PLTFRM

(Source: https://pltfrm.com.cn)

In the Chinese market, relying on a single platform for marketing no longer meets the demands of brand growth. The core challenge for brand marketing lies in integrating Xiaohongshu’s content seeding effect, Douyin’s short-video conversion power, and WeChat’s private domain operations to create a seamless user journey. Leveraging extensive localized expertise, PLTFRM offers overseas brands a full-spectrum marketing solution—from content strategy and cross-platform integration to data analytics. We help brands maximize the synergy of major platforms, optimize marketing ROI, and achieve sustainable growth. If your brand aims to establish a comprehensive cross-platform marketing framework and elevate its influence in China, feel free reach out to leave your messages or contact us via email at info@pltfrm.cn. We’ll craft a one-stop localized marketing solution to ensure your brand lands swiftly and thrives in the Chinese market.

In our previous article, we provided an in-depth analysis of user preferences, content ecosystems, and business models across China’s mainstream social media platforms, helping brands decode their marketing logic. However, the reach of a single platform is limited. To achieve greater influence in the Chinese market, brands must strategically select key platforms and leverage cross-platform synergies to enhance marketing efficiency.

This article will focus on the unique advantages and marketing opportunities offered by Douyin and Xiaohongshu, exploring how brands can harness short videos, live streaming, and content seeding to boost their influence. Additionally, we’ll dive into the information flow and synergies between social platforms, empowering brands to develop cross-platform strategies that drive more effective user acquisition and conversion.

I. Brand Marketing Secrets in China: Unique Advantages and Opportunities of Douyin and Xiaohongshu

Within China’s social media ecosystem, Douyin and Xiaohongshu stand out as cornerstone platforms for localized marketing and digital promotion, thanks to their distinct user bases, content ecosystems, and business models. Below, we analyze the characteristics of these platforms and outline specific strategies for brands to leverage their strengths and achieve marketing goals. For overseas FMCG brands aiming to succeed in China, a deep understanding of these platforms’ dynamics is essential. Here’s a brief overview of Douyin and Xiaohongshu, along with their marketing opportunities:

1.Unlocking Brand Marketing Potential on Douyin

Douyin has emerged as a vital platform in the digital marketing landscape. Its unique features and innovative tools offer brands significant opportunities in China’s fast-growing market. Below are the platform’s key characteristics and how brands can harness them for effective marketing campaigns.

• Platform Characteristics

• Content Format: Douyin’s core content revolves around short videos, fostering a fast-paced, highly interactive environment. Its focus on entertainment, humor, and trending topics—delivered with strong visual impact and creativity—caters to users’ cravings for novelty and fun, making it an ideal platform for brands to showcase creativity and spread engaging messages.
• User Profile: Douyin’s user base skews young, with a balanced gender ratio and broad reach, particularly in lower-tier markets. Users typically browse in short, fragmented bursts and are easily drawn to fresh, entertaining content. Brands can capitalize on this to quickly capture attention and forge connections.
• Algorithm-Driven Recommendations: Douyin’s robust algorithm precisely delivers content to target audiences, enabling brands to achieve precision marketing through personalized recommendations. This boosts content visibility and engagement, driving superior campaign results.
• Commercial Ecosystem: Douyin has built a thriving commercial ecosystem with diverse models like live-stream commerce, brand challenges, and in-feed ads. Its “interest-based e-commerce” approach captures users’ fleeting interests, shortening the decision-making process and facilitating a seamless transition from traffic to sales to brand loyalty—an efficient conversion pathway for brands.

• Marketing Opportunities

• Brand Challenges: By launching or joining challenges, brands can encourage user-generated content and spark viral spread. Leveraging trending topics, these challenges boost exposure, drive user participation, and elevate engagement and brand awareness.
• In-Feed Ads: Douyin’s precise algorithm makes in-feed ads highly effective. Brands can deploy these ads to deliver products directly to target users, enhancing ad performance and conversion rates.
• KOL Collaborations: Partnering with Douyin influencers (KOLs) is a proven way to amplify brand influence. Collaborations with top KOLs unlock access to broader, highly engaged audiences, while their endorsements build trust and drive purchasing decisions.
• Live-Stream Commerce: Douyin’s live-stream selling model has become a go-to for brands. By hosting their own streams or teaming up with popular hosts, brands can sell products in real-time—ideal for new launches or promotions—achieving instant sales conversions.
• Short Video Ads: As Douyin’s flagship format, short videos allow brands to craft fun, useful, and resonant content to captivate viewers. These creative videos not only boost brand affinity but can also leverage tools like Dou+ for precise targeting.

