If you have been involved in digital marketing, you would have come across a string of new terms and one of them would be KOL or Key Opinion Leaders. There is now fast-growing popularity among digital marketers on the use of KOLs because that is where consumers are turning their attention to.
Connecting with customers
One thing for sure, KOLs are more effective and impactful than many other forms of media. This is because they are more RELATABLE. For that reason, consumers find them more relevant and hence, believable. Gone are the days when mainstream media have strong influences over consumers because a familiar face makes a whole lot of difference. And in saying this, it simply means a person close to them or from their community.
Are KOLs the same as influencers?
According to a recent report, it was found that influencers are bringing in good returns for advertisers. On average, the ROI is about $7.60 for every $1 spent on influencers. Besides that, about 1 in every 2 customers will buy a product recommended by influencers.
This shows just how powerful influencers can be. However, this also means that more people are jumping onto this bandwagon.
While many influencers underwent hours of hard work to get to where they are today, there are those who use unethical means. This includes ‘buying’ likes and using bots to create comments.
This illustrates the situation where advertisers are now turning to more ‘genuine’ people. That is where KOLs come in.
The main difference between KOLs and influencers is
authenticity.
KOLs only work with brands that they want to be associated with and not collaborate with just anyone.
They will consider the image of the brand and their target audience.
KOLs have a group of community followers who trusts them and in most cases very loyal too.
This means that the brand can have a more reliable engagement rate. In certain situations, influencers who have been very successfully garnering a credible group of followers, they become KOLs.
Where can you find KOLs?
Most agencies will have the resources to help you connect with KOLs who are related to your brand. They would have the contacts and should bridge you to the right KOLs who might share the same wavelength.
What makes KOLs so effective is that once someone is willing to collaborate with you, they can get quite personal with the brand messaging. That is the MO for KOLs. They will promote your product (or brand) as if it was their own and they have a strong following who will believe them.
Not like celebrities
One must not confuse KOLs with celebrities. When it comes to social media, KOLs are very different from the more famous people. KOLs are more approachable and they are often perceived to be more ‘real’. When about 35% of purchasing decisions are contributed by word-of-mouth marketing, KOLs would be up there with your brand.
What KOLs do is that they can start a conversation with your consumers and those in your target segment. For that, they impose some form of authority and thereby bringing in influence. At the same time, consumers TRUST THEM! That in itself is the game-changer.
Getting it right with KOLs
KOLs can be used in your campaign in a few ways.
- Connect with your target audience – Conversations can be started either as a product demo or usage. Comments and reviews form the connection for conversation.
- Specific target group – With a certain KOL, you can choose the right demographic to reach out to.
- Niche marketing – KOLs can be effectively used for specific products or services that are more focused or specialized.
- Collaboration – This must be done well in order to send the right brand message across.
