Who are the KOLs
We can compare KOLs to the influencers we know best. What they have in common is the influence their opinion or lifestyle has on our purchasing choices.
Have you ever bought something based on a suggestion from someone you follow on Instagram or Twitter?
Here, this is the added value that figures such as KOLs and influencers bring to the marketing strategies of more and more companies.
KOLs role?
Increase brand awareness and, consequently, sales of certain products and services. How do they do it? By leveraging their social status and the trust their follower base places in them. KOLs are political figures, writers, social media celebrities; they are seen as experts in a certain sector or topic and as real people, which is why their advice is perceived as genuine and disinterested.
Obviously, if you are already known to the public it will be easier to be an influencer . However, with constant and organic commitment, even previously unknown people can earn the respect and trust of a good base of followers.
The digital Chinese consumer follows the opinion of these figures very much and places a lot of trust in them. And consumer confidence is what every brand needs to see their sales grow in a particular market. Consumers in China are constantly bombarded with advertising often offering misleading information or of low quality products, for this reason KOLs, being a figure know to the consumer, is the current first best option for gaining quickly trust in the Chinese market.