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If your influencer marketing strategy seems to flat-line and you’re looking for a way to maximize your campaign ROI, you’re on the right page.
Niche influencers can boost your visibility and reputation.
But more than that, they can lead potential customers straight to purchase and keep them loyal to your brand.
Curious yet?
This article covers who niche influencers are and what potential benefits stem from this collaboration.
We’ll dissect plenty of examples, actionable insider tips, and the step-by-step process of influencer discovery and outreach.
Keep reading ahead.
TL;DR
- Niche influencers can supercharge your influencer marketing strategy.
- They have a devoted, specific audience and offer several advantages:
- Gain a competitive edge in your industry.
- Increase conversion rates with engaged followers.
- Create more persuasive and targeted content.
- Build loyal followers and boost brand loyalty.
- Optimize your marketing budget with cost-effective collaborations.
- Utilize social listening for audience insights.
- Benefit from long-term partnerships with niche influencers.
- Hire a nano-influencer marketing agency to find the best niche influencers for your campaigns.
What Is a Niche Influencer?
The term niche influencer is used interchangeably for very different types of influencers. Unfortunately, marketing experts can’t agree on the concept:
- Some sources claim niche influencers are all content creators that address tiny or popular niches, like fashion bloggers or beauty influencers.
- Others claim that niche social media influencers must be tiny and obscure, lurking in the shadows of Instagram or not being on social media at all.
A better definition would be this:
Niche influencers:
- Have a tight-knit group of followers
- Address a specific industry or niche topic
- Typically have a lower follower count, though they are not necessarily obscure
For example, Arlette is a physical therapist and competitive athlete whose Instagram name is @ageupwell.
Arlette is not your average fitness influencer; Arlette is a niche creator because she:
- Addresses the niche of people who want to age up well (notice the hashtag she uses, such as #over60exercise, #over50exercise, #over70exercise, and #geriatricphysicaltherapy.)
- Gives very targeted training advice.
- Engages massively with her audience in the comments, offering them actionable tips for specific problems. Notice the comment section above to see how productive her conversations are.
Why Niche Influencers Are a Great Choice for Your Next Campaign
Niche influencers have a slew of benefits that you can reap in your next micro-influencer campaign:
1. You Gain a Competitive Edge
Niche social media influencers have a specialized audience that focuses on a very specific need.
For example, some people are wary of singing in public. This could be an excellent target audience for you if:
- You have a music school for kids: You notice that students who dislike public performances tend to quit your courses, and you want to change that.
- You sell musical instruments: Many people purchase these instruments for mental health purposes but are wary of singing, even in front of their families.
Enter Canadian singer, songwriter, and teacher Lauren Halasz. With 108,000 followers on Instagram, Lauren is a micro - influencer.
Lauren specializes in improv exercises for people who fear sounding bad in public concerts:
Creators like Lauren can help position your brand in profitable niches, giving you a significant competitive edge. That’s how your products and services become the obvious choice.
2. You Can Increase Conversion Rates
Niche influencers have better user engagement rates because they:
- Are extremely interested in their niche: This type of influencer gets involved in conversations with their followers because that feels exciting to them.
- Typically have smaller, niche audiences: These are micro and nano-influencers with the time to interact with everyone.
- Have captive audiences: This niche subject is extremely important to their loyal audiences, who always ask questions or offer suggestions.
These active and engaged followers are more likely to convert because they trust your niche influencer.
Here’s self-titled “cheap holiday expert” Chelsea promoting a fishing vest on Instagram.
Chelsea’s niche is people interested in cheap travel hacks. In the clip above, she showcases a multi-pocket vest that helps people pack less, saving plane ticket money.
3. Your Content Is More Persuasive
Niche creators have specialized knowledge of their focus topic. This knowledge allows perfect influencers to create detailed, highly engaging, and quality content.
Macro-influencers with larger audiences or creators that address generic areas may not be aware of or skilled in discussing these niches.
This point matters because you can:
- Decrease ad fatigue.
- Be more relevant and persuasive, addressing a specialized segment with targeted arguments & product reviews.
For example, few people can discuss halal investing or offer affiliate codes to a niche app in this sector. But this Pakistani Muslim med student can and does:
4. You Gain More Loyal Followers
Niche influencers develop relationships with their followers. This relationship increases the likelihood of creating brand loyalty and customer retention.
Basically, adding niche influencers to your social media marketing mix cuts your sales funnel short.
Remember: Your audience perceives these niche influencers as experts and friends.
UGC stats show that 90% of people base their purchasing decisions on advice from peers. And if your product is good, your newly gained customers will stay loyal to your brand.
5. You Optimize Your Marketing Budget
Due to their smaller following size, these influencers can be easier (and often less expensive) to reach out to for partnerships or collaborations.
Saving these resources means you can reinvest them and ensure a successful influencer marketing campaign.
6. You Can Improve Future Campaigns with Social Listening
Niche influencer marketing gives you valuable insights into your audience. These creators deeply understand their followers in terms of their:
- Values
- Needs
- Preferred type of content
- And more
You can use this feedback to improve future influencer marketing campaigns and your products.
