[Extract from an interview of HK01 with the director of INITSOC]

Despite the China border reopening, the retail and tourism sectors in Hong Kong continue to struggle. Meanwhile, Mainland Chinese visitors are demonstrating altered spending habits, comparing to pre-COVID period, prioritising experiential travel over shopping. With the growing influence of user-generated authentic travel experiences on China social media platforms, many brands are redirecting their resources to Xiaohongshu (also known as RED or Little Red Book), which the platform encouraged a lot on experience sharing. Xiaohongshu has become a top buzzword in Hong Kong digital marketing sector, attracting businesses and individuals seeking to tap into the Mainland China market.

INITSOC, one of the best digital marketing agency in Hong Kong focusing on China marketing activates, shared their insight that it has noted a shift in focus among Hong Kong brands from WeChat to Xiaohongshu. However, just from launching an official account could pose a challenge for Hong Kong businesses, especially those in sensitive industries such as real estates and healthcare sectors because of the political, regulations and cultural differences. Another obstacle lies in adapting to the platform’s unique regulations, violation may lead to traffic restrictions or even account termination. INITSOC assists clients like Citygate Outlets in navigating promotion on Xiaohongshu, starting from the setup of official accounts to strategic content creation and advertising. The minimum top-up amount for Xiaohongshu advertising varies by industry, which may need to seek advice from digital agency.

For smaller businesses, an alternative approach is to utilise influencers, such as Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) or Key Opinion Consumers (KOCs) in Xiaohungshu for promotion. Opting for micro-influencers could be more cost-effective than engaging only a few KOLs since discussion volume is crucial for effective exposure. The ideal scenario would be a well-mix of quality and quantity sharing by KOL and KOC respectively.

To read the full article (only in Traditional Chinese), please refer to https://www.hk01.com/article/932816.