Higher Ed Marketing: Top 10 Social Media Platforms in China
When it comes to higher education marketing, social networks play a significant role in influencing the decisions of Chinese audiences.
As of 2022, China has approximately 1.02 billion social media users.
Chinese prospective students and their families are highly engaged in conducting extensive research on higher education institutes through social media platforms. They actively seek information by browsing posts, watching videos that introduce different institutes, and actively participate in forums where they can find reviews and engage in discussions about these institutes.
This means that social media plays a crucial role in inbound marketing strategies targeted at the Chinese audience. With such a vast online community, global higher education institutes have a significant opportunity to connect with Chinese audiences.
However, some institutes may have concerns regarding this approach:
“I don’t know which Chinese social media platform is currently popular?”
“Is it true that Facebook and Google are not accessible in China?”
“There are so many social media platforms in China, but which ones should I choose?”
If you have the questions mentioned above, this article is here to help! Today, we’ll explore the Top 10 Chinese social media platforms that you should know.
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1. Wechat
Wechat, initially an instant messaging app for Chinese mobile users, has evolved into a multi-purpose platform known as the “Facebook of China.”
This all-in-one Chinese “super app” provides a wide array of functions and features, including chat messaging, moments, games, videos, photos, location sharing, banking, online shopping, bill payment, ticket booking, and more.
With over 1 billion monthly active users spending an average of 70 minutes per day on the app, Wechat presents a fantastic opportunity for brands to expand their reach, increase brand awareness, promote services, engage in CRM activities, and undertake various marketing initiatives.
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2. Sina Weibo (Weibo)
As one of the most influential platforms, Weibo, as known as “Twitter of China” provides brands with a significant opportunity to carry out marketing activities in China.
With over 584 million monthly active users, Weibo is highly popular for users to connect with friends, follow celebrities and key opinion leaders (KOLs), stay updated on hot topics and breaking news, research products, and explore brands. On Weibo, you’ll find brands, companies, and celebrities engaging with a vast user base and sharing information through hashtags and paid advertising.
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3. Douyin
While WeChat and Weibo have been popular platforms for Chinese student recruitment, it’s time to take your efforts to the next level and target prospective Chinese students through Douyin, internationally known as TikTok.
Douyin, with its 700 million daily active users, has become a highly popular platform for short, user-generated videos, especially among Gen-Z and millennials. It has emerged as a vital marketing tool in China, particularly for Chinese brands, including those in the education sector.
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4. Jinri Toutiao (Toutiao)
Jinri Toutiao, also known as Today’s Headlines, is an immensely popular news delivery platform in China, boasting over 700 million users.
The platform primarily attracts tech-savvy millennials, with 90% of its users being under 30 years old and holding a bachelor’s degree or higher. This demographic presents a valuable opportunity for the higher education sector to promote their offerings to educated and affluent individuals.
What sets Toutiao apart is its powerful intelligent algorithm, which analyses users’ location, clicks, and browsing behavior to recommend the most relevant content.
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5. Baidu Tieba
Did you know that Baidu, China’s largest search engine, has its own online discussion forum called Baidu Tieba? You can view it as China’s version of Reddit, where users can join topic-specific discussion forums called “bars,” start conversations, and follow discussions for updates on their feeds.
Baidu Tieba was established in 2003 and has amassed over 1.5 billion registered users to date. This substantial user base makes it one of the top platforms for brand marketing in China. Brands can create targeted content and engage with niche groups on this platform. By sharing interesting and valuable content within relevant “bars,” you can organically grow your presence without solely relying on paid advertising.
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6. Tencent Video
Tencent Video, the second-largest video-streaming platform in China, boasts an impressive monthly active user base of 1.268 billion as of 2022. Globally, it ranks as the fourth-largest streaming service.
Tencent Video is widely recognized for its popular content categories, including Chinese soap dramas, movies, local celebrity reality shows, and locally produced animation shows. Chinese audiences have shown a high level of acceptance towards watching advertisements, making Tencent Video a favored platform for digital marketers in China to promote their products and services.
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7. Zhihu
Zhihu, often referred to as China’s equivalent of Quora, is the country’s leading question-and-answer social media platform. It serves as a hub of knowledge where users can ask, answer, and discuss a wide range of topics, providing deep insights and valuable information.
Zhihu boasts an engaged user base that actively participates in intellectual, technical, and complex discussions. Notably, the platform’s content performs exceptionally well on search engines, particularly Baidu. By sharing meaningful information about your brand on Zhihu, you can improve your search engine ranking on Baidu and significantly increase organic traffic.
Another noteworthy aspect is that Zhihu attracts a highly educated audience, with 80% of its users holding a bachelor’s degree or higher. If you are looking to promote your postgraduate programs to Chinese audiences, Zhihu presents itself as an ideal platform to kickstart your marketing efforts.
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8. RED (Xiaohongshu)
RED, also known as Xiaohongshu or Little Red Book, is a user-generated content sharing app that was established in 2013.
Similar to platforms like Instagram and Pinterest, RED features an image-centric main page showcasing a wide range of content categories, including fashion, beauty, travel, food, entertainment, and lifestyle. What sets RED apart is its emphasis on authentic user-generated content, which instantly builds trust among Chinese audiences.
As a result, RED has become a go-to platform for brand research and reviews. Digital marketers recognize RED as an ideal space to enhance brand awareness and leverage the power of word-of-mouth marketing.
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9. Bilibili
Bilibili, also known as B-site, initially gained popularity as a platform catering to the ACG (Anime, Comics, Games) subculture. However, it has since transformed into China’s largest video sharing platform, often referred to as the country’s equivalent of YouTube.
Today, Bilibili offers a diverse range of content across various cultural circles, including gaming, fashion and beauty, health and fitness, food, cars and technology, pets, and amateur vlogs. With over 332.6 million monthly active users spending an average of 88 minutes on the platform daily, Bilibili presents a significant opportunity for digital marketers to connect with a wide user base.
Many marketers have achieved great success by establishing their own channels with entertaining content or collaborating with popular Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) and creators on the platform.
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10. Kuaishou
As competition in China’s Tier 1 and Tier 2 markets intensifies, brands are increasingly looking to expand their reach into lower-tier cities. Kuaishou, a popular short-video and live streaming app, presents a unique opportunity in this regard.
With 346 million daily active users, the majority of whom are from Tier 3 and Tier 4 cities, Kuaishou has captured the attention of young generations in rural areas. While it shares similarities with TikTok, Kuaishou stands out by showcasing down-to-earth user-generated content that resonates with the lifestyle of its users. This makes it an attractive platform for brands seeking to tap into the growing consumer base in lower-tier cities.
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