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A Publication of

Who  Is  Using  What?    Chinese  Social  Media  Demographics  

   

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Table of Contents China’s social-media boom ....................................................... 4

Who use social media? What social media are they using? .. 5 1. Blog ...................................................................................... 6 2. Community and Forum ...................................................... 7 3. Video-Sharing ..................................................................... 7 4. Instant Messaging ............................................................... 8 5. Encyclopedia Sites ............................................................. 8 6. Q&A Sites ............................................................................. 8 7. Socialized Bookmarking .................................................... 9 8. Comment Sites .................................................................... 9 9. Weibo ................................................................................. 10 10. Social Networking Sites .................................................. 10 11. Mobile Social Tools ......................................................... 11 12. Location Based Service Sign Up .................................... 12 13. Micro-Blog ....................................................................... 12 14. Shopping-Sharing Sites ................................................... 13 15. Image Sharing Sites ........................................................ 13 16. Group Buying Sites .......................................................... 14 17. Social Gaming Sites ........................................................ 15 18. Ecommerce ..................................................................... 16 19. Travel Sites ....................................................................... 17 20. Ticket Sales ...................................................................... 17 21. Book Sites ......................................................................... 17 22. RSS Feed ........................................................................... 18 23. Business Social ................................................................. 18 24. Marriage Social ............................................................... 18 25. Recruitment Sites ............................................................. 19 26. Classified Information ..................................................... 19

Additional insights ..................................................................... 20

Summary .................................................................................... 22  

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A Digital Jungle Publication About Digital Jungle: Digital Jungle is head quartered in China and is the leading Asian social Influence marketing Agency. Our marketing philosophy is about facilitating discourse with your clients and prospects; encouraging them to communicate back with your company. Doing this can develop trust with your brand, spread your message fast, increase customer loyalty, and increase sales. Digital Jungle leverages expertise in content marketing to develop superior social media marketing campaigns that combine with additional online channels such as search marketing (SEO/SEM), ePR, eDM, display media and affiliate marketing services to amplify the communications and echo key messages. Digital Jungle leverages thought leadership in content marketing with the deep knowledge of digital marketing channels to support our clients’ business needs, be it on the web or via mobile devices. We are the partner of choice for you when launching new products, repositioning a brand or participating in the social world. Additional information: Website: www.digitaljungle.com.cn Slideshare: http://www.slideshare.net/digitaljungle Twitter: @digitaljunglecn Sina Weibo: digitaljungle

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China’s social-media boom

In 2012, the number of internet users within China grew to over 538 million! According to eMarketer data (Feb 2012) more than 1.2 billion internet users access social media websites at least one time per month. It is estimated that the number of Chinese social media users will reach over 300 million by 20145 (an increase of 16.6% compared to the previous year, a staggering 55.7% of all Chinese internet users). eMarketer predicts that in 2012 the number of global social media users will reach a staggering 1.43 billion, of which Chinese users make up 21%. The number of Chinese social media users is growing at a particularly fast pace, a higher rate than any other country in the world. It is estimated that the number of Chinese social media users will continue to have a stable increase. This trend is as a result of changing governmental restrictions. We can hypothesize an influential future for social media in terms of Chinese marketing and the increasing involvement of the Chinese netizen.

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Who use social media? What social media are they using?  A new McKinsey survey of 5,700 Internet users in China found that 95% of those living in Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3 cities are registered on social-media sites. In addition, China has become by far the world’s most active social-media population, with 91 percent of respondents saying they visited a social-media site in the past six months, compared with 30 percent in Japan, 67% in the United States, and 70 percent in South Korea. The survey, which explores the behaviour of Chinese consumers on social networks, is the first of its kind in China.

These days there are lot of different kinds of social media. Choosing the most suitable social media platform which contains your desired target audience for your marketing needs is the key for social media marketing success. From blogs and forums in the early days to the launch of mobile applications such as WeChat, the social media environment is constantly evolving.

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China Japan South Korea USA

% Of People Who Have Visited Social Media In The Past Month

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Classification and Categories of Chinese Social Media

Note – The four tiers:

1st tier city: Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.

2nd tier city: The Capitals of Chinese Provinces

3rd tier city: Prefecture-level Cities

4th tier city: County-level City.

