KOLs or Key Opinion Leaders are the social media influencers of China. Also known as wanghong (Mandarin for “internet celebrity”). China’s KOL marketing has moved from text & photos to live streaming, short videos and social commerce. This gives brands more channels to interact with consumers. A strong KOL marketing strategy has been the key to success for several international brands in China.
China’s KOL
Chinese KOLs can be divided into 3 categories: 1) Stars & celebrities; 2) bloggers, and 3) wanghong (网红).The first segment includes big-name stars and celebrities, who provide powerful and valued opinions on products and services to their followers. The second category includes bloggers who demonstrated expertise in a related field. They convey an impression of credible knowledge. The last category contains wanghongs, which are similar to KOLs.
KOL marketing works extremely well in China. The influencers engage with their followers, by developing a relationship and making themselves relatable. They have an ability to make things trend and that is an opportunity that foreign brands should be looking to invest in. Word of Mouth (WOM) is incredibly important in terms of consumer decision making in China — 20 to 50 percent of all purchasing decisions are influenced by it. In 2018, the KOL market value was about 102 billion yuan according to Weibo big data.
Who are the main followers of Chinese KOLs?
The main target audience of China’s KOL marketing is the 90s to 00s generations. Compared to older generations, youngsters have the highest interactions on Weibo, especially with trendy topics, community shares, and celebrities. They also display a higher interest in things like cosmetics, fashion, and food, as well as on topics like celebrity-related news and romance. Compared to other countries, Chinese netizens are more inclined to purchase goods advertised by influencers.
How to select KOLs?
It is important to do your research when selecting a KOL. The KOL will be your brand ambassador so it’s crucial to maintain a good relationship and work together to develop a marketing strategy. KOLs are a successful marketing tool because they have an unprecedented ability to connect to specific segments of consumers based on demographics and lifestyle choices, which is not always the case with other marketing channels and tools.
What platforms do KOLs use for marketing?
KOLs are popular hosts on internet platforms that attract huge traffic. They can be bloggers, vloggers and live streamers. The top digital platforms in China are WeChat, Weibo, Douyin, Xiaohongshu, Meipai, Tmall, Taobao and Pinduoduo.
Types of KOL marketing content
The type of content on each site also varies along with the topic. Content types can be divided into 4 categories: Q&A, text & photo, short videos, and live streams.
Tips for KOL marketing in China
-Avoid being “too commercial”. A too commercial KOL ad in China could lose the trust of audiences.
-Use the right channels. Some KOLs could be active on only one or two Chinese platforms. It is essential to select the right channels for reaching the desired target audience (e.g., Weibo vs. Douyin vs. WeChat).
-Stay in the loop with platform regulations. New rules on platforms are often not announced publicly. Thus, brands need to be aware of the regulations and avoid content being taken down by the platform.
-Consider what your ROI is going to be. Financial estimation of your KOL campaign is important and helpful for choosing the right influencer.
-Find the right touchpoints. Emotion marketing is one approach to increasing Chinese audience engagement. The emotional touches include attitude, value, lifestyle, aesthetic sense, and so on.
-Plan with reactivity. Marketing plans and strategies are necessary, but it is important to keep flexibility in both the short and long term due to the rapid changes in the market.
-Avoid too much cover advertising. Too much promoted advertisements from a single brand will cause consumers feel annoy and result into negative feedbacks.
If would like to learn more about the possibilities of how to expand your business in China through cross-border e-commerce in China, feel free to contact Deep Digital China at service@deepdigitalchina.com
