In China, the Advertising Law presents a significant challenge for anyone involved in professional marketing, as social media platforms are regulated in various aspects, with each having specific strategies and rules to comply. Here's a detailed look at some of the main social media platforms:
WeChat
- Content Restrictions: WeChat strictly prohibits false advertising, especially in real estate, finance, and medical fields. Any unverified claims or products in these areas are subject to scrutiny. Currently, real estate accounts can't get official Tencent verification and their content is easily blocked.
- Advertisement Identification: All commercial promotional content must be clearly marked as advertisements to ensure users can easily distinguish between editorial content and ads.
- Personal Account Restrictions: Personal accounts must adhere to relevant regulations when engaged in commercial promotions, or they could be considered illegal.
Douyin
- Advertising Content Standards: Douyin has stringent regulations for advertising content, especially concerning material sensitive to teenagers, such as prohibiting excessive consumption inducement.
- User-Generated Content: Douyin encourages the creation of creative content, but any user-generated content involving commercial promotion must comply with the advertising laws.
- Transaction Safety: For any transaction activities conducted through the platform, Douyin demands strict safety and authenticity measures.
RED
- Regulation in Specific Areas: In fields like real estate, beauty, and health, there are stricter requirements for the authenticity and scientific basis of advertising content.
- Content Authenticity: RED strictly requires content authenticity, especially for lifestyle and consumer product promotions, demanding users share genuine experiences.
- Clear Advertisement Identification: All commercial cooperative content must be clearly marked to distinguish personal sharing from advertising content.
Overall, the Advertising Law in Mainland China mandates that all advertising content on social media platforms must be authentic and legal, not misleading to consumers, and even stricter in specific fields like real estate, health, and finance. Each major social media platform must follow these laws and regulations to ensure the compliance of their advertising content.
Furthermore, Chinese social media is very particular about its traffic pool, making it challenging to divert it externally. For instance, while embedding links is easy on Facebook, on Chinese social platforms, even mentioning the names of other platforms can be a taboo, indicating strong exclusivity. So, how should we 'dance with shackles'?
Our Strategy
Besides collaborating with RED and Tencent officials to better understand how to attract traffic through legal channels, live streaming has become one of our most effective traffic diversion methods. Currently, live streaming has emerged as the most popular form of internet communication among the Chinese.
- Immediate Interaction: Live streaming allows real-time interaction between the host and the audience, providing instant communication. Viewers can comment or ask questions directly, and the host can respond immediately, enhancing audience engagement and satisfaction.
- Increasing User Stickiness: The interactive and real-time nature of live streaming significantly increases user stickiness. Viewers can watch and participate in the content, making them more likely to stay longer on the platform.
- Content Diversity: Live streaming content can be incredibly diverse, including educational lectures, lifestyle sharing, entertainment performances, and game streaming, catering to various user groups.
- Expanding Influence: For individuals or brands, live streaming is an effective way to expand influence. Through live streaming, they can reach a broader audience and establish or enhance their brand image.
As an emerging form of communication, live streaming on Chinese social media not only provides users with rich content and interactive experiences but also creates new opportunities for individuals and businesses, promoting cultural, educational, and commercial development.
