China's KOL:Guide to KOL Marketing in China-How to Get Started for 2023

Open any social media platform today, and you'll stumble upon a KOL raving about a specific brand or product. Like Western influencers, KOLs, or Key Opinion Leaders, are authoritative figures who have amassed dedicated followers around particular topics or lifestyles, fostering unwavering loyalty among their fans.

 

Although it may seem like KOL marketing is a recent trend due to integrating social media into our daily lives, it has been an established practice for decades. Cast your mind back to the pre-internet era when talk show hosts would endorse or give away certain products to their audiences. Such agreements were forged to showcase, promote, and distribute these products. How many viewers decided to purchase these items independently after the show?

 

Based on the KOL model, influencer marketing has been an age-old approach. KOL marketing will undergo further transformations as our media consumption patterns, social media platforms, and communication channels evolve. Nevertheless, what qualifies an individual as a KOL in this contemporary era?

 

What Are KOLs?

 

KOLs, or Key Opinion Leaders, have established a dedicated audience and earned a reputation through their expertise and knowledge. The most successful KOLs proactively interact with their followers, fostering trust and dependability. They possess excellent communication skills and maintain consistency in the content they share. Acting as early adopters of trends, they often play a pivotal role in initiating new movements. For marketing teams aiming to enhance brand recognition in China, collaborating with KOLs is an ideal partnership.

 

What Types And Categories Of KOLs Are There?

KOLs in China cover many interests and niches, but how can we categorize them based on their follower count?

 

Mega KOLs: These influential figures boast over 10 million followers, making them the largest and most widely recognized KOLs. Often comprised of celebrities and highly accomplished individuals, they possess immense reach and impact.

 

Top-tier KOLs: Falling within the range of 1 million to 10 million followers, these KOLs hold significant trust and influence within their respective domains. They excel at driving trends and influencing purchasing decisions while upholding authenticity and reliability. It's important to note that their rates reflect their substantial influence.

 

Mid-tier KOLs: With a follower count of 500,000 to 1 million, these KOLs maintain a sizable and dedicated fan base. Their expertise and demographic focus tend to be more specific, enabling a better alignment with your brand or product. Collaborating with a well-matched mid-tier KOL can yield impressive returns.

 

Micro KOLs: Falling between 100,000 to 500,000 followers, micro KOLs possess a strong and devoted following, often within highly niche categories. Despite their smaller audience, they establish a closer connection and build trust with their peers. Engaging with a few micro KOLs who align well with your brand can yield favorable results, and their rates generally tend to be lower than their mid-tier counterparts.

 

Nano KOLs: Even with follower counts ranging from 20,000 to 50,000, nano KOLs can still wield considerable influence. Often overlapping with Key Opinion Consumers (KOCs), they excel in hyper-specific niche categories and are trusted for their personalized product recommendations. Nano KOLs prove to be an excellent choice for product seeding campaigns.

 

Which Platforms Are KOLs Most Active On? 

To effectively plan your next KOL marketing campaign, it's crucial to have a comprehensive understanding of the demographics and key data points associated with China's prominent social media platforms. Douyin (TikTok), XiaoHongShu (Little Red Book), Weibo, Kuaishou, and WeChat, are highly recommended platforms to target.

Douyin:

As the Chinese sister app of TikTok, Douyin is China's leading short-video social media platform, boasting a massive user base of 700 million active monthly users. Among the KOLs on Douyin, approximately 37% are categorized as Top-Tier KOLs. The remaining 63% is evenly split between Mega, Mid, Micro, and Nano KOLs. Douyin is highly recommended for running KOL marketing campaigns in China, with a penetration rate of 98.1% for Top-Tier KOLs. The platform's demographics skew towards the younger generation, primarily residing in tier-one cities, making it ideal for brands targeting a trendy and hip audience.

 

XiaoHongShu (Little Red Book):

XiaoHongShu is a social recommendation platform that excels in product suggestions. For brands launching KOL marketing campaigns in China, XiaoHongShu is a perfect platform choice, as product promotion is deeply ingrained in the app's nature. The KOL breakdown on XiaoHongShu is evenly distributed across all categories, with Mega KOLs accounting for only 0.7% of active KOLs. The platform enjoys a high KOL penetration rate of 94%. It's worth noting that XiaoHongShu's user base is predominantly female (90%), residing in tier-one cities, highly educated, and with disposable income. In-depth and engaging content performs well on XiaoHongShu's algorithm, making it a highly effective tool with the right KOL to represent a brand or product.

