Social influence is extremely powerful and helps us to make important decisions whether it’s choosing a restaurant to go to or making a large purchase. We love to get as much information as possible before making a difficult decision, especially today when there are so many options. That’s why marketers use influencers to connect them to their core audience and sway potential customers in the right direction. Influencer marketing can be extremely helpful if you sell cosmetics or apparel, as many of the target consumers for those products use social media and often already follow influencers who talk about those types of products. The drawback of influencer marketing at this level is that other products or services might need more than a simple recommendation to increase sales and gain brand awareness. So, what’s the difference between influencer marketing and KOL marketing? Both KOLs and social influencers could be referred to as “influencers”, but they have different goals for the content they produce. Social influencers might simply want to gain more followers while KOLs are usually experts in their field and their work extends beyond seeking popularity. KOLs have deep respect and vast expertise and thus can have a much greater impact on their audience than social influencers do. Also, if used as a tool for marketers, they can create deeper and broader connections between brands and their target demographic. Tech products, for example, might reach farther with the recommendation of a software engineer. If you’re still not convinced, here are some more reasons why KOL marketing could help your business grow.
Credibility
The key to KOL marketing is trust. As these individuals have built their brand off of gaining trust through their own credibility, that then translates directly into credibility for you and your business if used strategically. Using KOLs as a tool to reach the right audience and gain trust shows your potential customers that you have an interest in reliable, accurate information and that certainly sends a message about what you offer.
Competitive Edge
It is extremely likely that your products or services are not the only option for consumers. It’s imperative to try to distinguish yourself from other brands whose offerings are similar to yours, as there aren’t many ways to do so, take advantage of any strategies that may have an impact on your success. Even the smallest change in your marketing strategy could set you apart from thousands of other brands and translate to significant results.
Brand Awareness
Though KOLs often have smaller audiences as their content appeals to a niche group of consumers with specific interests, that can actually be an advantage to you. You will have access to exactly the right audience and have the ability to learn more about their behaviors to decide how best to market to them. Not only will you be closer to the audience who identifies the most with your product, you will have exclusive access to their feedback and engagement.
You’re probably wondering how KOL marketing could work for you and your business, let’s get into some strategies.
Industry Events
With the help of a KOL you can co-host webinars, live Q&A sessions, or other interactive events to drive engagement for your brand and build trust with your audience simultaneously. Interactive events are highly engaging to your potential customers and will help you get even closer to your audience. These events will be mutually beneficial to both you and the KOL as you will both have the opportunity to engage with a new audience.
High-Quality Content
It is important to focus on creating engaging yet high-quality content that provides value to your brand and to your customers. You can collaborate with KOLs on videos or blog posts and even social media polls, surveys or challenges to engage directly with followers. After you get to know the audience you’re interested in, you can create content based on their preferences and provide content that they will find relevant and valuable.
Advice
One overlooked aspect of KOL marketing is the valuable perspective of the individual whose audience you want to connect with. They will have a profound understanding of their audience’s preferences, and they may even have insights on how to improve your offerings in order to effectively appeal to them. If you’re planning on collaborating with a KOL on your next marketing campaign, be sure to meet with them to discuss how to make your products better and how best to connect with their audience in the future.
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