With Influencer Audience Size, Bigger Might Not Be Better

If we said audience size might not matter when engaging influencers you might think we’re crazy, right? Isn’t that what “influencer” means – a person with a large following? Well not necessarily and, crazy or not, our experience has been that it might be more beneficial for brands to engage influencers with smaller audiences (also called niche bloggers). In this post we’ll tell you why establishing relationships with these niche influencers may just be what your brand needs to expand your presence with new audiences and gain a loyal following.

Access to a new audience

It can take years to establish a community of loyal customers. Time and again, the niche influencers that we have engaged for clients spend a lot of time nurturing relationships with their audience on behalf of the brand. The trust they have build with their loyal followers get directly transferred to the brand and that is invaluable! In fact, after trust is built between between influencers and your business you will likely see them share information about your brand for free in their future posts allowing you access to an entirely new distribution channels.

More responsive

High-traffic influencers with big followings and established relationships with big brand businesses may not be as responsive to your enquiries. They are busy and they have the option to be picky about who they engage with. It is not unlike any business that loses some personalization as the business grows. High-demand influencers keep up by making their system more turnkey which has advantages and disadvantages. Niche influencers, on the other hand, are likely to be more eager to work with you and will take the time to develop strong partnerships and ongoing relationships with new brands.

A trusted resource

As we know, many consumers conduct online research before making a purchase. Niche influencers have built a reputation in their particular area of interest and their reviews are often the ones that consumers turn to, especially moms.

Working with niche influencers is a great way to generate a large amount of quality, shareable user-generated content. Millennial moms, in particular, are loyal to their favorite influencers and turn to them the way young moms turned to their own mothers for advice in the past. They rely on recommendations from their peers and their favorite influencers and once they find something they really love they will share it with their network of friends through social media.

According to a Media Post article looking at a consumer poll of 1000 women, “81% of moms agree/strongly agree that they find the product recommendations of a blogger more authentic than a product feature in a magazine. Nearly half that percentage of non-moms feel the same way.” The same poll found that 74% of millennial moms sought information on blogs about products they were interested in because they trust what they read on their favorite blogs.

Another added bonus to working with niche influencers is that they will often write reviews that their audiences read leading to better conversion rates for your brand. Reading positive reviews are really important for potential customers to take the plunge and purchase a product.

Before assuming that influencers with huge followings are going to offer the best reach, consider engaging niche influencers. We’d be happy to share some of our happy-client stories about the success and positive ROI seen from these programs. Contact us to find out how Luminary Digital can leverage our network of over 500 influencers on behalf of your brand.