For example, TikTok creator Arc Warrior focuses on a niche topic in the parenting industry: helping kids recognize toxic mentors.
Arc Warrior discusses topics like the flying monkey and other potential issues. The comment section is a valuable treasure trove of information for his audience:
- Some people fear family members grooming kids.
- Others admit to using these negative patterns themselves.
- Some parents have already exercised prevention techniques.
And if you partner with this creator, your audience is his audience.
7. You Have a Good Option for Long-Term Partnership
Niche influencers offer a better opportunity for long-term collaborative posts. Conversely, mainstream influencers have limited availability and increased workloads from larger deals.
And mega influencers also have higher rates, which may not be great for your long-term budget.
How to Find Niche Influencers
Now that you know what niche creators are and how they can help your company expand, let’s see where you can find your ideal influencer.
1. Search Online Communities
Look for influencers in smaller, more specialized communities and platforms such as Reddit or Quora.
- Search for the topic you’re interested in on each platform.
- Shortlist users who’ve posted comments or provided helpful answers to questions related to your industry.
- Reach out to the moderators who manage the conversation within those forums for potential influencer recommendations.
Pro tip: Use community tools such as reputation scores (on Reddit) or leaderboards (on Quora) if available. These tools can help pinpoint influential members whose opinions matter most within the community.
Take this example: You’re a realtor interested in selling homes to divorced people. How do you find a divorce lawyer influencer on Reddit and Quora?
- Perform keyword searches like “divorce lawyer advice” or “divorce tips” in Reddit and Quora communities related to legal advice or family law.
- Filter results using advanced parameters such as date range, number of comments/answers, etc.
- Browse relevant profiles and contact people that fit your criteria.
2. Utilize Influencer Marketing Platforms
Platforms like inBeat have in-depth targeting capabilities with advanced filters such as:
- Country of origin
- Topics covered
- Number of followers
- Specific keywords
Pro tip: inBeat even helps you hide some keywords from your search.
And it’s much faster than scrolling through Reddit or Quora. Let’s say you want to find a flight attendant to promote your airplane-friendly toolkit for kids.
After setting your filters and keywords, you can start browsing results:
Pro tip: These profiles feature engagement rates and the number of impressions so you can compare them quickly. However, this free fake follower checker shows you more in-depth information on each influencer.
Let’s test it for @colorfulbonvoyage:
Note how clear the stats appear, helping you quickly compare and decide between potential niche influencers.
3. Perform Keyword Searches on Social Media
This step is intuitive:
- Understand your niche and the social networks they mostly use.
- Type in relevant keywords related to your industry and desired creators.
- Start browsing profiles.
Let’s return to the previous example; you’re a realtor interested in selling homes to divorced people. Here’s what Instagram shows:
And you can take your pick from all these creators.
Pro tips:
- Use hashtags related to your particular subject or industry when browsing for social handles. This tactic yields more focused results than merely relying on profile descriptions.
- Browse the comments section to uncover up-and-coming niche influencers who haven’t yet established a loyal community online.
4. Reach out to Relevant Industry Publications and Websites
You can take this approach to find influencers that write about your specific topic/industry. These are amazing resources for discovering knowledgeable creators you can’t otherwise locate.
For example, your best creators might:
- Have a very small follower base.
- Not be on mainstream social channels at all.
Here’s the step-by-step process to increase the chances of a successful outreach:
- Make a list of publications focusing on your niche (i.e., magazines, newspapers, trade journals, blogs, websites, etc.).
- Identify which authors often write about topics related to your industry.
- Visit each publication’s website and search for contact information such as an email address or social media profile.
- If possible, establish a direct connection with authors by engaging with their social media posts or commenting on their articles.
- Contact them directly through the channels available (email/social media) and make your pitch, outlining mutual benefits.
How to Get in Touch with Niche Influencers
You can get in touch with niche influencers in three ways:
- Send them a direct message (email or social media DM).
- Tag them on social media.
- Use an influencer marketing platform.
Here’s what a potential outreach message can look like:
Hey! Love your page [heart emoji]
I’m working with a [industry name] company called [company name]. I think you’d make a great fit for our [influencer program name]. We would absolutely love to work with you & send you some [complimentary product offer]!!
If you would like to be one of our influencers, send a DM to [link to profile], and we’ll discuss all details.
xoxo [smiley face emoji]
You can find more free templates in this piece, but let’s review the basic steps of successful business inquiries:
- Try to establish a personal connection with the influencer you’re writing to.
- Keep it short and straightforward.
- Use some emoticons to make your message more relatable.
- Showcase your proposal and advantage.
- Give a clear CTA to help your influencer contact you.
Once your niche creators agree to the job, remember to:
- Outline your payment terms clearly.
- Use a solid contract template to outline your expectations and the influencer’s responsibilities.
- Utilize this creative brief template to help your influencer create content that fits your marketing goals and values.
Of course, you’ll also have to monitor your influencer campaign, perform split testing and optimize your ad creatives. High-quality influencer tracking software will considerably improve your results, maximizing your marketing efforts.
Let’s schedule a free strategy call if you need help starting on that path. We’ll discuss your business objectives, and industry-specific pain points and help you find niche influencers that sell.