This free eBook outlines the audience profiles that are found using the various Chinese social media platforms such as Sina Weibo, Qzone, WeChat etc

1. 1
Who
Is
Using
What?
Chinese
Social
Media
Demographics
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A Publication of

2. 2
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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3. 3
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
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4. 4
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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5. 5
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.
% Of People Who Have Visited Social
Media In The Past Month
100%
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
China Japan South Korea USA
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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6. 6
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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7. 7
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. 11
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. 12
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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16. 16
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.
Contact Us Connect With Us
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Email: info@digitaljungle.com.cn www.weibo.com/digitaljungle
Phone: +86 10 6561 5818
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Business Center, No.25, Yong An Li @digitaljunglecn
Zhong Street Chaoyang District,
Beijing 100022
Check out some of our other publications:
www.linkedin.com/company/digital-jungle
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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