KOL as Marketing Strategy: A New Perspective


In this digital era where communication methods have shifted, have these questions ever crossed your mind?

“Is KOLs really useful to promote a brand?”
“Will KOLs roles be replaced by micro influencers?”

Don’t worry, cause you’re not the only person who ever thought about it.

Everyone knows that KOLs (Key Opinion Leaders) are influencers who have expertise and well knowledge in a certain industry. That means it’s a strength to promote brands because their voice will be more likely to be heard since they have the ‘value’ and able to reach macro-level of influence. On the flip side, this will face another challenge in this digitalization era. Nowadays, KOLs are required to have an active involvement in social media. You’ve probably heard the term of ‘having many followers on social media doesn’t mean that person have greater influence’. Well, that might be KOLs’ challenge because the game has changed. Surprisingly, according to Influencer Marketing Hub, micro influencers can promote a brand more effective because they have more personal relationships with their audiences. In other words, KOLs might have a greater number of followers, but it doesn’t mean they have better engagement with their audience. Besides, working with KOLs require a lot of budget.  

So, in relation to both questions, I would say yes and no (WAIT? WHAT?!)

It’s a bit confusing, though. However, in my opinion, it depends on how well you strategize your plan. Interestingly, the new marketing strategy has born and soon will become a trend.

Have you heard about CGI influencers? Are they for real? And the answer is: yes, they are EXIST and believe it or not, they will be the future of KOL. There are several CGI influencers that you need to know: Lil Miquela (@lilmiquela), Bermuda (@bermudaisbae), Shudu Gram (@shudu.gram), etc. They are a form of rising trends and will raise public’s enthusiasm dramatically. Apart from the debate whether communication can be replaced by technology and ethical rules, isn’t it cool that you can customize your KOLs’ personalities, image, and have more control in spreading the messages? Let’s say you want your brand to appear as something that is more prominent and you need someone with unique personalities to represent your brand. The problem is, it’s not easy to find a figure with expected personalities. However, AI influencers able to do such things.

In spite of these things, the usefulness of KOL refers back to your objectives, tactics, and your ability to use the opportunities. You need to know when to use both instrument. Seeing that KOL able to reach wider audience, it would be effective to gain your brand awareness. But when it comes to leading consumer’s purchase decision and have a long-term relationship with, micro influencers would be more effective. OR, start shifting your marketing tactics into CGI also sounds a good idea!


Stefanny Octavia
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