According to ChinaLabs (2012), the various forms of social media include;

1. Blog E.g. Sina Blog, Blog China Number of users (approximately on better known sites) – Around 350 million on larger sites Who uses this medium? - Blogs have a high diversity of users, for instance males and females from a variety of age groups use blogs for a variety of reasons. As blogs are often topic or industry specific the blog site that you, as a marketer, will choose is dependent on a) what you are trying to sell, and b) which sites your target audience are using; for instance if your target market is businessmen within China, you will seek to promote on blogging platforms such as the ‘Sina Finance and Economics Blog’ as this is where your target market will be active. Students and academic professionals are also particularly active on blogging sites, due to research educational research facilities. Marketers should utilize blogging sites to increase brand exposure and awareness, whist blogging a variety of content to engage readers with your brand.

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2. Community and Forum E.g. Tianya, Mop, Douban Number of users (approximately on better known sites) – Around 160 Million Who uses this medium? – These kind of sites are generally used by a youthful demographic for entertainment purposes, whether this is sharing the latest trends or communicating with others who share a common interest. Marketers should seek out specific communities that are relevant to their message, and then post relevant information and content to engage with users. The aim is to drive traffic to your website, whilst establishing your brand as a thought leader within the forums.

3. Video-Sharing E.g. Youku Number of users (approximately on better known sites) – 350 Million

Who uses this medium? - Video sharing is used by a wide variety of people from business executives, to students. It can be used as a source of information seeking via education video content, or how to webinars etc. as well as a source of entertainment. Marketers should aim to utilize this medium, in conjunction with other social media marketing to educate and inform consumers of their message, as well as posting promotional videos, advertisements etc.

Note: The Chinese consumer trends of 2012 indicate a preference for visual content

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4. Instant Messaging E.g. QQ Number of users (approximately on better known sites) – Around 450 Million Who uses this medium? - This is the most widely used form of social media in China. QQ operates in a similar manner to MSN or Skype; it is the most popular chatting tool in China, largely utilized via smartphones.

5. Encyclopedia Sites E.g. Baike, Baidu, Wikipedia Number of users (approximately on better known sites) – 100 – 200 million Who uses this medium? - These are predominately used by academics and students for information search.  

6. Q&A Sites E.g. Baidu, Zhidao, Quora Number of users (approximately on better known sites) – Less than 100 Million Who uses this medium? - These sites are used to pose questions or to answer others’ questions. Savvy markers can utilize these sites to find questions and topics that their organization is either a relevant source of information, or your product or content can help solve any queries.

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7. Socialized Bookmarking E.g. Google bookmark, Reddit Number of users (approximately on better known sites) – Less than 100 Million Who uses this medium? - These sites are predominately used by younger people, generally in the 20-30 age brackets. Social bookmarking is the term used for collecting and storing your favorite webpages, much like Stumble Upon in the west. Uploading your organizations webpages, blog articles etc. onto these websites is a good way of generating interest, as individuals can store them for their friends to see and hopefully share.

8. Comment Sites E.g. Dazhong, Dianping Number of users (approximately on better known sites) – Less than 100 Million Who uses this medium? - These sites usually revolve around the food, service and various other forms of entertainment industries. They are also usually dominated by the white-collar worker, who has a certain degree of disposable income and uses these sites to establish themselves and/or their points of view with others; creating an online persona for themselves within a community of individuals who share their interests.

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9. Weibo E.g. Sina Weibo, Tencent Weibo Number of users (approximately on better known sites) – 270 Million Who uses this medium? - Weibo, China’s Twitter equivalent, is incredibly popular with the youthful demographic, particularly ages 20-30. These sites are used, much like twitter, to share information with friends, generate gossip, and follow breaking news stories. Marketers should look to ‘piggyback’ trending stories and pages that can be linked to their message, brand, or product/service.

10. Social Networking Sites E.g. Renren, Kaixin

Number of users (approximately on better known sites) – 250 Million

Who uses this medium? - These are often termed as the “Facebook Clones”, operating within a profile page model and with the majority of users aging between18-30 it’s easy to see why. Students and white collar workers often use these sites as a way of contacting friends, establishing relationships, or sharing experiences and content that they like.

