Stop Hyping Influencer Marketing! KOL Guide for Solopreneurs (Part 1)

Introduction

This is the fifth installment of the Cross-border E-commerce Independent Site Brand Marketing Diary. A new mini-series! About influencer marketing, about KOL.

This series content is absolutely干货 (substantial), not only with viewpoint output, but also with absolutely executable various techniques! Hands-on teaching you how to use free tool platforms to find KOL.

This article is more about sharing cognition, so you can more correctly understand the real significance of so-called influencer partnerships.

The Three Major Problem Areas of Cross-border E-commerce Social Media Content

Based on my long-term自媒体 (self-media) "exposing fakes", most割子们 (profiteers) like to write articles about these three topics: Influencer Marketing, EDM, SEO.

This type of content often looks like this: a Photoshop-ed fake screenshot of backend performance or packing and shipping pictures, with copy similar to: "This week's performance is pretty good. Mainly did: 1) Influencer marketing. 2) EDM. 3) SEO. All free organic traffic, cross-border e-commerce is so fragrant! Bla bla bla bla bla."

If you think carefully, you'll notice several characteristics:

Characteristic 1: Slightly High Barrier

These words or these strategies稍微带有一点点门槛 (have a slight barrier), not like running ads which is straightforward. When people say these, it makes their content seem less basic, making inexperienced readers feel that running ads is nothing special - with money and time, anyone can do it. They prefer to hear about things they don't quite understand, feeling like they've obtained a secret manual.

Characteristic 2: "Free" Format

• SEO costs nothing
• EDM sending emails costs nothing
• Influencer costs aren't that high either

Compared to directly spending money on ads, these strategies are more attractive to beginners, making them think they have the ability to make money without spending or investing.

Characteristic 3: Worst Conversion Rate for Beginners

In fact, all three of the above are the strategies with the worst conversion effect for beginners! It makes beginners feel, "Oh I tried and it didn't work, is it my ability that's not enough?" Then they start self-PUA and self-anxiety.

The Significance of KOL in Cross-border E-commerce Independent Sites

Influencer KOL partnerships are especially like this. This has led to countless new solopreneurs or small business owners having unrealistic expectations about influencer marketing.

I will comprehensively, sufficiently objectively and neutrally, with my own practical experience, explain in detail the significance and role of KOL for cross-border e-commerce independent sites, especially for solopreneurs.

First Level Significance: Driving Sales

This is the most anticipated goal result for all e-commerce players (whether cross-border e-commerce, domestic e-commerce, whether solopreneurs or established brands). It's hoping that through KOL partnerships, the other party can directly bring sales conversions.

Second Level Significance: Producing UGC Content Materials

Starting from the second goal, this is the dividing line between short-term goal setters and long-term thinkers.

You'll find that many independent sites boast about their brands and products being used by many big influencers, then炫 (show off) the influencers' UCG materials extensively. Including showing off on social media, showing off on the official website.

This leads to 2 most direct effects:

Effect 1: Improving Brand Trust

After uploading influencer photos to appropriate positions on the official website (such as product landing pages), it absolutely can improve your brand trustworthiness.

And the importance of brand trustworthiness for independent sites I've emphasized many times, this is the most basic, most basic, most basic sub-goal for improving conversion that all players must solve.

Imagine:

• One site is bare, has nothing, no product reviews (no feedback and try-on photos from real customers after purchase), no influencer photos either
• Another site has many real reviews and real customer photos, also many beautiful influencer photos

Which one would you buy from?

Effect 2: Enriching Social Media Operations

Many solopreneurs or brands alike are frustrated with daily social media operations, not knowing what content to create:

• Shooting their own content? No time, no budget
• Even if they painstakingly shoot something, the effect might not be good
• Running their own small activities or giveaways? Seems like no high-quality users participate

That's when the influencer's content role comes into play.

For example, in terms of material content, you can use their return photos. Some product categories are extremely suitable for social media. You could completely合作 (collaborate with) KOL on a fixed cycle, get various influencer material photos on a fixed cycle, then post them to your social media accounts and official website.

Giveaways are even more不用说了 (self-explanatory) - if you invite KOL for co-giveaways, you can surge followers!

Currently, most influencers are willing to cooperate as long as you give them free gifts. If your product's unit price isn't high, it's simply a great deal!

It's equivalent to spending a couple hundred bucks to have a small team helping you produce unlimited product material content, or a couple hundred bucks to gain a few hundred followers.

Someone asks, what's the use of this content material stuff, what's the use of followers? The pictures are nice and followers are many, but they can't directly bring me conversions.

Third Level Significance: Quantity Leading to Quality, Ultimately Forming Brand and Spread

Entering more abstract meaning.

Many people say "Don't talk to me about brand, I'm just a small solopreneur, I just want to sell products honestly. I've also tried finding 5 influencers and couldn't sell anything, so I don't want to do it anymore."

Of course, I especially understand, honestly I'm actually like this too hahahahaha.

But if you ask me if I'll always be like this? No, I will definitely execute this strategy at some stage, and what stage exactly depends on you grasping the rhythm.

For long-term thinkers, brand barrier is absolutely the killer weapon for independent site sellers. If the brand barrier is solid enough, even if you're selling the most common items, people will still buy from you because they trust you, because consumers follow the crowd.