Market Booking KOL/KOC in Vietnam is developing at a breakneck pace. According to recent reports, the global Influencer Marketing market size has exceeded 21 billion USD in 2023. In Vietnam, this is also a key marketing channel for many SMEs.
However, behind those flashy numbers lies a reality full of risks. As experts at DPS.MEDIA, we have witnessed countless bitter campaign failures. Many businesses lose hundreds of millions of dong just due to lack of real-world experience.
The problem doesn't stop at wasting budget. Choosing the wrong person, getting price-inflated, or worse, being “no-showed” right before the event severely impacts brand reputation. Product launch plans can be delayed indefinitely.
This article is a distillation of our “blood and tears” experience from 2017 to now. We will expose common tricks in the industry. The goal is to help SMEs master the process Booking KOL/KOC safely and most effectively.
The Painful Reality and Risks When Businesses Self-Book KOL/KOC
The Allure of Influencer Marketing and Harmful Misconceptions
Many SME business owners are attracted by success stories of “life-changing” transformations thanks to KOLs. They mistakenly believe that just by spending money to hire celebrities for reviews, orders will pour in. This is an extremely naive and dangerous mindset in the current competitive landscape.
Self-contacting Booking KOL/KOC seems simple but hides many traps. Without a systematic evaluation process, you can easily fall into the matrix of fake numbers. The consequence is that the budget “evaporates” quickly without bringing real revenue.
Not to mention, the lack of negotiation experience causes businesses to be frequently undercut on price. Many newly famous young influencers often quote sky-high prices not commensurate with their effectiveness. Lack of knowledge about market price benchmarks is a fatal weakness for businesses handling it themselves.
The Chaos of a Market “Mixing Gold and Dross”
The current KOC/KOL market is in a state of “a hundred flowers blooming” but lacking standards. Anyone with a few thousand followers can call themselves an Influencer and take bookings. This creates an unhealthy competitive environment full of deception.
The buying and selling of followers, likes, and comments happens openly. An account that looks glamorous with hundreds of thousands of followers may just be a “hollow shell”. If the business Booking KOL/KOC relies on these metrics, failure is certain.
List of common risks when businesses operate it themselves:
- Cannot distinguish real metrics from fake ones.
- Lack skills in negotiating prices and accompanying benefits.
- Loose contracts without clear responsibility clauses.
- No contingency plan if the KOL encounters issues or flakes.
- Difficulty measuring the true effectiveness of the campaign.
- Wasting too much time on management and reconciliation instead of focusing on business.
Real-Life Examples of Failures Due to Lack of Experience
We once received a client, brand A cosmetics. They spent 50 million VND themselves to hire a hot girl on Instagram with 200k followers. The result was the post only got a few hundred pitiful likes and no orders at all.
Another case is restaurant chain B. They Booking KOL/KOC in the food sector to review new dishes. However, on the appointed day, this KOL suddenly reported being busy and requested an indefinite postponement. The restaurant's opening plan was seriously affected, causing significant loss in expected revenue.
Lessons learned: Never underestimate the complexity of managing Influencers. Thorough preparation and market knowledge are crucial before investing in any booking activity.
Why Booking KOL/KOC Often Faces Price Inflation and How to Spot It
The “Price-Fixing” Mechanism of Influencers and Managers
Price inflation often stems from information asymmetry between buyers and sellers. KOLs/KOCs, especially those with managers, often use tricks to inflate their perceived value. They exploit brands“ FOMO psychology to demand higher prices.
A common tactic is using professionally designed “rate cards” (price lists) but with prices 30-50% higher than actual value. They often justify unreasonable prices with reach or personal brand image.
If you don't know the average market prices for each segment, you'll easily accept these rates. At DPS.MEDIA, we have historical pricing data for thousands of KOLs for comparison, helping clients avoid being ripped off when Booking KOL/KOC.
Identifying Fake Metrics Used for Price Inflation
Many KOCs/KOLs use fake engagement tools to beautify their profiles. They buy likes and comments from “click farms” to deceive brands about their influence. Detecting this requires keen insight and specialized tools.
Be wary of accounts with large follower counts but extremely low engagement rates (Engagement Rate). For example, a 100k follower account with only 200-300 likes per post is highly suspicious. A huge discrepancy is a red flag.
Another sign is superficial, generic comments or unrelated foreign language ones under posts. These are often bots or cheap engagement services. Don't let these numbers fool you when conducting Booking KOL/KOC.
| Comparison Criteria | Real engagement metrics (Organic) | Fake/Bot engagement metrics |
|---|---|---|
| Engagement Rate (ER) | Stable, appropriate to follower scale (usually 1-5%) | Very low or abnormally high spikes in a few posts |
| Comment quality | Relevant to content, emotional, diverse | Noise (“Great”, “So beautiful”, icon), repetitive, out of context |
| Follower growth | Steady growth over time and activity | Sudden spike in short time (due to buying followers) |
| Followers | Real accounts, active, with profile pictures | Fake accounts, no profile pictures, meaningless usernames |
Negotiation Tactics for Reasonable Pricing
Never accept the first price offered by the KOL. Consider it the starting point for negotiation. You need to prepare data on their recent performance to use as a negotiation basis.
