Lai Lin Thomala
Research expert covering Greater China
Social media marketing in China - statistics & facts
In today’s hyper-connected world, social media marketing has become a digital mantra for brand promotion and customer engagement. Utilizing social platforms to reach, engage, and influence specific audiences, social media marketing can turn likes, shares, and clicks into tangible business success. In China, understanding the unique social media landscape and consumer behavior is crucial for transforming digital interactions into business growth.
WeChat, often dubbed as China's "super app", is a multifunctional platform that boasted over 1.3 billion monthly active users. It offers brands a high reach of consumers from various demographic groups. The Chinese sister app of TikTok Douyin, however, has proven to be a goldmine for creative marketing campaigns. The short video app had around 755 million monthly active users and contributed almost 30 percent of China’s internet ad spend. Regarding regular brand exposure and interactions, microblogging platform Weibo is the ideal choice with about 600 million monthly active users. When it comes to influencer marketing, social commerce site Xiaohongshu has become the go-to option among brands with around 200 million monthly active users.
The power players: key social media platforms in China
Home to over one billion social media users, China has its own internet regulations, including censorship and data privacy laws. There are various homegrown alternatives to the Western social media platforms. In terms of user size, WeChat, Douyin, Weibo, and Xiaohongshu are the predominant choices for social marketing and advertising campaigns in the country.WeChat, often dubbed as China's "super app", is a multifunctional platform that boasted over 1.3 billion monthly active users. It offers brands a high reach of consumers from various demographic groups. The Chinese sister app of TikTok Douyin, however, has proven to be a goldmine for creative marketing campaigns. The short video app had around 755 million monthly active users and contributed almost 30 percent of China’s internet ad spend. Regarding regular brand exposure and interactions, microblogging platform Weibo is the ideal choice with about 600 million monthly active users. When it comes to influencer marketing, social commerce site Xiaohongshu has become the go-to option among brands with around 200 million monthly active users.
