The power of photos to engage with Chinese consumers

Compared to their Western counterparts, the Chinese, particularly the younger generations, are avid photographers. This passion has resulted in the proliferation of photo studios in China, creating a $474 million business by 2021. This is due to the popularity of résumé images among job seekers, selfies for entertainment, and staged photos to capture unique occasions.

In the midst of the national sensation, HIMO, also known as Haimati in China, a startup photo service, is a growing star. The firm was founded in 2014 and quickly became a market leader by improving traditional picture services and focusing on high-end ID images using professional photography and customized Photoshop.

This approach hit the mark, catering not only to the professional and functional needs of products of this type but also providing a solution to the lack of aesthetic taste in ID portraits, which has been a source of frustration for China’s young consumers, who have become more conscious of their appearance.

As a result, photo studios have become the go-to destination for trend-seeking young Chinese seeking immersive experiential activities. Photo studios have also made a sensation on the Internet, with young subjects hurrying to share their poster-like portraits on social media.

The brand’s special Christmas-themed promotion “HIMO Christmas Photography” in 2020 reportedly garnered over 430 million views on China’s largest microblogging site Weibo and over 30,000 posts on China’s largest lifestyle-sharing site Xiaohongshu, with users sharing “behind the scenes” of their photo shoot experience at HIMO’s local stores.

While HIMO has become a phenomenon in and of itself, the photography gurus have also become a stepping stone for other firms seeking to capitalize on China’s penchant for photographs. The cosmetics industry is among the first to profit from HIMO’s ascent. The brand insists on using high-end cosmetics such as YSL, MAC, Laneige, and Make Up For Ever in order to deliver an exceptional customer experience. Such a technique has created potential for relevant companies, with Charlotte Tilbury being the most recent to jump on board.

This is also the first time that the British beauty brand has collaborated with a Chinese brand, and it resulted in the creation of the new makeup series Pink Lady, whose main color is interpreted in three distinct styles, including sweet, cool, and elegant, and can be tried on at HIMO’s physical locations.

KOL China: a Powerful Weapons for Brands Growth in China

Due to their importance among Chinese consumers, Key opinion Leaders provide a robust infrastructure for businesses to access their huge, engaged, and active networks of followers who are greatly influenced by their reviews and experiences. The followers of these influencers regard them to be authorities in a certain area and field. Others will specialize in the fashion sector as opposed to the beauty industry.

This phenomenon has merged since China’s digitalization over the years, with the democratization of hundreds of live streaming video platforms such as Douyin and Kuaishou. Users are able to live-stream their daily lives and build up large communities that can become highly monetizable.

How to find the right influencers for your Marketing effort in China?

In such a large industry (considering the size of the Chinese market) you need the right tools to find the appropriate KOLs that will be able to promote effectively your brand and your products. Before getting into practice, you’ll need to think about your influencer marketing strategy through: 

  • What your brand is trying to achieve with Kol Marketing?
  • What platform fits your goals the best 
  • How and where to find the right Chinese influencers to represent your brand and achieve your china goals.

The best websites to find Chinese KOLs are:

Yourank.cn: This is a big analytical platform with data on most KOL’s, it can help you identify a specific Key Opinion leader as there is a lot of historical data.

The main issue with Yourank.cn is that there is a lot of data to go through to find the relevant information about an influencer. It can be quite interesting if you have the time to analyze all of the statistics and compare them.

WeMedia: This is typically considered as a ‘Low-end platform’, there will be good Chinese KOLs but your might also encounter a fake KOL. Be careful of fake KOLs as they can waste a lot of time & budget when it comes to your advertising and marketing campaign.

Newrank.cn – This website offers ‘curated KOL’ services. They can help you sort through a large number of potential KOLs, but it can be time-consuming if you are not sure about what you’re looking for.

Let us Assist you Manage Key Opinion Leaders

With China being one of the most promising markets for foreign companies, it is important to take into account that almost everyone in China is using social media on a daily basis. 

In this digitalized country, it is also important to develop its brand awareness and e-reputation of platforms such as Weibo, WeChat, Douyin, Xiaohongshu, etc. 

By using the services of Key Opinion Leaders, you will not only be able to conquer a wide audience, but you will also be able to get help to promote your brand and products.

Collaborating with an agency specialized in the Chinese market is the best way to achieve your goal and increase your Return On Investment especially when it comes to something as intricate as China KOL Marketing. As all companies are different, the marketing and advertising strategy must be tailored according to their needs and within their financial means. 

Choosing the right KOL to promote your brand in China is not as easy as you might think, and that’s why our Agency has a dedicated team for China KOL Marketing. This team not only works hard to help the brand find the right KOLS but is also constantly growing our network of Chinese KOLs and Stars. This allows our Agency to connect you quickly with the right KOL at the best price on the market.

If you have any other questions on KOLs or about doing business in China, don’t hesitate to contact us directly, and we will reply to you within 24 hours.

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