Guide for Community management in China

 Community management in China is the action of building  interactive and contrustuctiveconnections between your customers, influencer, staff, and partners. China is a connected society, build around “guanxi” 

“Brand Community” suppose a group of people, but in reality, it is mainly your network or customers, partner and staff in order to spread the word of mouth, necessary to get trust for business or selling your product. 

Should you reply to questions of your customers in China: YES 🙂 

It can be done on WeChat, Weibo, Little Red Book, Douyin, zhihu or whatever your community is used to exchange information.

even the comment sections of articles. Brand community is your current customers, target audiences, and all the people who interact with your brand directly and indirectly online.

Community Management in China: What It Is, Why It’s SO Important ?

Brands that don’t have a community management plan in China miss out on important opportunities to:

• Manage Chinese customer complaints
• Turn Chinese customers into loyal fans
• Win over influencers and prospective customers
• Network with other Local brands and partner with them
• Get UGC, positive reviews of your products, or services
• Get valuable, raw product feedback
• Be the coolest voice in a comments section

With Chinese social media such as Red, Douyin, Wechat and Weibo, Chinese people go there for information, sharing, and to engage with other users.

It contains a large source of informational and trending content. Companies, organizations, and celebrities in China have Weibo accounts to interact with their customers, fans, and followers.

International companies can create and manage a page for Chinese users to interact and debate on any subject to increase the level of communication with their customers.

Using this platform correctly can help develop an organic presence in China without resorting to paid advertising. This platform can be very useful for businesses that have good brand awareness in China, yet little presence on Chinese social media platforms.

Social Media Manager vs. Community Manager

• Social Media Marketing

Social media marketing is just like any other type of marketing; your ultimate goal is to drive more Chinese people to make a purchase with your brand, usually doing so by increasing the visibility or reputation of your brand or service. In social media marketing, the difference is the medium: these strategies are implemented on WeChat, corporate Weibo& Red, or some other social media official channel.

Read our Chinese Social Media Guide

Chinese Social Media Guide in 2024 (done by experts)

These strategies vary, but they’re based around the structure of the medium; potential Chinese customers find the brand’s page and subscribe to it. Potential customers receive updates from that subscription, which either increases the brand’s reputation with the potential Chinese customer or leads the customer to make a purchasing decision.

• Community Management

Usually, Brands or companies think Community management, may not have anything to do with marketing. It is the process of creating or altering an existing community in an effort to make the community stronger. In a modern context, this usually means attracting new people to a community, reaching out to older or inactive community fans to bring them back into the fold, or giving more opportunities for current community fans to engage with one another.

The main point of overlap is that actively managing a community on social media generally leads to a larger, more engaged audience. The larger and more engaged your audience is, the better chances you’ll have to convert your existing followers through your marketing efforts. It’s an almost symbiotic relationship, but if you want to perfect either approach, you’ll need to distinguish the two in your mind.

• Customer services

Given the intense competition and high customer expectations, effective customer service becomes crucial for several reasons:

1. Trust Building: In China, where consumer skepticism can be high, especially online, excellent customer service helps build trust. Responsive and helpful interactions assure customers of a brand’s legitimacy and reliability.

2. Customer Loyalty: Chinese consumers are more likely to become repeat customers if they experience satisfactory customer service. In a market dominated by choices, loyalty is significantly influenced by how well a company handles customer interactions and resolves issues.

3. Brand Reputation: Word-of-mouth is powerful in China, and social media platforms like WeChat and Sina Weibo amplify consumers’ voices. Positive customer service experiences can lead to favorable reviews and recommendations, while negative experiences can quickly damage a brand’s reputation.

4. Differentiation: With many products and services in the market offering similar quality and price points, customer service often becomes the key differentiator. Brands that offer quick, efficient, and friendly service can stand out from competitors.