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11. Mobile Social Tools E.g. WeChat Number of users (approximately on better known sites) – 200 Million Who uses this medium? – The rise in popularity of smartphones, and as a result smartphone applications and tools such as WeChat, has seen immense industry prosperity. By September 2012 WeChat already had over 200 million registered users (most of which come from other Tencent platforms in China, or Sina Weibo.); of which approximately 50% are between the ages of 25-30, most of which are white-collar. WeChat is now the most popular social networking application in six countries (measured by downloads): Taiwan, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Argentina, Thailand and Brunei (App Annie), and it measured top ten in 43 different markets (November 25 2012, Apple Inc.’s iOS). There are many ways in which these applications can be used to a marketers advantage, be sure to check out our complete guide on this topic.

“Conquering WeChat” – providing insights and trends regarding the Chinese consumer preferences, ways in which marketers can utilize this information, and best practice examples: www.digitaljungle.com.cn/eBook/conquering-wechat-effective-b-2-c-communication/

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12. Location Based Service Sign Up E.g. Digu Number of users (approximately on better known sites) – Less than 100 million Who uses this medium? - LBS sign up is used in majority by a younger demographic, and in particular, young professionals who hope to show off their status by “checking-in” at popular or exclusive locations in order to show off to their friends. You will find that in most aspects of Chinese social media culture, and consumer culture for that matter is that status and perceived status. This is why the Chinese consumer, and social media environment, often revolves around the use of a smartphone, picture centric content, and an ecommerce focus. Marketers can use this to their advantage, although it may often depend upon the industry in which your brand operates. This is also a useful ploy to incorporate with QR codes.

13. Micro-Blog E.g. Diandian Number of users (approximately on better known sites) – Less than 100 Million Who uses this medium? - These sites are predominately used for users to share their experiences, thoughts and feeling with friends, and likeminded people. The majority of users are quite young; therefore marketers should use appropriate tones and information relevant to this demographic, using tag words to reach their specific target market.

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14. Shopping-Sharing Sites E.g. Meilishuo, Mogujie Number of users (approximately on better known sites) – Less than 100 Million Who uses this medium? - These sites are dominated by the female consumer, used for information search and often purchasing via ecommerce links with Taobao. Organizations hoping to promote clothing, furniture, accessories etc. should be looking to exploit these useful and popular platforms.

15. Image Sharing Sites E.g. Duitang Number of users (approximately on better known sites) – Less than 100 Million Who uses this medium? - Image sharing sites cover a broad spectrum, for example the afore mentioned shopping-share sites are also picture sharing sites, but with a particular focus. Sites like Duitang operate in a very similar way to Pinterest, and are increasingly popular due to Chinese consumer preferences for visual content that is accessible on the move. These sites allow for pictures to be shared, separated by themes, and allow for the inclusion of back links to websites. For further information on how to market successfully on such platforms please visit our specialized eBook “How to Triumph in the Chinese Picture Sharing Universe” http://www.digitaljungle.com.cn/eBook/how-to-triumph-in-the-chinese-picture-sharing-universe/

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16. Group Buying Sites E.g. Meituan, Nuomi, Juhuasuan Number of users (approximately on better known sites) – Less than 100 Million Who uses this medium? Group buying sites are a growing enterprise within China. Much like Groupon (before its decline) sites, such as Meituan, are flourishing. Group buying is one of the fastest growing trends in China at +29 %, with online shopping +25%. Numbers of users group buying in China reached 83,270,000 in 2012 (CINIC, Jan 2013), therefore the opportunities for markers on these sites are evident. Users are mostly female whit collar workers, aged between 20 -39.

