Unfortunately, a lot of people think that "KOLs" and "influencers" mean the same thing. However, although their jobs may appear the same, they are not. Moreover, it also depends on the role you want the KOL or influencer to play.

Nevertheless, a KOL appears to play the role of an influencer sometimes. Primarily, a KOL should be someone who has influence over other colleagues. Meanwhile, an influencer has an influence but may not have the qualifications of a KOL. Let's find out more!

The Key Opinion Leader (KOL) Explained

A KOL is someone who is highly respected and trusted with a proven record of experience in a certain field. Interestingly, KOLs are vital in the decision-making processes of most industries around the world. 

For instance, in the pharmaceutical industry, KOLs are crucial in marketing a medical solution to the public or their colleagues. In the healthcare, industry KOLs are respected because they are individuals whose research has been published in medical journals, etc.

In the past, KOLs were more in the medical field, but that's no longer the case. Nowadays, you can find KOLs in the financial sector, environment, and fitness industries. They appear to be more pronounced in the beauty, well-being, and technological fields.

Influencers Explained

An "influencer" is an individual or group of individuals who have the ability to influence how others behave towards a particular thing or product. They can affect the purchase decisions of others. However, influencers mainly use social media platforms to market their products. 

Most influencers use social media platforms such as Instagram, YouTube, or TikTok. Others are also active on Facebook and Twitter. Also, influencers often prefer to use videos and articles to market their products. In addition, a major influencer space is online. They may not be able to do much without the internet. However, it is very rare these days to find a business that doesn't have an online presence. Therefore, influencers are also very important if you want to advertise your business.

KOLS VS Influencers

KOLs and influencers are important in promoting sales, but it depends on the kind of industry or business. It appears that formal institutions prefer KOLs instead of influencers. The reason formal institutions prefer KOLs is that they are experienced in that field, have done research on it, and are highly respected in the field. 

Meanwhile, the influencers may not have any formal training in the field or industry they are marketing. They are influential because they have so many followers on their social media platforms. More so, influencers often don't have any experience in the area they are marketing. They rely on their followers to comment and share their content.

Which one should I choose? KOL or Influencers

Opt for KOLs if your product or service requires experience or formality. Schools, healthcare, and financial institutions need more KOLs for their advertising campaigns than influencers. However, some formal institutions also use influencers to market certain products, especially if they are related to the informal sector. 

Influencers are increasingly being used to promote products in the informal sector. You may have noticed that influencers are used to market appliances, beauty care, and fitness programs. They are often used to promote products in the formal sector. Nevertheless, some influencers are experts in their chosen fields. Assuming you want to use an influencer for a formal sector, then make sure they are well respected in that area. 

Conclusion

Using either an influencer or KOL is good. However, it depends on the business and the type of product, etc. Furthermore, you must ensure that the KOL or influencer has not previously demonized the product you are proposing they market. You may want to reach out to a marketing or advertising agency to let you know which will be suitable for your product's marketing. 

Finally, make sure to do a background check on the KOL or influencer you want to use. Moreover, if you can afford both and they're suitable for your business, then use them. In advertisements, the more the merrier. KOLs are not really advertisers like influencers, but they can influence the purchase of your product. you can also reach out to Government KOLs if it is related to their field.