KOL means Key Opinion Leader, where “Opinion” actually matters
In recent news, an KOL named Arii launched her own clothing brand. On the surface, Arii is a total internet celebrity, with a massive 2.7 million followers. Yet she couldn’t even sell 36 T-shirts, failing to meet the minimum order quantity required by manufacturers. Any average person could sell more, dont’t you think? This situation left many scratching their heads, wondering what went wrong.
Trying to quantify the influence of a KOL is often in vain
Digital marketing professionals always hope to somehow quantify KOL influences and consumer behavior. How many followers does a KOL have? What is the engagement rate for his or her daily posts? And what about the conversion rate? We want to believe that results can be predicted, given sufficient data. For example, let’s say this KOL has 100,000 followers. Given a 15% reach and a 2% conversion rate (by traditional wisdom), he or she can help convert 300 followers into your customers.
Imagine a publisher using these criteria for identifying its next bestselling author. Anyone could instinctively feel there is something very wrong with this approach. By now, most people would know J.K. Rowling, the famous author who created Harry Potter. Before her first book, she was literally unknown. Not a KOL by any means. If we were to predict success solely by referencing metrics like reach and engagement, we will most definitely miss the next J. K. Rowling.
Contents make all the differences
The key that makes all the differences is content. Harry Potter is content. It is the good story that people crave. Great content shot J.K. Rowling into stardom. She became a KOL because of the contents she created. She has opinions and she made them heard, despite some controversy, but that’s not the point here.
Now if we go back and examine the contents created by Arii. We can argue that her beautiful photos are good contents too. But her opinions are rarely reflected. Her followers enjoy looking at her, but did not form the habit of listening to her or following her lead. No wonder so few people bought her idea of a T-Shirt.
How Needle picks the right KOL for you
At Needle, we are very familiar with the digital marketing landscape in Malaysia. When we pick KOLs to speak for your brand, we look beyond mere numbers. We look at the past contents they have created. Do they have their own opinions? Do they make sense to their followers when they recommend your brand?
Then, we take several steps further. We craft contents in collaboration with the suitable KOLs that favor your brand. Contents that are actually believable. When selling to people, we cannot ignore the human touch. And that’s what we excel at.
We make sure that you spend your marketing budget on the most influential KOL for your brand, not just on the KOL with the highest number. With Needle, you would never trip over the next Arii.