Propose long-term cooperation packages or combos of multiple posts for better discounts. Committing to a large number of bookings often gives you an advantage in price negotiation. At the same time, clarify accompanying benefits like using images for advertising.
You can also propose performance-based collaboration (CPD, CPS, CPA) instead of just paying a fixed fee per post. This shares risk and motivates the KOL to work harder to drive sales when you Booking KOL/KOC.
Real-Life Examples of Price Inflation and How to Handle Them
A fashion brand was quoted 80 million for a TikTok video from a Hot TikToker. After our analysis, we found their conversion rate was very low. We negotiated down to 40 million with a bonus clause if sales KPIs were met.
Another case, a KOL quoted 15 million for a Facebook post. We discovered 60% comments on their page were from fake accounts. We presented evidence and demanded a realistic price of 5 million, or we'd find someone else.
Lessons learned: Information is power in negotiation. Always thoroughly check metrics and don't hesitate to bargain based on the real value the KOL can bring to your business.
“The ”Nightmare" of No-Shows When Booking KOL/KOC and Prevention Measures
Why Do KOC/KOL “No-Show” or Delay?
The issue of no-shows (ghosting) or delayed deadlines is a constant headache for brands. The most common cause is KOLs taking on too many jobs at once, leading to overload. They lack professional time and task management.
Some other cases are due to sudden personal issues, or simply losing interest in your product. Unprofessional attitudes are quite common among young influencers today.
Sometimes, the cause comes from the brand side when the brief (requirement summary) is unclear. Constant changes make the KOL frustrated and avoidant. This is something to note in the process Booking KOL/KOC.
Severe Consequences of No-Shows
No-shows not only cause frustration but directly impact business plans. Marketing campaigns are tightly scheduled to catch events or shopping seasons. One broken link can derail the entire system.
For example, you plan a product launch on Black Friday and book 10 KOLs to post simultaneously. If 3 of them no-show at the last minute, the viral effect will be significantly reduced. The lost opportunity cost is huge.
Additionally, urgently finding replacements often forces you to accept higher prices or unsuitable faces. This reduces the overall campaign quality Booking KOL/KOC and wastes budget.
Using Tight Contracts as a “Shield” for Protection
Service contracts are the most important legal tool to protect business interests. A sketchy contract, just agreed via messages, is a recipe for disaster. All commitments must be clearly documented.
In the contract, clearly specify delivery time (deadline), number of posts, posting platforms, and content requirements. Especially, include specific penalty clauses if the KOL is late or fails to fulfill commitments.
Important clauses to include in KOL/KOC Booking contracts:
- Specific timelines for each stage: sending demo, content approval, post date and time.
- Rule against deleting posts for a certain period (e.g., 3 months).
- Specific fine for each late day (e.g., deduct 10% contract value/day).
- Exclusivity commitment (no advertising for competitors for a certain period).
- Ownership and usage rights of images/content after campaign ends.
- 100% refund clause if KOL unilaterally cancels without valid reason.
Real-Life Examples of Handling No-Shows
We worked with a Travel Blogger for a summer tour promotion. Close to the trip date, they canceled citing health reasons. Thanks to tight contract clauses, we demanded 100% deposit refund and partial damage compensation as stipulated.
Another example of delay: A tech KOC kept postponing video review deadline. After 3 ineffective reminders, we applied the contract penalty deduction. Immediately, the KOC completed the work the next day.
Lessons learned: Don't trust verbal promises. Contracts are the “divine sword” that gives you control and minimizes risks when working with unprofessional partners.
Standard Process for Professional KOL/KOC Booking to Minimize Risks
Defining Clear Goals and KOL/KOC Profiles
The first and most important step is to know what you want. Do you Booking KOL/KOC want to increase brand recognition (Branding) or to boost sales (Sales)? Different objectives will lead to the selection of completely different faces.
If you need to increase reach, choose Celebs or Macro-Influencers with massive fan bases. If you need to increase sales conversion rates, Micro-Influencers or KOCs (Key Opinion Consumers) with niche fan bases and high credibility will be much more effective.
Draw a detailed portrait of the target KOL: age, gender, content style, geographic area, and most importantly, whether their follower base matches your target customers.
Building a Detailed and Professional Brief (Requirement Summary)
A poor brief will lead to poor content. The brief needs to provide full information about the product, the main message (key message) to convey, and mandatory requirements (must-haves) in the post content.
However, don't turn the brief into handcuffs. Give the KOL space to create in their own style. The more natural the content, and the more it bears the personal imprint of the KOL, the easier it is for the audience to accept.