 

Weibo:

Weibo, China's equivalent of Twitter, is a microblogging app that fosters strong communities. Most KOLs on Weibo fall into the Nano tier, making it a suitable platform for product seeding campaigns. Weibo's user base primarily consists of millennial, middle-class women residing in tier-one cities. Users are known for their in-depth discussions around products and represent a highly educated and high-earning demographic. Weibo has an 80% KOL penetration rate, making it favorable for seeding, outreach, and community building.

 

Kuaishou:

Kuaishou is a live-streaming platform that features many high-tier KOLs in China, nearly 80% falling into the Mega and Top-Tier categories. It is a suitable platform for brands targeting a broader geographical coverage, as only 10% of the user base resides in tier-one cities. Kuaishou boasts a high KOL penetration rate of 98%. Thus, it is an excellent choice for brands aiming to reach audiences beyond major city markets.

 

WeChat:

As China's most widely used platform, WeChat boasts over 1 billion users. However, the content shown on WeChat is limited to friends. It accounts for individuals who choose to follow, resulting in a lower KOL penetration rate of only 32% compared to other platforms. While most WeChat KOLs fall into the Nano tier, KOL marketing on WeChat remains necessary and effective, particularly when collaborating with multiple lower-tier KOLs to expand reach.

 

How Much Does KOL Marketing In China Cost?

 

From a personal point of view, it's an incalculable one. First of all, you need to find the KOL that suits you. Secondly, their charges are usually determined by the stability of the traffic provided by the platform and the number of fans on the forum.

But under normal circumstances, KOLs in the middle and upper levels will generally charge 30,000 yuan to 100,000 yuan (one month), which will be the fee you need KOLs to promote your products.

 

Getting Started With A KOL Marketing Campaign In China

 

When initiating a KOL marketing campaign in China, it is crucial to identify your target audience as the primary factor. By narrowing down your customer profile and understanding their behaviors, preferred platforms, and purchasing habits, finding a suitable KOL that aligns with your campaign objectives becomes much easier.

 

Focusing on KOLs on platforms like XiaoHongShu, Weibo, or Bilibili is recommended for beauty or fashion brands. XiaoHongShu should be a priority due to its predominantly female user base, with many consumers interested in cosmetics and fashion content.

 

Suppose you're in the food and beverage industry. In that case, Douyin is an excellent choice as it hosts communities sharing food challenges, recipes, and tutorials. Additionally, XiaoHongShu can also be effective in finding F&B-related KOLs.

 

Targeting KOLs on Weibo, WeChat, or XiaoHongShu is advisable for brands in the education or parenting sectors. Weibo and WeChat cater to a broader demographic, including older users, making them ideal starting points for such campaigns.

 

Finding the KOL suitable for you

Finding the right KOL will allow you to segment the KOLs in the industry and understand the KOL leaders in the industry better.

 

Define your target audience: Understand your customer profile, including demographics, interests, and behaviors. It will help you identify the KOLs with a strong presence among your target audience.

 

Set clear campaign goals: Determine your plan with your KOL marketing campaign. Whether it's brand awareness, product promotion, or driving sales, having clear goals will guide your search for the right KOL.

 

Research relevant platforms: Identify the social media platforms popular among your target audience in China. Platforms like Douyin, XiaoHongShu, Weibo, Kuaishou, and WeChat are commonly used for KOL marketing campaigns.

 

Consider engagement and interaction:

· Look for KOLs who actively engage with their audience.

· Respond to comments.

· Foster a sense of community.

Higher engagement rates indicate a stronger connection with their followers.

 

Negotiate terms and budget: Contact shortlisted KOLs to discuss campaign details, content format, posting frequency, and compensation. Negotiate terms that align with your budget and campaign goals.

 

Monitor and measure results: Once the campaign is live, closely monitor its performance using metrics such as reach, engagement, website traffic, or conversions. Assess the KOL's impact on your brand and make adjustments as necessary for future collaborations.

Utilizing KOL marketing is an excellent method to establish a strong presence for your brand in the Chinese market and boost product sales. Identifying the ideal KOL, platform, and strategy is crucial, particularly for new businesses venturing into this market. We're here to assist you if you're prepared to elevate your KOL marketing strategy!