Chinese social media platforms are becoming increasingly important for businesses to understand and utilize in their marketing strategies. With nearly 1.4 billion people, China is the most populous country in the world, and its social media platforms have the potential to reach a massive audience. In this blog post, we'll be discussing three Chinese social media platforms that you need to know about in 2023.

WeChat: The most widely used app by the Chinese audience with a focus on long-form content

WeChat is the most widely used social network in China, with nearly 1.2 billion users, including 100 million registered users outside of China. In 2023, the user demographics are almost even, with 47.1% Female users and 52.9% Male users.

This messaging app combines social elements like Facebook, with features like WeChat Moments, where users can share posts with their friends. WeChat also has unique features like "Shake" and "Drift Bottle" that allow users to find people nearby or connect with strangers in a fun and playful way. It's often referred to as the ‘Super App’ because you can hail a taxi cab, pay for utilities, top up your mobile phone credits, make a donation to charity, book hotels and flight tickets, shop and order food through WeChat Mini Programs, and much more.

For businesses looking to do social media marketing in China, WeChat should be your top choice. The platform's mini-programs allow users to easily pay for products and services through WeChat Pay, which eliminates the need for a wallet. Over 900 million people use WeChat Pay, compared to Apple Pay’s 127 million monthly users. This ease of use has helped to make WeChat a go-to platform for e-commerce in China. 

Brands are also able to open WeChat Official Accounts, where they can post long-form content, much like blog posts, to provide information and educate users on their brand and services. Users also share their day-to-day updates on WeChat Moments, which is similar to a Facebook Newsfeed. WeChat users often share articles from WeChat Official Accounts that they find interesting or unique on their WeChat Moments or in WeChat Groups, which can have up to 500 group members!

Weibo: Target Your Marketing Strategy to China’s Microblogging Users

Weibo is often referred to as "the Twitter of China," and has a powerful presence in Chinese social media with 222 million active daily users. As of 2021, 50.5% of users on the platform are Female and the other 49.5% are Male. 

Breakdown of Microblog Weibo Users in China as of June 2022, By Age Group

The platform offers different features including music, games, and donating to charities. For marketers looking to use this platform, the easiest way is to set up a verified account, like on Twitter, which allows users to post 140 characters including links, videos, and photos. Note that in order to get verified you need to go through a designated Weibo verification agency, which has offices internationally, so you’ll need to get some paperwork done and pay $1000 USD before getting the coveted blue checkmark.

 It is important to note that Weibo can be extremely spammy, and many users are abandoning it. The platform has evolved into a news platform where users go to check for the day’s trending topics (again, much like Twitter). For this reason, it may not be the best platform for brand engagement, as it can be difficult to calculate ROI due to the high number of fake accounts. Nevertheless, maintaining an active account can be useful for brand awareness.

Little Red Book: China's Leading Social Commerce Platform

Little Red Book (also known as Xiaohongshu) was founded in China in 2013 as a platform for sharing shopping experiences abroad and offering advice. Since then, it has evolved into a popular destination for fashion, beauty, and lifestyle content, with over 300 million registered users, most of whom are young, urban, and female. The female demographics take up 88.8% while only 11.20% of users are Male. Users can post photos, videos, and product reviews, and e-commerce is already integrated into the platform. Users can tag specific products in their posts, making it easy for others to discover and purchase products directly within the app. In comparison to WeChat and Weibo, Little Red Book is akin to Instagram because it is much more visual-driven with an emphasis on video and photos. For businesses looking to do influencer marketing in China, Little Red Book is an important platform, with many brands partnering with popular users to promote their products.

Pugongying is the official influencer platform of Little Red Book, which is expanding beyond China and growing its user base in Japan and the USA. The platform is experimenting with new features like live streaming and mini-programs to further enhance user experience and drive e-commerce sales. Given Little Red Book’s algorithm favours authentic and organic sharing of user experiences, collaborating with influencers on this platform is key to driving awareness and desire for products and brands. Campaigns in Mainland China could involve hundreds of influencers, whereas in North America, depending on the campaign size and budget, it could range from 5 to 30 influencers for a Chinese influencer campaign on Little Red Book.

In conclusion, WeChat, Weibo, and Little Red Book are three Chinese social media platforms that you need to know about in 2023. Each platform has its unique features, content formats, and target audience, making them ideal components for your upcoming Chinese digital marketing campaign. Understanding these platforms, the different user demographics, and how they work can help your business tap into the massive potential of Chinese social media.