Douyin offers brands a vast gateway into the Chinese market. Through short video ads, KOL partnerships, and live-stream commerce, brands can achieve comprehensive breakthroughs in exposure, engagement, and sales conversion. By strategically tapping into the platform’s recommendation algorithm and commercial ecosystem, brands can effectively reach potential consumers and fuel business growth

Case Study

A globally renowned sports brand[1] partnered with Douyin to launch a live variety show themed “Never Stop, Unleash the Wild,” targeting young consumers. Dubbed “Unleash the Wild Collective,” the event brought together university club members, athletes, celebrities, and Douyin influencers, showcasing Gen Z’s self-expression and energy through sports like basketball, street dance, skateboarding, frisbee, and soccer. Featuring segments like “Dancer’s Turtle Soup,” “I Can, You Can’t,” and “Basketball Showdown,” the program blended street dance battles, fun sports challenges, and basketball duels. It not only empowered students to shine but also immersed online viewers in the brand’s “Never Stop” and “Unleash the Wild” ethos. The live show drew massive attention, amassing over 6 million views, peaking at 130,000 concurrent viewers, and gaining 150,000 new followers—significantly boosting the brand’s penetration among Gen Z on Douyin while achieving a perfect blend of brand impact and performance.

2. Driving Effective Brand Growth in China with Xiaohongshu

As China’s digital landscape evolves, platforms like Xiaohongshu have become critical channels for brands to engage local consumers. Blending social media, e-commerce, and content marketing, Xiaohongshu offers a powerful opportunity for brands to enhance visibility and build trust in the Chinese market. For overseas brands seeking localization, understanding the platform’s dynamics and user behaviors is essential to crafting impactful marketing strategies.

• Platform Characteristics

• Content Format: Xiaohongshu’s primary content format is image-text posts, supplemented by short videos and live streams. Its style leans toward authentic, relatable, and lifestyle-driven content, emphasizing user experience and product reviews. This genuine, down-to-earth approach ties closely to users’ daily lives, enabling brands to connect with consumers in a personalized and vivid way.
• Recommendation Mechanism: The platform merges personalized and social recommendations to deliver content aligned with users’ interests and needs. This tailored approach not only enhances user experience but also increases stickiness, helping brands stand out amid the content flood and capture the attention of target audiences.

• User Profile and Behavior

• User Base: Xiaohongshu’s audience is predominantly female, concentrated in Tier 1 and 2 cities. These users typically have strong purchasing power, value quality of life, and are willing to invest in premium products. They pursue refined lifestyles, enjoy sharing shopping insights, and exhibit high engagement and loyalty to brands.
• Consumption Habits: Active in the “content seeding” (zhongcao) culture, these users love recommending products and lifestyles they enjoy. Their decision-making process often involves extensive research and comparison, stretching the purchase timeline. To shine in this culture, brands must build trust through authentic product experiences and transparent communication..
• Community Dynamics:

i. Trust Culture

Xiaohongshu’s community thrives on a foundation of trust. Users rely heavily on peer reviews and recommendations when making purchase decisions, lending the platform’s content exceptional influence and credibility. For brands, fostering an honest and reliable image through user interaction and feedback accelerates trust-building with consumers.

ii. “Content Seeding” Culture

The “zhongcao” culture lies at Xiaohongshu’s core, with users eagerly sharing shopping experiences, product reviews, and lifestyle tips. Brands can tap into this organic content spread for wider exposure and stronger user affinity. Aligning with this culture allows brands to naturally expand their influence within the community.

• Marketing Opportunities

• KOL/KOC Collaborations: Partnering with Xiaohongshu’s KOLs (Key Opinion Leaders) and KOCs (Key Opinion Consumers) for product reviews and experience-sharing content is a proven way to boost brand trust and spark purchase interest. Authentic posts from influential bloggers and everyday users help brands gain traction and credibility quickly.
• Encouraging User-Generated Content (UGC): Prompting users to share their product experiences fosters a word-of-mouth effect, driving organic brand reach. UGC delivers authentic reviews and recommendations, enhancing brand credibility and conversion rates..
• Brand Official Account: Running an official account allows brands to engage users directly with product updates, brand stories, and event announcements. Regular posts maintain close ties with users, increase stickiness, and infuse the brand with personality and vitality.
• Topical Events and Engagement: Joining or launching topic-driven campaigns can draw widespread user discussion and sharing, amplifying brand visibility. Creative topics and interactive formats not only raise awareness but also forge deeper emotional bonds with users.
• Content Marketing: Producing high-quality, valuable content is another key to elevating brand influence. Brands should share product reviews, tutorials, and lifestyle insights to meet user needs, offer practical value, and cement trust.

