In-House KOLs: Smart Operations for Sustainable and Effective Results

With the growing trend of using in-house KOLs (Key Opinion Leaders) in business marketing strategies, company leaders are not only steering the brand but also directly involved in conveying messages to the public. This creates a profound impact on all aspects of the business.

One approach to studying the impact of using leaders as KOLs is to apply the Balanced Scorecard (BSC) model to assess how this trend influences different facets of business operations.

The BSC is an effective strategic management framework that helps businesses balance financial and non-financial indicators while linking strategies to daily goals, targets, and activities. It comprises four main perspectives: Financial, Customer, Internal Processes, and Learning and Growth.

Here are some highlights of the impact of in-house KOLs from each perspective:

Financial Perspective

• In-house KOLs help businesses save on marketing costs compared to hiring external KOLs, while increasing revenue due to higher customer engagement with the brand.
• However, investment is needed to create quality content, manage reputation, and handle potential media crises.
• Saves on human resources for finding and managing KOLs.
• Optimizes resources, focusing on quality content.

Customer Perspective

• In-house KOLs help businesses build close, trusting, and empathetic relationships with customers through direct sharing from leaders about the brand’s story, values, and mission.
• This can increase customer satisfaction, loyalty, and referrals.
• It can also trigger negative reactions if messages are not carefully controlled or don’t meet customer expectations. Therefore, message consistency is crucial.
• Avoid excessive influence of personal image on the brand.

Learning and Growth Perspective

• Encourages innovation in content delivery and communication methods.
• In-house KOLs help businesses enhance personnel capacity. With leaders acting as mentors, role models, and motivators for employees in building and disseminating brand messages, it fosters a positive, creative, and collaborative company culture.
• However, investment is required in training, support, and developing communication skills for leaders and employees.
• Focus on data analysis to evaluate effectiveness and drive improvements.

In general, in-house KOLs offer many opportunities but also come with significant challenges. Businesses need smooth and consistent coordination from strategy to execution to maximize the benefits of this trend. When operated intelligently, in-house KOLs become a solid foundation for businesses to reach new heights on their journey to conquer new peaks.