Benefits of KOLs for Your Marketing Strategy

 

1. A KOL can help you target your ideal audience.

Whether you're interested in boosting awareness or generating leads, a KOL can help you quickly identify and reach your ideal audience. Essentially, a KOL has done all the hard work for you -- she's taken the time to engage with a specific, niche audience, and she's grown a community centered around a specific interest.

A KOL is a particularly powerful opportunity to reach your ideal audience. For instance, let's say your business sells organic smoothie products. Your product is relatively niche, so you don't necessarily need to cast a wide net when attracting and engaging new leads.

Rather than posting Facebook ads or cultivating a strong presence on Google, you might be better off reaching out to a KOL like Massy Arias, who has 2.5 million followers and posts content exclusively related to health and fitness. Since Arias' typically posts organic health and fitness content and has proven an expert in this realm, her fans are more likely to trust when she recommends your product.

2. A KOL can help you generate sales.

A KOL can help you attract attention to a new product or raise awareness of your brand, both of which can help you boost sales. With 82% of consumers saying they'd follow the recommendation of an influencer, it stands to reason a KOL could have tremendous impact on your bottom line.

Alternatively, your company might consider collaborating with a KOL to create an exclusive product -- like "Champagne Pop" by Becca Cosmetics and Jaclyn Hill. Since your KOL is well-aware of industry trends and uniquely engaged with the consumer market, she's more likely to help you identify areas for improvement in your current product or overall marketing strategy -- so you'll get the most for your money if you use her as a collaborator, as well.

3. Increase your own reach.

A KOL can help ensure you're reaching the ideal target market for your brand -- and, additionally, she can enable you to reach a much larger percentage of potential consumers than you might've otherwise.

Without a hefty marketing budget, it could be difficult for your brand to reach one million people via traditional advertising methods -- plus, traditional ads don't allow you to target a specific group of people.

Alternatively, you could collaborate with a KOL who has one million followers on YouTube, Instagram, or another platform, and reach one million people who are specifically interested in your industry. A KOL partnership is cheaper, quicker, and potentially more effective than most traditional advertising methods -- so, if it makes sense for your brand, why not try it out?

How to Find a KOL

Finding a key opinion leader in your industry is relatively easy. On YouTube, you might try searching keywords related to your product or service, and peruse the various accounts that show up as search results. Alternatively, you could search hashtags on Instagram to find influencers who specialize in a specific, targeted field.

You might also check out "The Ultimate List of Instagram Influencers in Every Industry (94 and Counting!)" -- since these influencers are separated by niche industries, you'll likely find a key opinion leader whose audience directly matches your target market.