Xiaohongshu offers brands a unique, interactive environment to stand out in the Chinese market. By deeply understanding its features and user behaviors, overseas brands can leverage the platform to forge strong consumer connections and trust. Success on Xiaohongshu hinges not only on precise content positioning but also on building genuine, long-term relationships with users.

Case Study

On the evening of April 21, 2024, a leading international luxury brand[2] hosted an online live stream on Xiaohongshu—a platform teeming with fashion- and luxury-obsessed consumers—drawing a record-breaking 470,000 viewers. Unlike past efforts, this event introduced fresh twists: after a 15-minute runway video, it transitioned into a 100-minute “resee” live stream directly from the show venue, offering online viewers the same shopping experience as on-site VIP clients (VICs). High-definition footage recreated the VIC experience, striking a chord with fashion enthusiasts. During the stream, viewers could shop instantly via Xiaohongshu’s limited-time online store or book in-store experiences (pre-orders for the brand’s Early Fall 2024 women’s collection, set to launch in mid-to-late May). This marked the brand’s first venture into a third-party platform storefront in China beyond its official website and WeChat mini-program.

II. Cross-Platform Marketing Strategies: Connecting China’s Social Media Ecosystem

In China, social media platforms don’t operate in isolation—they interconnect and complement each other, forming a complex yet efficient network. This tight-knit ecosystem unlocks abundant marketing opportunities for brands. Users frequently hop between platforms, seeking information and entertainment tailored to their needs. For instance, a typical Chinese consumer might discover a product on Douyin, research reviews on Xiaohongshu, and finalize the purchase via a WeChat mini-program. Understanding this dynamic is crucial for brands to devise successful marketing strategies.

1. Cross-Platform Marketing Strategies

• Content Synergy: Deploy complementary content across platforms to guide users through a multi-channel journey. For example, a brand could release a creative video on Douyin, post detailed reviews on Xiaohongshu, and push exclusive offers via WeChat. This amplifies exposure while leveraging content connections to boost engagement and conversions
• Data Integration: By consolidating data across platforms, brands gain deeper insights into user behaviors. With analytics, brands can pinpoint user preferences, enabling personalized and efficient strategies. Comprehensive behavioral analysis drives precision marketing, enhancing user retention and participation
• Cross-Platform Campaigns: Launching multi-platform campaigns elevates both visibility and engagement. For instance, a brand might kick off a topic challenge on Weibo, share interactive videos on Douyin, and post product reviews on Xiaohongshu, drawing users from diverse platforms to amplify market impact.

2. Platform Linkage Tactics

• WeChat <-> Moments

WeChat users can share content from other platforms to Moments, harnessing social diffusion to spread content and accelerate brand reach.

• WeChat <-> Mini-Programs

Mini-programs embedded in WeChat public account articles bridge content to e-commerce, offering brands a seamless way to engage users and provide convenient purchase points during decision-making.

• Douyin <-> Taobao/Tmall

Douyin videos can link directly to Taobao or Tmall product pages, converting traffic into purchases and monetizing e-commerce flows.

• Weibo <-> Taobao/Tmall

Weibo guides users to Taobao or Tmall stores, blending social engagement with e-commerce conversions to strengthen brand-consumer interactions.

Understanding and leveraging the interconnectedness of China’s social media platforms enables brands to achieve precision marketing and efficient synergies across channels. With smart cross-platform strategies, brands can boost exposure while integrating content, data, and campaigns to enhance engagement and conversions. As social platforms evolve, brands must stay agile, adopting flexible and diverse strategies to stand out in the Chinese market.

Conclusion

In China, the interconnectedness of social media platforms is profound, with users navigating multiple channels to gather information and make purchase decisions. Douyin’s potent short videos and live-stream commerce capabilities allow brands to swiftly capture attention and drive efficient conversions, while Xiaohongshu’s community engagement and UGC content foster a high-trust “seeding” environment for lasting influence.

Meanwhile, the fluid information flow between WeChat, Xiaohongshu, Douyin, Weibo, and beyond empowers brands to connect user touchpoints through content synergy, data integration, and cross-platform campaigns, amplifying marketing efficiency. For overseas brands entering China, crafting integrated cross-platform strategies tailored to each platform’s user behaviors is the key to boosting brand influence and market conversion rates.

References:：

1. Ifeng, https://i.ifeng.com/c/8Ji480IhZyQ

2. Newsqq, https://news.qq.com/rain/a/20240424A0416W00