5. Feedback and Improvement: Customer service channels are valuable sources of feedback. Chinese consumers frequently use service interactions to suggest improvements or express needs. This feedback can drive product innovations and adjustments, aligning offerings more closely with customer expectations.

KOLs in China are GREAT Community Manager

Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) in China are Super community managers who often become the tool of brand engagement strategies. Their ability to authentically connect with and grow their communities is underpinned 

1. Actively with Comments and Questions: KOLs in China prioritize active engagement with their followers. By promptly and thoughtfully replying to comments and questions, they create a responsive and interactive community environment. This not only makes their followers feel valued but also encourages more engagement, fostering a vibrant and active community.

2. Offer Exclusive Deals: KOLs often collaborate with brands to provide their communities with exclusive deals or early access to products. These special offers incentivize engagement and loyalty by rewarding community members for their participation and support.

3. Provide Valuable Feedback on Products: KOLs are trusted because they provide honest and detailed feedback about products. By sharing their unique experiences and insights, they help guide consumer decisions and enhance the credibility of the brands they represent. This feedback is often seen as more trustworthy than traditional advertising, making KOLs powerful influencers in the purchasing process.

4. Deliver Value through Tutorials and How-To Guides: One of the secrets to a KOL’s success is their ability to add value to their followers’ lives through informative content. Whether it’s makeup tutorials, tech product reviews, or fashion styling tips, KOLs leverage their expertise to create content that is not only engaging but also educative. This establishes them as authoritative sources in their respective niches.

5. Create Unique, Tailored Content: KOLs excel in crafting content that resonates specifically with their audience’s preferences and needs. This tailored approach ensures that the content is relevant and appealing, leading to higher engagement rates. By understanding and addressing the unique characteristics of their community, KOLs maintain a strong connection with their followers.

The effectiveness of KOLs in China as community managers lies in their ability to maintain a genuine connection with their audience, provide tangible value, and foster a sense of exclusivity and community spirit. These Tips not only bring brand visibility and credibility but also drive meaningful engagement, making KOLs indispensable partners of brands in 2024.

How to Adjust Your Community Management Strategy to China?

Your path forward depends on your goals and your current resources. Are you interested in seeing immediately higher conversions and greater short-term opportunities to convert?

Increasing your calls to action and marketing messages on Chinese social media is the answer. Increasing your efforts to engage your audience and reach out to new potential members is more critical.

You should prepare the budget and the time to cater to both of these elements, do so.

They work together to enhance each other’s benefits for your brand. However, it’s still important to distinguish between the two of them, since each one carries a different purpose and requires a different approach to be successful.

Douyin: keys of Community management

Community management on Douyin, China’s leading short-video platform, is a critical strategy for brands aiming to maximize their online presence and engage effectively with a vast audience. Douyin’s interactive and visually-driven platform offers unique opportunities for real-time engagement, making it essential for brands to actively manage their communities.

Why Reply to Questions: Responding to user inquiries on Douyin not only resolves individual user issues but also demonstrates a brand’s commitment to customer service. This responsiveness builds trust and credibility, encouraging more users to interact and engage with the content.

Why Engage with the Community: Active engagement helps maintain a lively and interactive community, which can lead to higher content visibility and enhanced brand loyalty. Engagement—whether through likes, comments, or shares—also increases the chances of viral content, broadening reach and impact.

Collaboration with Other KOLs: Partnering with Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) on Douyin can amplify a brand’s message and reach wider audiences. KOLs bring their followers, credibility, and unique content styles, providing a fresh way to engage the community and drive engagement.

Example strong community of Xiaomi Fans in China 

By prioritizing community management on Douyin, brands can create a dynamic and supportive environment that fosters user interaction, promotes brand loyalty, and drives overall success on the platform.

Read more 

Douyin eCommerce: Business Guide

Little Red Book  keys of Community management

Community management on Little Red Book (Xiaohongshu, or RED) is crucial for brands aiming to cultivate a deep connection with their audience in China. This platform combines lifestyle sharing and product reviews, making it a rich ground for brands to engage with a proactive community that values authenticity and quality insights.

