What is a KOL in marketing?

What is a KOL in marketing?

26 February 2021 |

Social Media

If running social media campaigns across Asian markets you may some across KOLs. What is a KOL in marketing across Asia? A KOL refers to people who are considered to be “Key Opinion Leaders” and are experts on a specific subject. More recently though, a KOL is a term used more broadly when referring to marketing influencers across the Asian marketing landscape.

Marketing and social media influencers within Asia have developed a large following on a variety of platforms. KOLs attract a large following from consumers who truly listen to what the KOL says and topics they post about. Distinctly different from ‘influencers’, KOLs in Asia can then have a considerable impact and flow-on effect to brand building for brands using KOLs as part of their wider marketing mix.

KOLs better influence than Influencers

When these trusted and influential KOLs mention or post a brand, their followers tend to spark interest at a far higher rate than the typical influencer we know. With the KOL’s coming from a strong position of trust instilled in their follower base, this added confidence in the brand/product opens a much larger gateway to the acquisition of new customers. A recent study by Mediakix found that almost 49% of consumers use the recommendations from Asian KOLs to help inform their purchase decision.

In the last three years, the number of google searches for ‘influencer marketing’ has grown significantly and the overall influencer market generated USD$9.7b in 2020, according to Influencer Marketing Hub.

While it’s yet to reach its full potential, KOLs are a unique marketing approach that allows brands to reach untapped audiences in a variety of different countries. Many of those countries where KOL audiences dominate are also relatively inactive across mainstream social channels such as Facebook, Instagram or Snapchat.

To learn more about KOLs and how they may add to your marketing mix in Asian campaigns, just reach out to your nearest ADMATICian.