“Influencers and KOLs – they are the same, aren’t they?”
This is one of the biggest myths in the world of marketing.
Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) are known for their deep expertise and knowledge – capable enough of influencing people’s decisions. And most people consider Influencers as KOLs.
But what if we told you that not all Instagram influencers are KOLs? At the same time, not all KOLs are Instagram influencers.
That’s right.
To help you better understand the concept of KOLs in influencer marketing, we’ve put together this blog post. Here we’ll be focusing on:
- What are KOLs in Influencer Marketing?
- The Difference Between Influencers & KOLs
Let’s have a look.
What are KOLs in Influencer Marketing?
Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) are people with deep expertise and experience in one or more specific areas of an industry – whose opinions are seriously taken into consideration and respected by the public.
Let’s say you run a tech company. While you can collaborate with numerous Instagram or YouTube influencers with thousands of followers, not every single one of these influencers is a KOL. Instead, a key opinion leader is someone whose opinions are not only respected by the end-users but also by industry experts. Their skills and achievements are well-known and recognized. And this is what helps them position themselves as authoritative and credible.
And while they don’t necessarily need to have hundreds of thousands of followers, even if they are respected and if their work is appraised by industry experts, we can refer to them as KOLs.
The Difference Between Influencers & KOLs
As we mentioned already, not all influencers are KOLs. And not all KOLs are influencers. There are many KOLs who avoid the internet just because they have little time to spare. Some may even consider using social media a waste of time. Instead, KOLs are experts in their niche.
But that doesn’t mean KOLs can’t spend time online.
Elon Musk is a KOL.
And he definitely spends a lot of time using his Twitter account!
Not all KOLs are interested in promotion opportunities. While there are some KOLs who work with brands you need to put in the effort to identify and then pitch your product(s) or service(s) to them.
While not all KOLs use social media, you’ll see many of them publishing thought-provoking content pieces on their blogs, social media, and various other platforms. You’ll see them interacting in communities, attending events, and more.
While it’s really hard to describe the key differences between KOLs and regular influencers, when you actually see a KOL you’ll easily be able to differentiate him/her from a regular influencer.
Conclusion
KOLs are industry experts. And when we say industry experts, we mean – that you’ll see them talking about complex industry-related topics that regular influencers won’t even know about. KOLs are valued and respected by other industry experts, whereas influencers are widely known for their social media followers.
If you can integrate KOLs into your influencer marketing plan you’ll be taking the next step toward positioning yourself as an authoritative brand.
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