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17. Social Gaming Sites   E.g. Kaixin Farm Number of users (approximately on better known sites) – 100 Million Who uses this medium? The general population have an undying thirst for gambling, chance, competition, and the accumulation of score (which can be used to gain prizes, or as social status in completion with peers); all of which can and should be used to a marketers advantage in China. These sites are usually used as a way of killing time, however, due to the smartphone culture, when walking around the streets of any Tier 1 city in China the effect of these sites is evident. People when walking, taking the subway, in fact when doing just about anything will be indulging in these activities, suggesting the potential is infinite. For more information please check out this free eBook: “5 Must-do Strategies for Chinese Content Marketing” www.digitaljungle.com.cn/eBook/5-must-do-strategies-for-chinese-content-marketing/

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18. Ecommerce

E.g. Taoclean, Alibaba Number of users (approximately on better known sites) – 100 Million

Who uses this medium? These sites possess a wide array of people from a wide range of demographics. Largely as a result of the Chinese consumers desire for peer approval and status recognition, sites such as Taobao and their affiliate websites) have grown to unprecedented status. They are widely linked to many other forms of social media, picture sharing sites in particular. To give you a picture of how important ecommerce is to the Chinese consumer culture below are a few statistics.

• TaoBao (China’s eBay) generates 50,000 sales per minute (Boston Consulting Group, May 2012)

• Total Value of transactions on Taobao exceeded 1,000,000,000,000 RMB (approx. US$160 billion) (Aubaba Group, cited in China Internet Watch Dec 2012)

• 59% of shoppers are aged between 25 and 35 (Aubaba Group, cited in China Internet Watch Dec 2012)

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19. Travel Sites E.g. Xiecheng Number of users (approximately on better known sites) – Less than 100 Million Who uses this medium? People use these sites to compare, research and book travel and hotels. These can be found in many forms, from picture, experience sharing sites to price comparison sites such as C-Trip. If marketing a brand related to travel or leisure industries these sites could prove a beneficial source of exposure. Due to the nature of these sites, they are generally used by adults with a degree of disposable income.

20. Ticket Sales E.g. Daimai Number of users (approximately on better known sites) – Less than 100 Million Who uses this medium? - Used to search and purchase tickets, due to the nature of purchasing, these site are generally used by consumers aged 20 and above.

21. Book Sites E.g. Qidian, Rongshuxia Number of users (approximately on better known sites) – 200 million Who uses this medium? - These sites are used to research and read books. If this is your industry, or you have online material to post, this is an option for your marketing efforts.

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22. RSS Feed E.g. Zhuanxia, Xianguo Number of users (approximately on better known sites) – Less than 100 Million Who uses this medium? - Students, academics and others who are searching information are the most prominent users of these platforms.

23. Business Social E.g. Tianji, Youshi Number of users (approximately on better known sites) – Less than 100 Million Who uses this medium? - Academics, scholars, and industry professionals are the most frequent users of these sites. They are used to research information regarding latest trends, information, techniques etc. within the business sector. These sites can be utilized to appeal to a certain demographic, for instance, MBA schools might utilize these sites in order to attract the attention of business executives.

24. Marriage Social E.g. Shijijiayuan Number of users (approximately on better known sites) – More than 100 Million Who uses this medium? - These are more commonly known as “dating sites”, therefore brands who hope to market themselves, or have links to dating such as restaurants etc. should think about using these platforms.

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25. Recruitment Sites E.g. Zhaopin Number of users (approximately on better known sites) – 300 Million Who uses this medium? - These are sites used for people to search for job vacancies, therefore marketing opportunities are limited. However, if you have vacancies to fill this could be a valid option.

26. Classified Information E.g. Gangi, 58.com Number of users (approximately on better known sites) – more than 200 Million Who uses this medium? - These are comprehensive sites, containing a whole host of information. These are usually used for information search by a variety of people.

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Additional insights

The demographic usage of social media platforms differ dependant on what tier cities users are in, and as a result have different usage models. Social media users in 4th tier cities tend to use less the internet platforms than cities of other tiers, especially regarding search engine, video-sharing and instant messaging platforms. While Sina Weibo has the biggest influence in the cities of all tiers, Tencent Weibo has a bigger influence on netizens within low-tier cities, which in turn has its own implications for marketers in terms of targeting your demographic accurately and effectively. (Source: Nielsen)

According to research, the golden online consumers (consumers who spend most money on online shopping) make up 17% of the total consumer expenditure in China; while they contribute to nearly half of the total online spending. 78% of the golden online consumers are frequent user of Weibo and SNS. These golden online consumers rely more on the internet, and in particular social media, than other netizens and as a result are lucrative for marketers. Their consumer patterns differ greatly from your average netizen, preferring to spend more time listening and watching online music or video, as well as purchasing products with a higher fiscal value. Due to their lifestyle they are keen to book hotels and look for restaurant online, this is where social media sites are of use to marketers, for example Lskong.com or Meishixing.com for food marketing.

