested in working with a niche influencer, consider campaign goals first, and then seek out an influencer that is a good fit for your brand.
Beyond Fifteen offers expertise in influencer marketing and can help identify and get the most value out of partnerships with niche influencers on behalf of your brand. Connect with the influencer marketing team at Beyond Fifteen to learn more.
