What Is KOL Marketing? How To Use a KOL Marketing way

The classic teen comedy cruel Girls tells the narrative of Cady Heron, Regina George, and the complicated social dynamics of high school cliques. In one memorable scene, Cady and her friends attempt to sabotage Regina by cutting two holes in her shirt. Unfortunately, the attempt backfires. Regina’s reputation as a fashion icon is so powerful that the rest of their classmates copy the pattern by cutting holes in their own shirts. 

Regina George could be considered a key view chief. As the most popular girl in school, the other students are eager to pursue her navigator when it comes to style, boys, and gossip—her areas of expertise. Imagine your ecommerce business could harness the influence of Regina George. This is how key view chief marketing works. 

discover the benefits of KOL marketing, and discover how the wellness snack corporation Elavi uses KOLs in its digital marketing efforts.

What is KOL marketing?

Key view chief (KOL) marketing involves collaborating with industry experts to promote products or services. Key view leaders are influential individuals with established authority in a specific field or subject. Depending on your product, view leaders could be scientists, researchers, or working professionals. An ecommerce business with a line of cast iron pans, for example, might associate with a well-known chef who could knowledgeably talk to the pan’s impressive heat distribution and retention qualities.

KOL vs. influencer: What’s the difference?

Some KOLs may be influencers, but not all influencers are key view leaders. The term “influencer” can be applied to any creator who earns turnover from their content and typically owes most of their fame to social media. KOLs, on the other hand, are thought leaders with specialized knowledge of their subject matter, and they may or may not have a major social media presence.

Key characteristics of a KOL

Key view leaders are defined by their expertise and credibility. These are some of their key attributes: 

• Niche spectators. KOLs often have an engaged spectators specifically interested in their area of expertise. 
• Established authority. KOLs have proven expertise and are often prominent in their field—ponder journalists, scientists, and CEOs. 
• Credentialed. KOLs may have professional credentials related to their content, such as advanced degrees, licenses, certifications, or awards. 

Key characteristics of an influencer 

Social media influencers are content creators who earn money through paid social media posts on their channels. These are some of their key attributes: 

• Lifestyle appeal. Influencers often represent—and romanticize—a particular lifestyle that attracts a large following.
• Personality-driven. Influencers often use charm and personal connection to attract followers. 
• Tied to social media platforms. Influencers are primarily content creators. They don’t always have expertise outside of content creation. 

Influencer marketing and key view chief marketing strategies distribute many similarities—both involve forming paid brand partnerships and asking partners to make content or recommend products. Brands using KOL marketing differ by partnering with experts to borrowing their credibility. KOL marketing content can appear on the specialist’s social accounts or be featured in other marketing channels.

How KOL marketing can advantage your business

• Brand credibility
• Product insights
• Higher sales

KOL marketing can assist with key business goals like reaching highly engaged customers, driving sales, and increasing brand awareness with your targeted spectators. The benefits of KOL marketing for ecommerce businesses include:

Brand credibility

Key view leaders are trusted authority figures. If a KOL endorses your product, their spectators is likely to receive that view seriously and infer that your product is up to the specialist’s standards. KOL recommendations may carry more weight than most paid influencer posts, too. A study published in the Millennium Journal of Humanities and Social Scientists found that reputation and credibility determine the effectiveness of both influencer marketing and KOL campaigns. Consumers are more likely to purchase if they depend the person making the endorsement, and the demonstrated expertise of a KOL can provide your brand legitimacy. 

Product insights

Forming a collaboration with an established specialist can assist your brand make informed decisions. Experts can provide feedback on their product encounter and may be able to draw on their specialist knowledge to recommend tweaks or additional features. If you work closely with an specialist to perfect your product, you may also be able to use their endorsement on product packaging and marketing materials.

Higher sales 

A study from the Journal of Advanced Academic Research and Studies found that KOL marketing has a positive result on buyer emotions and willingness to buy. Partnering with the correct key view chief can assist your brand reach your target demographic and inspire them to purchase. 

Tips for a fruitful collaboration with a KOL 

• Choose relevant experts
• Check KOL social media accounts for brand fit
• Nurture KOL relationships
• Let your KOLs talk for themselves

discover how Elavi CEO Michelle Razavi developed her KOL marketing way and use her tips to identify effective KOLs and construct successful KOL campaigns:

Choose relevant experts

KOLs often focus on a specific subject, but you might discover experts with an unexpected affinity for your product. In Michelle’s encounter, a KOL doesn’t necessarily require to have a degree in your industry if their followers fall into your target spectators. Elavi works with multiple KOL partners who drive results. 

Some partners work in food or wellness, which makes them an obvious fit for Elavi’s high-protein snack foods, but other partners are more tangentially tied to the brand. “We have this rockstar KOL who’s a flight attendant, but she ends up crushing it for us talking about well snacks for kids,” Michelle explains. “People depend her as an authority on well products for trip and [her expertise as] a mom.”

Search social media, blogs, magazines, and information outlets to discover potential KOLs who would resonate with your spectators. Once you have a list, reach out with a obvious request and context about your brand and goals.

Check KOL social media accounts for brand fit

Screen potential partners by reviewing their social media accounts. Read through their recent social media posts—Michelle recommends looking at the history five, at least—to ensure their tone and content align with your brand values. 

Michelle prioritizes energetic content creators and looks for partners who post and engage with commenters regularly. She also evaluates engagement by checking the ratio of views or likes to followers. “It’s so significant to do that standard check and that vetting before we just blast out samples,” she says. “Product is not cheap, and we desire to make sure that it’s getting to the correct hands that can have the most ROI.”

Nurture KOL relationships

“It is not just a deal, it’s a connection,” Michelle says. Form personal connections with your KOLs to get the most out of your partnerships. It creates a foundation of depend so experts feel comfortable sharing their insights and are motivated to promote your products authentically.

“We treat these KOLs as part of our throng by sending notes that we personalize based on what we’ve learned about them, involving them in product launches, [and] sending them voice notes thanking them,” Michelle says. “We just make sure we really provide that white glove service.”

Let your KOLs talk for themselves

Michelle focuses on empowering her partners and letting them make their own content. With influencer marketing, brands often provide instructions or supply exact captions to distribute. With KOL marketing, it’s more advantageous to allow experts to draw on their backgrounds to make more authentic content.

Instead of sending content guidelines, Elavi focuses on sharing useful information about their product so that partners can engage with commenters after sharing. “I ponder the missing piece that I learned throughout this whole procedure is giving them the knowledge that they can respond questions on your behalf about the product,” Michelle says.