Influencer marketing has grown alongside social media to become a necessary component of every brand’s digital marketing strategy. Businesses need to reach consumers natively, on the platforms they are already using, with voices they have grown to trust, and influencer marketing makes this happen. Because no business is the same, every brand will have a different plan of action when marketing with influencers. Many companies have chosen to optimize their strategy by focusing on niche influencers to promote their product.

Instagram and TikTok, two of the most viable platforms for influencer marketing, are filled with unique niche subcultures that brands should be looking to tap into. Niche influencers have more cachet amongst their following because they are interested in the same topics, and they have a reputation as experts. For brands, niche marketing allows them to narrow their scope and target specific market areas more precisely.

Here are four niches where influencer marketing just makes sense.

Fitness

The fitness industry is a global juggernaut, with total revenue of $96.7 billion in 2019. It is a competitive space, with many brands tailoring products toward fitness consumers that tend to be health-conscious and financially stable. There are countless different products and service-oriented towards fitness, and using fitness influencers for marketing provides brands a competitive edge and helps them stand out from the pack.

There is a massive supply of influencers on the primary social media platforms who gear their content specifically towards a fitness-focused audience. The major fitness influencers, such as professional bodybuilders and workout video creators, have a significant reach on their platform. There are also vast amounts of micro-influencers with a substantial following that are more accessible and affordable to the typical brand. The essential appeal to the fitness niche is the sheer scale of it. It is a wildly popular sub-culture with legions of fans all looking to find the next big product to help them on their fitness journey.

Sustainability

This is a niche that has limitless growth potential. According to NYU’s Stern Center, Sustainability Marketed Products grew 5.6x faster between 2013-2018 than conventionally marketed products and 3.3x more quickly than the CPG market overall. It is a fast-growing niche that aligns with many consumer’s values.

On Instagram and TikTok, you can find countless influencers who prioritize veganism, cruelty-free products, and sustainability-marketed consumer goods. This isn’t just a value they have, it is part of their brand and is a value they promote and share amongst their followers. If your brand is sustainable and geared towards conscious consumers, promoting your product in this niche is the best possible way of appealing to the customers your brand is targeted to.

Moms

Many influencers who start as lifestyle and travel influencers eventually become mom influencers as they age into a new phase of their lives. There are numerous vloggers and creators that produce content based on a mom’s lifestyle, the products moms use, and the day-to-day trials and tribulations they face.

For products marketed towards children or parents, appealing to the mom niche is integral. Parents love to follow content based on advice and tips from other parents, and if a product targets this audience, there is a lot of attention that can come from the mom niche. It is also widely trusted amongst mothers. A recent government study revealed that the internet and social media have rapidly become vital and trusted sources of parenting information for mothers in the United States. Appealing to parents can be challenging because most parents are very protective and avoid trying new products unless recommended. Posts from respected mom influencers go a long way to gaining consumer’s trust.

Pets

If you scroll around on any significant social media platform, chances are you’re going to run into some photos or videos of cute furry friends. Dog and cat videos are some of the most engaged with content across platforms, and pet influencers can cultivate major followings. The most followed dog on Instagram has over ten million followers, giving them a more significant social media following than the vast majority of major human celebrities. Tapping into this community of pet lovers can result in a major boost in sales for pet-based businesses.

Like with all social media niches, making sure the one being targeted is the right fit is very important. Advertising consumer electronics in the pet niche is a wrong decision. But if a business has products like pet food, toys, costumes, supplements, or any other type of product targeting a pet, using pet influencers is a great marketing strategy. Pet lovers are one of the biggest niches to target on social media, and if a business is based within this industry, working with these influencers can yield significant results.