In the ever-changing development of China’s social media platforms, the speed of changes in content forms, iterations of social media platform functions, and changes in social media marketing methods is astonishing. At the same time, several major social media platforms have begun to build a closed loop of e-commerce, forming their own ecosystem. Consumer behavior and shopping habits have also quietly changed.
At KAWO, we are dedicated to helping brands and agencies gain success on China social. Keep reading for the top eight China social media trends we have summarized for you to keep on the radar in 2023.
1. Content regulation is becoming increasingly strict
With the development of diversified content forms, various content regulations have emerged in an endless stream, and content compliance is becoming more and more important. While complying with relevant national regulations, it is necessary to take into account the different rules of each social network.
2. Social media are used as search engines in China
Social media have replaced Baidu as search engines in China to a large extent. Users have become accustomed to using social channels such as WeChat, Little Red Book, Douyin, and Zhihu to look for the information they need.
3. Short videos are still the mainstream content format
For brands and individuals, the production cost of short video content is relatively low, and it can bring about widespread dissemination in a short period of time. The unique advantages ensure the short-video format will continue to grow for a while.
4. Social media continue to get commercialized
Social media content has been used to drive the development of e-commerce. Multiple social networks such as WeChat Channels are accelerating their commercialization. Live broadcasting has further propelled the development of social e-commerce.
5. China’s “Silver Economy” is here to spend, on Social
With the rapidly aging population and the widespread use of the Internet, many elderly Chinese are now a major force of the internet users.Their buying power can no longer be ignored. Social networks such as Meipian, Xiaohongshu, and Douyin continue to attract middle-aged and elderly users.
6. Podcasting is on the rise
More brands have started podcasting. The podcast content can also be adjusted and reused on other social media in content forms such as graphics, long and short videos, and vice versa.
7. Social media is an important entry point for omni-channel marketing
Connecting the traffic between social media platforms, between social media and media on the Internet, between public traffic and private traffic blur the boundaries of online marketing and offline marketing, and help brands to create seamless omni-marketing opportunies.
8. Influencer marketing and word-of-mouth marketing remain powerful
China has taken influencer marketing to a whole new level. It is not uncommon that single live stream of a KOL can bring in GMV of millions of dollars. KOCs are also employed for word-of-mouth marketing. The impact of these non brand-owned social accounts have shown very strong performance.
To learn more about social media marketing in China, download our 2023 Guide to China Social Media Platforms.