In the time we live in, it is very important for the brands to promote their products and services not only via mainstream advertising but also via social media personalities who have a large number of following. Such influential accounts are called Key Opinion Leaders or KOLs. These are powerful influencers who use their voice to promote products and services across social media platforms like WeChat. While Weibo only allows 140 characters to be posted in one post, WeChat allows these KOLs to post fully fledged posts with all the required details about the products or the services making it a comprehensive post. WeChat KOL is indeed a good choice for the companies and brands to promote their products and services.
How do they fare on WeChat?
You might be wondering about WeChat KOL marketing cost. Well, the system by which KOLs are paid is pretty tricky over the WeChat. Unlike other social media platforms which are available across the world, WeChat provides a comprehensive advertisement system for the companies to use. Generally, any company that has the base in China can spend ¥50,000 RMB in WeChat advertising while the companies with a base in abroad are allowed to spend ¥10,000 RMB. The cost of the advertising entirely depends on the location on which the companies want their ads to publish and that can vary from ¥50 RMB to ¥180 RMB. By taking other options in an account like demographics etc, the cost can vary dramatically.
Type of WeChat accounts
When we talk about KOLs, we also need to understand the importance of the type of accounts these influencers are holding. There are mainly two types of accounts that WeChat is offering right now. These type of accounts are Subscription and Service accounts. If you are looking to advertise on WeChat via KOLs, you should know the difference. First of all, subscription accounts have less visibility but they can do one post a day. On the other hand, the service accounts have high visibility but they can only do four posts in a month.
Secondly, when we talk about subscription accounts, though they have lesser visibility, the reach is much higher as they are constantly interacting with the followers with new posts which is not possible with a service account. Service accounts are best fitted for the companies and brands and not for the general public or KOLs.
Different type of campaigns done by KOLs
There are four major types of campaigns done by KOLs on WeChat. The companies choose the type of campaigns according to their requirements and budget.
Advertorials and product placements: This is the most common type of campaign run by the KOLs over WeChat. The KOLs write the post or the article in their usual way while emphasizing on the product or the service in the post. Say, if they post about “Top 5 phones for 2018” they will write a general article while praising the particular model of the phone more to make sure it steals the limelight in the article.
Product Reviews: This is the easiest way to promote any product for the company. The companies choose specific KOLs to review their products and post an article or a video about it. These product reviews are used by all type of companies like electronics, makeup, healthcare and many others.
Interactive campaigns by KOLs: In such campaigns, the KOLs post an article or a post to engage with the followers and ask them to post photos or videos in the replies. In the majority of the cases, the randomly chosen user(s) from the replies get rewards as well to make sure there is a maximum interaction between the KOL and the followers.
Sponsored Articles: In such campaigns, the KOLs provide a direct sale link for the followers from where they can buy the product or the services after only a few clicks. Such campaigns are more direct and make it easier for the followers as well to understand that it is a paid post.
Direct Sales Generation from WeChat Mini Programs
While KOLs are making it easier for the companies to promote their services and products over WeChat, the platform has also made it easier for the companies to interact directly with the customers. The WeChat mini-programs are apps which can be run within WeChat without any need for additional installation. These apps or mini-programs are revolutionizing the market in China as it provides easier ways for the customers to buy products and services.
All major Chinese, as well as international brands that are active in China, have these programs so that customers do not have to shift to another app to buy the products or services. For example, the KFC mini program allows you to buy food within WeChat and you do not need to install the basic app for the company to do so. The programs work perfectly as e-commerce stores and also provide QR codes to complete the purchase.
Minting the benefits of the mini-programs, many KOLs have launched their own mini-programs to increase direct sales. Such mini-programs provide information about a variety of products to the followers and let them make a purchase from within the app.
Examples of WeChat mini program KOL driven high sales
Though it seems unrealistic to a few, launching own mini program has made it much easier and beneficiary for the KOLs to generate sales. Some of the most famous KOLs with mini-programs are:
Shiliu Po: One of the most famous fashions KOL in WeChat, Shiliu Po had recently launched a mini program. Within the first hour, the mini-program got over 100,000 page views.
YuXiaoGe: Yet another famous KOL who launched a mini-program but here the concept was different. Instead of launching only one program, the KOL emphasized on multiple KOL for different purposes and it made it much easier for the KOL to not only provide specific information and sale links to the followers but also to track the sales.
Conclusion
When you are trying to establish your base in China or want to promote the already established business in China over the internet, there is no better way to do it other than WeChat KOL promotions. The penetration that WeChat can provide to your brand is unmatchable via any other platform. KOLs make it much easier for the brands to reach out millions of people at a very affordable price and that too only in a few clicks.
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