The Need for Niche Influencers in The Cost of Living Crisis: A Passing Trend or The Future of Influencer Marketing?

Brands are working with niche influencers to navigate the economically challenging time that we are still in, with an aim to land brand messaging sensitively.

What exactly is a ‘niche influencer’, though? By definition, this is a social media user with at least a few thousand followers who attract a community of people around them through a specific topic or interest.

Niche influencers are considered more authentic - an essential characteristic for consumers and within the influencer marketing space as a whole. Their influence is considered to carry more weight as it is condensed among people who are passionate about a similar topic.

Whether this be in beauty, travel, sports, animals, or gaming, niche influencers are expected to know their topic more than anyone else. But where does this come in with the cost of living crisis looming?

As the crisis wages on and a recession remains looming in the horizon, the marketing industry is affected just as much as everything else around it, meaning changes are bound to happen.

Purchasing trends from consumers are down, with 67% of shoppers planning to cut back on buying clothing, and 51% cutting back on food and drink purchases, the marketing industry has taken a significant hit.

According to consumers, brands should be cutting marketing expenditure to drive prices down. Data from consumer insights platform Zappi, revealed that 85% of consumers in the UK think that brands should cut marketing spend to help combat the cost of living crisis.

The need for niche right now

With many consumers cutting back on non-essential spending, brands are seeking out influencers as educators for the purpose of building brand affinity instead of purely promoting sales.