Key opinion leaders (KOLs) are individuals or organizations with a strong social status that saw their opinions and recommendations listened to when making crucial decisions. Celebrities, columnists and political figures are widely known and thus good examples of key opinion leaders.
All key opinion leaders have a prominent position in their communities; hence their views are often valued and heard. They are considered as real experts and trusted when representing companies and not viewed as public figures.
Where do KOLs come from?
If you are in the public eye, it becomes simpler to gain influence. For example, actors in television columns, political activists, or highly regarded professionals may eventually become important opinion leaders. Especially experts who have opinions on trending topics can easily get a strong foothold.
However, people who were previously unknown can also become important opinion leaders with long-term effort and organized effort. Even a small segment of popular sparks or the right type of network on social media can eventually make a person elevated to the position of an important opinion leader.
Opinion leader marketing
Marketing of key opinion leaders continues but companies use it differently. Some people regard the sale of KOLs as a media channel, while for others, it is an important strategic tool for conducting business.
In the latter case, the company is actually investing in picking the right KOL and trying to find partners with the same value. When looking for the right type of impact, media monitoring is an important tool. Once you know the topics being discussed in the industry, you will also understand who influences public conversations and trends.
Today, the behavior of influencers and companies is closely monitored, and their role as reliable information publishers has increased. The audience pays close attention to the topics covered by the promoters, the activities they participated in, and the products displayed. Companies are also under the magnifying glass: what matters is how they reflect issues such as environmental issues and diversity in marketing and other practices.
Why use top opinion leaders in marketing?
Marketing through excellent opinion leaders seems more realistic and honest because who would recommend inferior products or services? This may also damage the reputation of KOL. KOLs help find customers that people really trust. The impression of celebrities is that they know them personally and their recommendations and opinions can be trusted.
How to choose the right KOL to work with?
Due to the influence of social media, the number of senior opinion leaders is increasing, and communication with them has become easier. It is important to pick the right people to work with to ensure that the target audience can recognize the content and react to it.
By discovering the goals of the partnership and determining what needs to be measured, important opinion leaders can be found. Advertisers need to consider what partnership this person brings to them. If video or text is needed, what target group do we want to cover; do we want this person to speak in the TV business or in our event?
Cooperation should also be founded on values. Key opinion leaders should not be selected based on the number of followers but should be picked based on their sphere of influence.
NetBase Quid provides a complete solution
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