What are the ideal situations to have a KOL?

Marketing leaders need to find ways to better invest available resources, right?

In practice, this means making the right decisions, choosing the most appropriate strategies for the company to achieve the objectives defined during planning.

One of these definitions may be related to the doubt about the viability of investing in Key Opinion

Leaders (also known as opinion formers) or in digital influencers to enhance the reach of your Digital Marketing actions .

Ultimately, in the era of digital transformation , every choice can make a big difference to the end result.

Therefore, here we will address the following points of interest on the subject:

What is a Key Opinion Leader (KOL)?

The term Key Opinion Leader (KOL) may sri lanka phone number list even seem unusual to you.

However, a professional in that field has probably already impacted a decision you made.

Whether it’s to buy a product, hire a service or even learn more about a brand’s reputation , a KOL

has already impacted your opinion.

But what does this acronym mean in practice? Nothing that your translation doesn’t already

indicate: a reference to a certain topic or segment, i.e. an opinion-maker.

Using this recognition of a certain audience to establish themselves as an authority on the subject,

this professional usually evaluates and recommends — or not — the purchase of a product, for example.

Therefore, based on their experience on a topic and the recognition and presence they have within a

certain niche, the objective is to help consumers find a neutral, impartial and well-founded answer to what they are looking for.

That is, guiding the audience based on their own experiences with a company and/or product .

While that professional has gained even more recognition on digital platforms , that function has long been used by consumers to gather more information about something they are interested in.

Companies quickly realized that the opinion of a reference on the subject can influence the decision of consumers .

One professional who often recommends products is the dentist. Colgate, for example, always uses these professionals in its commercials, and for a long time the phrase “the #1 brand recommended by dentists” was part of its advertising pieces .

The objective is clear: to influence the consumer’s decision with the opinion of those who are a reference on the subject.

However, when companies bring such influencers into their official advertisements, the bias can be questioned and not always taken seriously by consumers.

A Nielsen study shows that 92% of consumers trust a recommendation made by a Key Opinion Leader — more naturally — than an advertisement or commercial.

Who can be a KOL nowadays?

In practice, anyone with wit and 2024 cambodia telegram contact number experience in a specific topic can become an opinion former.

However, not everyone has the skills to captivate an audience and gain their trust. Teachers,

journalists, TV presenters, actors, in other words, anyone who is a master and a reference in a subject can become a KOL.

Athletes are also an example of Key Opinion Leaders, and the case of LeBron James, an American

basketball player, reflects well what a KOL is.

Like any celebrity, he has contracts with certain companies to promote their products. Still, some

could make better use of that service.

The player is the image of a sports supplement brand and, because he is known as an athlete who

takes care of his body and diet, his opinion can generate greater influence on consumers .

It is also important to understand that a Key Opinion Leader does not need to limit his or her impact to matters related to the purchase of a product or service.

LeBron James addressed police violence against African Americans in the United States by wearing a shirt with the words “I Can’t Breathe,” the last words of an American killed by police officers.

What are the benefits of having such a professional?

Product and service reviews are asb directory factors that directly impact the purchasing decision process of digital consumers. And that is precisely the main benefit of having a Key Opinion Leader.

But not just any assessment will make a difference.

To support that idea, a study by McKinsey & Company shows that people are 50 times more likely

to complete a transaction when hearing information from someone who has experience

and relevance in the matter than from a review on a website from a person they don’t know.

Therefore, in practice, the main benefit of having the help of an opinion leader in your marketing strategies is credibility .

With someone who understands the topic and has influence over a certain target audience , the

tendency is for the message conveyed to be much more effective than in a simple advertisement.

In the end, would you trust an unknown Google review or the word of someone who has used a

product and is knowledgeable about the subject?

For this reason, it is important to have this professional to transmit credibility to your communication actions and, thus, win over the potential consumer of your brand .

What steps should you take to find an opinion leader for your brand?

The first step to finding a KOL that can be helpful in strengthening your brand is to understand the desires and demands of your buyer persona .

That is, to better understand what they are looking for, what their objectives are and what their

references are in a specific segment, for example. This way, it is possible to identify voices within your market that would be relevant to impact the consumer.

Do you work with an e-commerce business selling travel cards and packages? Then look for a

professional who is knowledgeable on the subject – whether it’s the owner of a well-known blog that tells stories about their travels or a host of a show in the genre.

There is no point in depending on the services of a professional who is not within your niche.

Ultimately, the purpose of this strategy is to generate credibility for your ads and

campaigns , and that will only be possible if the public recognizes that this Key Opinion Leader is relevant to impact their decision.

Remember: that professional needs to have sufficient knowledge and experience in a specific subject.

For example, opting for podcasts and YouTube channels that are relevant and talk about your market

is a very efficient way. Another way can be to look for experts consulted in reports and articles on certain topics.

What are the differences between Key Opinion Leaders and digital influencers?

Although they are often confused — since Key Opinion Leaders also influence consumer behavior — these two concepts are quite different at their core.

The main reason why they differ is the fact that opinion makers are experts and references on a specific topic.

The focus of such a professional is not on impacting user behavior and decision-making, as they concentrate on using their knowledge to provide more accurate information to those interested in a particular topic or product.

On the other hand, digital influencers make a living from this work and their goal is to influence other people on their social networks.

In short, opinion formers modify users’ thinking based on their knowledge and

experiences on a topic, gaining credibility in the market.

Influencers do the same, but thanks to the reach and impact they have on their followers in their decision-making processes.

For effective managers, an important job is to know how to identify the strategies that generate the best return for the business, right?

So, now that you know what a Key Opinion Leader is, how about a better understanding of what situation is ideal to rely on their services?

We have some tips for you!