What Is KOL Marketing? How To Use a KOL Marketing Strategy (2024)

The classic teen comedy Mean Girls tells the story of Cady Heron, Regina George, and the complicated social dynamics of high school cliques. In one memorable scene, Cady and her friends attempt to sabotage Regina by cutting two holes in her shirt. Unfortunately, the attempt backfires. Regina’s reputation as a fashion icon is so strong that the rest of their classmates copy the trend by cutting holes in their own shirts. 

Regina George could be considered a key opinion leader. As the most popular girl in school, the other students are eager to follow her lead when it comes to style, boys, and gossip—her areas of expertise. Imagine your ecommerce business could harness the influence of Regina George. This is how key opinion leader marketing works. 

Learn the benefits of KOL marketing, and discover how the wellness snack company Elavi uses KOLs in its digital marketing efforts.

What is KOL marketing?

Key opinion leader (KOL) marketing involves collaborating with industry experts to promote products or services. Key opinion leaders are influential individuals with established authority in a specific field or subject. Depending on your product, opinion leaders could be scientists, researchers, or working professionals. An ecommerce business with a line of cast iron pans, for example, might partner with a well-known chef who could knowledgeably speak to the pan’s impressive heat distribution and retention qualities.

KOL vs. influencer: What’s the difference?

Some KOLs may be influencers, but not all influencers are key opinion leaders. The term “influencer” can be applied to any creator who earns revenue from their content and typically owes most of their fame to social media. KOLs, on the other hand, are thought leaders with specialized knowledge of their subject matter, and they may or may not have a major social media presence.

Key characteristics of a KOL

Key opinion leaders are defined by their expertise and credibility. These are some of their key attributes: 

• Niche audience. KOLs often have an engaged audience specifically interested in their area of expertise. 
• Established authority. KOLs have proven expertise and are often prominent in their field—think journalists, scientists, and CEOs. 
• Credentialed. KOLs may have professional credentials related to their content, such as advanced degrees, licenses, certifications, or awards. 

Key characteristics of an influencer 

Social media influencers are content creators who earn money through paid social media posts on their channels. These are some of their key attributes: 

• Lifestyle appeal. Influencers often represent—and romanticize—a particular lifestyle that attracts a large following.
• Personality-driven. Influencers often use charm and personal connection to attract followers. 
• Tied to social media platforms. Influencers are primarily content creators. They don’t always have expertise outside of content creation. 

Influencer marketing and key opinion leader marketing strategies share many similarities—both involve forming paid brand partnerships and asking partners to create content or recommend products. Brands using KOL marketing differ by partnering with experts to leverage their credibility. KOL marketing content can appear on the expert’s social accounts or be featured in other marketing channels.

How KOL marketing can benefit your business

KOL marketing can help with key business goals like reaching highly engaged customers, driving sales, and increasing brand awareness with your targeted audience. The benefits of KOL marketing for ecommerce businesses include:

Brand credibility

Key opinion leaders are trusted authority figures. If a KOL endorses your product, their audience is likely to take that opinion seriously and infer that your product is up to the expert’s standards. KOL recommendations may carry more weight than most paid influencer posts, too. A study published in the Millennium Journal of Humanities and Social Scientists found that reputation and credibility determine the effectiveness of both influencer marketing and KOL campaigns. Consumers are more likely to purchase if they trust the person making the endorsement, and the demonstrated expertise of a KOL can give your brand legitimacy. 

Product insights

Forming a partnership with an established expert can help your brand make informed decisions. Experts can provide feedback on their product experience and may be able to draw on their expert knowledge to suggest tweaks or additional features. If you work closely with an expert to perfect your product, you may also be able to use their endorsement on product packaging and marketing materials.

Higher sales 

A study from the Journal of Advanced Academic Research and Studies found that KOL marketing has a positive effect on consumer emotions and willingness to buy. Partnering with the right key opinion leader can help your brand reach your target demographic and inspire them to purchase. 

Tips for a fruitful partnership with a KOL 

Learn how Elavi CEO Michelle Razavi developed her KOL marketing strategy and use her tips to identify effective KOLs and build successful KOL campaigns:

Choose relevant experts

KOLs often focus on a specific subject, but you might find experts with an unexpected affinity for your product. In Michelle’s experience, a KOL doesn’t necessarily need to have a degree in your industry if their followers fall into your target audience. Elavi works with multiple KOL partners who drive results. 

Some partners work in food or wellness, which makes them an obvious fit for Elavi’s high-protein snack foods, but other partners are more tangentially tied to the brand. “We have this rockstar KOL who’s a flight attendant, but she ends up crushing it for us talking about healthy snacks for kids,” Michelle explains. “People trust her as an authority on healthy products for travel and [her expertise as] a mom.”

Search social media, blogs, magazines, and news outlets to find potential KOLs who would resonate with your audience. Once you have a list, reach out with a clear request and context about your brand and goals.

Check KOL social media accounts for brand fit

Screen potential partners by reviewing their social media accounts. Read through their recent social media posts—Michelle recommends looking at the past five, at least—to ensure their tone and content align with your brand values. 

Michelle prioritizes active content creators and looks for partners who post and engage with commenters regularly. She also evaluates engagement by checking the ratio of views or likes to followers. “It’s so important to do that quality check and that vetting before we just blast out samples,” she says. “Product is not cheap, and we want to make sure that it’s getting to the right hands that can have the most ROI.”

Nurture KOL relationships

“It is not just a transaction, it’s a relationship,” Michelle says. Form personal connections with your KOLs to get the most out of your partnerships. It creates a foundation of trust so experts feel comfortable sharing their insights and are motivated to promote your products authentically.

“We treat these KOLs as part of our team by sending notes that we personalize based on what we’ve learned about them, involving them in product launches, [and] sending them voice notes thanking them,” Michelle says. “We just make sure we really give that white glove service.”

Let your KOLs speak for themselves

Michelle focuses on empowering her partners and letting them create their own content. With influencer marketing, brands often provide instructions or supply exact captions to share. With KOL marketing, it’s more advantageous to allow experts to draw on their backgrounds to create more authentic content.

Instead of sending content guidelines, Elavi focuses on sharing useful information about their product so that partners can engage with commenters after sharing. “I think the missing piece that I learned throughout this whole process is giving them the knowledge that they can answer questions on your behalf about the product,” Michelle says.