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Among these social media users, students are a particularly important group. They are the most prominent potential online consumer base who is pro-active on social networks i.e. being the largest group using the most platforms. Usually students are attracted by SNS during teaching hours and will turn to Weibo after they leave school. Also, as a result of being the most active social media netizens in China, they are the number one source of ‘trends’; if your message resonates with a large group of students, creating a buzz, promotional activities are much more effective through the use of social interaction and social sharing amongst all platforms. Having grown up in a much less restricted online environment, they are more likely to have a greater influence upon consumer decisions.

Social media is blooming all over the world and China, although a late starter is no different. While instant message and image-sharing sites are extremely popular in China, marketers should notice the importance of other forms of social media. Compared to other countries social media has a greater influence on purchasing decisions for consumers in China. According to the research, Chinese consumers are more likely to consider buying a product if they see it mentioned on a social-media site and more likely to purchase a product or service if a friend or acquaintance recommends it on a social-media site (Source: Mckinsey China.

This phenomenon can be explained partly by the differences in Chinese culture to the western world. Previously, the Chinese government have had great control over the media, thus creating a lack of trust within the netizen. Peer-to-peer recommendations will attract the Chinese consumers’ interest to a greater degree. In general, Chinese consumers don’t trust the information from news sources and advertising; consumers are likely to believe the word-of-mouth messages from their friends, family, and key opinion leaders, many of whom share information on social media.

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Summary

The afore mentioned social media sites are of such popularity that savvy marketers should be taking advantage of their importance to engage with the immense and increasingly affluent online audience using social media. These online audiences rely on social media as a vital source of information for brand and product information in order to make decisions and comparisons prior to purchase. In China, the social-media environment is quite complex right now. Social-media users are not all similar. They join social media for different reasons and choose the platforms they prefer based on these demographic preferences. The strategies formed by marketers should consider all the elements that can reach their desired target audience effectively, with the least effort. Marketers can only understand key segments thoroughly by facilitating in consumer engagement analysis; marketers can then form appropriate insights on a much larger spectrum of business activities, such as product development, brand and marketing strategy, sales, lead generation, customer service and support.

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Naturally the methods in which marketing strategies will differ depending upon the medium chosen, however the Chinese consumer trend of acquiring news from friends and sharing information/news with friends has become a specific demand of the Internet users. As a platform where people can publish information with a much higher degree of free speech than ever before, with a high frequency, Weibo is the ideal platform for Internet users. Meanwhile, people began to use the SNS to contact family and friends more and more frequently, especially due to the ever increasing demand for smartphones in China. The Chinese smartphone market grew 293% between October 2011 and 2012, and is set to overtake the US in 2013. In 2012 more people bought a smartphone than a PC (Flurry’s mobile and advertising analytics), therefore, if social media is being used constantly, and on the move, it is essential that marketers are proactive on social media sites, particularly those that are accessible via this medium.

In the future, the marketers need to balance the usage of different platforms. Weibo will be used to obtain information while the SNS will be used to establish and maintain the relationship.

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This White Paper is brought to you by; Digital Jungle: A leading SOCIAL INFLUENCE marketing agency specializing in Chinese & Asian content marketing solutions. We believe in using CONTENT FOR MARKETING – this leads to great social media programs and search marketing outcomes Digital Jungle has extensive experience working with automotive brands in China, and offers social media marketing services, and dealership digital management services to automotive brands operating in China mainland.

Check out some of our other publications: Conquering WeChat – www.digitaljungle.com.cn/eBook/conquering-wechat-effective-b-2-c-communication/ 5 Must-do Strategies for Chinese Content Marketing – www.digitaljungle.com.cn/eBook/5-must-do-strategies-for-chinese-content-marketing/ How to Triumph In the Chinese Picture Sharing Universe - www.digitaljungle.com.cn/eBook/how-to-triumph-in-the-chinese-picture-sharing-universe/

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