Why Reply to Questions: On RED, responding promptly to user inquiries not only addresses specific user needs but also enhances the brand’s reputation as attentive and customer-focused. This interaction can significantly influence purchasing decisions, as users on RED often look for reliable information and personal testimonials before making a choice.

Why Engage with the Community: Engaging with the community on RED involves more than just posting content; it includes participating in discussions, liking, and commenting on user posts, and sharing user-generated content. Such engagement helps maintain a vibrant community presence, fostering stronger relationships and brand loyalty. It also boosts the algorithmic visibility of the brand’s content, increasing its reach.

Collaboration with Other KOLs: Partnering with KOLs on RED can be highly beneficial. These influencers often have substantial followings and their endorsements can lend credibility to the brand. KOLs can help extend the brand’s reach into new demographics, bringing their unique perspectives and user base, which enhances visibility and broadens the community circle.

Let UGC Work for You: Encouraging and leveraging user-generated content (UGC) on RED is particularly effective. Users trust other users, and showcasing real experiences and testimonials can significantly enhance the brand’s authenticity. UGC also creates more content for the brand to share and celebrate, which can drive engagement and foster a communal feeling.

Fan of hanablue CIecream that post on red icecreams they just buy

Engagement Is the Key to Visibility: On RED, the more a brand interacts and engages with its content and users, the more visible that content becomes. The platform’s algorithms favor content that generates interaction, so active community management isn’t just beneficial; it’s necessary for maintaining high visibility.

In summary, community management on RED involves a strategic mix of responsiveness, engagement, collaboration with KOLs, and promotion of user-generated content.

Read more 

Little Red Book, best plateform in China for UGC

Community management on Zhihu, China’s equivalent of Quora

It is essential for your brand to establish authority and credibility in their industry. Zhihu provides a platform where in-depth knowledge and expertise are highly valued, making it a strategic arena for brands to engage with an educated and information-seeking audience.

Why Professional Answers Are Key: On Zhihu, the quality of responses can significantly impact a brand’s reputation. Providing detailed, accurate, and professionally articulated answers helps establish a brand as a thought leader in its field. This not only enhances visibility but also builds trust among users, who are likely to view the brand as a reliable source of information.

Examples with different famous brands in China on Zhihu

Activate  User-Generated Content (UGC): After establishing a foothold through expert contributions, encouraging and facilitating user-generated content is a vital next step. 😉 

Users on Zhihu value community-driven insights and experiences. By engaging with and promoting high-quality UGC, brands can enhance their credibility and maintain an active presence on the platform. This content serves as peer endorsements, which are incredibly influential in shaping public perception and purchasing decisions.

Importance for Credibility: In the context of Zhihu, credibility is not just about being seen; it’s about being respected and trusted. Engaging sincerely with inquiries and contributing meaningful content establishes a brand’s commitment to value over mere visibility. As users come to recognize a brand’s contributions as consistently reliable and useful, the brand’s credibility on the platform—and by extension, in the broader market—increases.

Effectively managing a community on Zhihu involves a balance of professional knowledge sharing, active engagement with user content, and a commitment to providing genuine value. This approach not only boosts a brand’s stature among knowledgeable peers but also attracts a loyal following of engaged users who trust and advocate for the brand.

Understand first 🙂 

Take the time to audit your current approach to evaluate which realm of your efforts is more effective.

Simply managing a community, without the marketing component, can also be beneficial:

• Customer retention. Managing a community is highly valuable for retaining an existing audience, who have already purchased your products or is liable for repeated brand interactions.
• Customer attraction. Social media marketing by itself doesn’t do much to attract an audience. Only through community management can you start cultivating new audience members.
• Increased brand reputation. Community management focuses on building the reputation of your brand, rather than simply increasing sales, giving you a better long-term position.

Acquisition & Content Validity

Social Customer Care 

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