Key platforms for social media marketing in China 2021
Social media marketing in China differs greatly from Western countries. The tools and platforms that you and your company may already be familiar with, such as Instagram, Facebook, and even TikTok, are inaccessible in China without the use of a VPN. Chinese companies have created their own unique social media platforms that have developed their own online cultures as a result of minimal usage of Western counterparts. To market successfully in China, advertisers not only need to know which platforms to use, but how to effectively and appropriately engage with their users. In this blog, we’ll be talking about the big three social media platforms in China, offering a brief introduction on how to utilize their potential to build your brand in China.
Fully integrated into nearly every aspect of life, Tencent’s WeChat is more than just an instant messaging app. Instant messaging, transportation services, finances, social networking, and shopping are among the nearly infinite services that are all only a few screen taps away from each other, making WeChat operate as a sort of strategic combination of Instagram, TikTok, WhatsApp, Uber, Amazon, Paypal, and more. In 2019, the “app for everything” processed over 45 billion messages and 1.1 billion transactions daily, accounting for an astounding 34% of China’s total mobile traffic. Boasting over 1.2 billion MAU, 50 million merchants, and 20 million Official Accounts, WeChat is now the single most popular social media platform in China and the fifth most popular globally.
The most popular WeChat advertising methods:
WeChat Moments: WeChat’s chronological social media feed
Mini Programs: fully functional third party applications hosted within WeChat
Official Accounts: Verified business accounts that can post blogs, message users 1 on 1, and generate push notifications
For a more in-depth look at China’s most popular mobile app, and how to effectively advertise on it, read our detailed WeChat marketing blog post here,
Similar to Western platforms Facebook and Twitter, Alibaba’s Weibo is a text and media sharing app where users microblog, discuss viral trends, and read the news. As of January 2020, Weibo boasts 520 monthly active users, with a slight skew towards male users, as they represent 56% of the total user base. 222 million users visit the site daily, and 80% are under the age of 35, making this platform ideal for targeting a more youthful, engaged audience.
Weibo has been around longer than other Chinese social media platforms, which has allowed them to develop one of the most sophisticated advertising platforms marketers can get their hands on. The user-friendly portal allows advertisers to seamlessly target effective demographics, and get more brand visibility than any other social media in China. A 1 million RMB investment in Weibo advertising nets approximately 55 million impressions, while only securing 8 million on Douyin. Although it is not the most popular social media platform in China, it is absolutely one that should be on the radar of any brand looking to grow its business in the Chinese market.
For a deep dive into everything, Weibo has to offer, keep a lookout for our upcoming Weibo blog that explains every aspect of the app, and how to use it for your advertising efforts in China.
DouYin
You may have heard Chinese social media platform DouYin referred to as China’s equivalent of TikTok. While TikTok and DouYin are both owned by Beijing-based parent company ByteDance, DouYin is focused entirely on catering to its Chinese audience and goes significantly deeper than its Western counterpart. The apps operate on completely different servers, meaning that content uploaded to one is not accessible on the other.
In addition to differing viral trends and video cultures, the DouYin app itself supports a handful of features absent from TikTok, such as user live streams and business accounts that users can purchase goods from directly within the app. Integrating your advertising efforts and sales into these unique app functions will help your brand thrive in the Chinese market.
DouYin’s user base in China is not confined by socioeconomic status or geographical location. Males and females of all age groups, located in Tier 1 - Tier 4+ cities can all be targeted in DouYin ads. For this reason, we strongly believe that DouYin is the next big advertising platform, similar to Facebook in its early days. There is no better time to start building your brand presence on DouYin, so read our detailed DouYin blog for more in-depth information here.
Final Thoughts
China’s social media landscape can be intimidating at first glance. There are lots of words and platforms Western marketing professionals may not be familiar with. Waitan is here to help! Email us at hello@waitanagency.com to schedule a preliminary consultation and learn how we can help you get the most out of your China marketing efforts. Subscribe to our newsletter to stay up to date on all company information, and be notified whenever new educational blog posts are published. We’re excited that you are looking to expand your business in China, and we look forward to working with you to achieve your business goals.