Clearly specify regulations on using hashtags, tagging the brand, and inserting purchase links (affiliate links). Clarity from the start will help avoid unnecessary disputes during implementation Booking KOL/KOC.
| Stage | Main activity | Estimated time |
|---|---|---|
| Preparation | Set objectives, budget, list potential KOLs | 1 week |
| Contact & Negotiate | Send brief, receive quotes, negotiate benefits and costs | 1-2 weeks |
| Sign contract & Payment | Finalize terms, sign legal documents, advance payment | 3-5 days |
| Content Production | KOL develops ideas, sends demos, brand reviews and gives feedback | 1-3 weeks |
| Deployment & Monitoring | KOL posts according to schedule, brand monitors feedback | As per plan |
| Reporting & Acceptance | Compile data, evaluate effectiveness, pay the remaining amount | 1 week after completion |
Vetting Process and Selection Procedure
Don't just look at the number of followers. Take time to carefully ”examine” the KOL's activity over at least the past 3 months. Check if their advertising booking frequency is too dense. A profile “flooded” with ads will make the audience numb.
Evaluate image suitability (Brand Fit). A KOL specializing in luxurious lifestyles and designer goods will have a hard time convincing audiences to buy a cheap, everyday product. This forced mismatch is easily noticed by consumers.
At DPS.MEDIA, we apply a real competency assessment process which includes cross-checking data from multiple sources, analyzing the follower base, and preliminary interviews to assess work attitude before deciding to collaborate.
Examples of Successful Booking Processes
Our app launch campaign was a resounding success thanks to the systematic process. We selected 30 KOCs who were top students with influence in the learning community. The brief was designed openly, encouraging them to share real stories about improving grades thanks to the app.
As a result, the content created was very authentic, without overt advertising. The campaign achieved over 50,000 app downloads in the first month with a conversion cost (CPI) 40% lower than other channels.
Lessons learned: Professionalism in the process is the key to managing risks. Investing time in preparation and selection will save you a lot of money and effort during implementation Booking KOL/KOC.
Metrics to Measure Effectiveness After Booking KOL/KOC
Distinguishing Between Vanity Metrics and Actionable Metrics
Don't be dazzled by likes or views. Those are often just “vanity metrics” that don't reflect true business effectiveness. A million views but no one interested in the product is meaningless.
Focus on “actionable metrics”. Those are numbers that show users are truly interested and taking specific actions. For example, clicks on links, comments asking about price or where to buy, shares of the post.
When implementing Booking KOL/KOC, the ultimate goal is conversion. Therefore, prioritize metrics deeper in the marketing funnel rather than stopping at surface-level awareness.
Using Technology for Accurate Tracking and Measurement
Manual measurement by counting likes and comments is infeasible and inaccurate. Use supporting tools like UTM tracking links, unique discount codes (affiliate code) for each KOL to track order origins.
Social Listening platforms also help you measure the sentiment of user discussions about the brand after the campaign. You'll know if customer feedback is positive, negative, or neutral.
For large campaigns, investing in professional Influencer management software is essential. They provide visual reports, helping you see the full picture of investment effectiveness (ROI) of the activities Booking KOL/KOC.
List of important KPIs to track:
- Engagement Rate: (Like + Comment + Share) / Total Followers.
- Click-Through Rate (CTR): Number of link clicks / Total impressions or reach.
- Conversion Rate: Number of orders or leads / Total clicks.
- Cost Per Engagement (CPE): Cost per interaction.
- Cost Per Acquisition (CPA): Cost to acquire a new customer.
- Return on Ad Spend (ROAS): Revenue generated / Cost spent on KOL.
Post-Campaign Evaluation and Building Long-Term Relationships
Ending the campaign doesn't mean the work is done. Take time to deeply analyze the collected data. Compare effectiveness between different KOLs to find who is most suitable for your brand.
Based on those results, build a list of “core KOLs”. These are people with good work efficiency, professional attitude, and fit with brand culture. Maintain good relationships with them for campaigns Booking KOL/KOC in the future.
Long-term collaboration often yields better results than one-off bookings. Audiences trust more when they see KOLs using and mentioning the product regularly and persistently over time.
Examples of Measurement and Optimization
In a campaign for a household brand, we issued unique discount codes to 5 different KOLs. Results showed KOL A had the lowest followers but highest sales due to a very quality and trusting fan base.
Conversely, KOL B had 5 times more followers but very low sales. Based on this data, in the next campaign, we cut budget for KOL B and invested more in KOL A, while signing a 6-month brand ambassador contract with them.
Lessons learned: Numbers don't lie. Let data guide your next investment decisions. Only when measured can you improve the effectiveness of activities Booking KOL/KOC.
Conclusion
The journey Booking KOL/KOC is full of challenges but also brings great opportunities for SMEs. The “hard-earned” experiences shared by DPS.MEDIA above hope to be valuable luggage helping you avoid common pitfalls like no-shows or price inflation.
Remember that success doesn't come from choosing the most famous person, but from choosing the most suitable one and managing them with a professional process. From vetting, price negotiation, tight contracts to measuring effectiveness with real metrics, every step requires serious investment.
The Influencer Marketing market will continue to change. To survive and grow, businesses need to constantly update knowledge, stay alert to tricks, and always prioritize business effectiveness. Don't let illusory numbers blind you, focus on real value.
If you still feel confused and worried about risks when implementing yourself, seek professional consulting agencies. With real-world experience serving over 5,400 customers since 2017, DPS.MEDIA is always ready to accompany you to optimize every campaign Booking KOL/KOC, turning marketing costs into sustainable profits.
