Why Chinese influencers are key to the success of Thai brands in the Chinese market.
The Chinese market is highly competitive and complex in its communication with digital-age consumers. Therefore, using Chinese influencers has become a crucial tool for marketing Thai products in an era where consumers trust reviews more than traditional advertising.
According to several reports, 70–80% of Chinese consumers make purchasing decisions influenced by the opinions of influencers (KOL or KOC) on platforms like Xiaohongshu, Douyin, and Weibo. Therefore, selecting Chinese influencers accurately is crucial.
This effectively builds credibility in the Chinese market and increases sales, especially for Thai brands looking to penetrate this large market and build a new follower base.
According to the report... Influchina The report indicates that over 74% of brands in China use KOLs and KOCs as a key driver of sales and credibility. This data clearly reflects that choosing the right Chinese influencers is not just about hiring them for reviews, but is a fundamental factor driving brand success in the modern Chinese market.
Understand the Chinese influencer market before choosing to use it.
Before selecting Chinese influencers, it's crucial to understand that the Chinese influencer structure differs significantly from Western platforms. In China, KOL (Key Opinion Leaders) are major influencers with high impact, suitable for broad awareness campaigns. In contrast, KOC (Key Opinion Consumers) are ordinary consumers whose credibility stems from genuine reviews, ideal for boosting sales and increasing engagement.
Chinese influencer marketing is also linked to the e-commerce ecosystem, such as Taobao Live, Douyin Store, WeChat Mini-Program, and WeChat KOL. This allows for seamless conversion of Thai product reviews into sales, creating a viewing-and-purchase dynamic that reflects the popular behavior of modern Chinese consumers.
Analyze Thai product categories before selecting influencers.
When selecting Chinese influencers, it's crucial to base your decision on the type of Thai product to reach the target audience most effectively. The table below provides a clearer picture.
| Thai product categories | The right type of influencer. | reason |
| Skincare / Beauty | Beauty KOL, Makeup Artists, KOC | Chinese consumers place a high level of trust in pre-purchase reviews. |
| Health supplements | Health KOL, Platform Douyin | Increase credibility; use verifiable data. |
| Thai food / desserts | Food Reviewer, Lifestyle KOL | Chinese consumers enjoy trying foreign foods. |
| Fashion / Jewelry | Fashion KOL / Street Style KOL | Focus on going viral and showcasing products through videos. |
| Mother and baby products | Parenting KOL | Their followers are Gen Z–Millennial mothers with purchasing power. |
| Travel Thailand | Travel KOL, Chinese Vlogger | Ideal for promoting Thai tourism brands. |
Analyzing products beforehand can help select Chinese influencers more systematically, reduce wasted budget, and actually increase sales results.
In article Xiaohongshu Influencer Marketing 101... Lotus Social Agency It was noted that the most popular categories on Xiaohongshu are skincare, beauty, travel, and fashion. These categories are ideally suited for many types of Thai products, such as Thai skincare products, Thai fragrances, Thai cafes, or Thai tourist destinations. Choosing Chinese influencers that align with these categories can significantly increase visibility.
Key factors to consider when choosing a Chinese influencer.
When choosing Chinese influencers, you shouldn't just look at the number of followers. The technique for selecting Chinese influencers for the Chinese online market requires in-depth data analysis, as follows:
1) Audience Match: The target audience must match the Thai product. For example, for mother and baby products, looking for KOL accounts with a follower base of working Chinese mothers is a effective way to promote Thai products using KOL in China.
2) True Engagement Rate: China has a significant problem with fake engagement numbers. You need to look at the number of likes, comments, and a minimum video view rate, not just the number of followers.
3) Actual Sales Performance: Some influencers do well in raising awareness but aren't good at selling. To achieve sales results, you need to analyze conversion rates on Taobao / Douyin.
4) Image & Brand Fit: When selecting Chinese influencers, it's important to consider their image, credibility, and communication style to ensure they align with Thai products. For example, a premium skincare brand should choose a mid-to-large scale influencer like Beauty KOL.
5) Storytelling Ability: The Chinese consumer market prefers content that tells a story and is more lifestyle-oriented than direct sales. Choosing Chinese influencers who are good at storytelling can significantly increase the effectiveness of promoting Thai brands.
Verifying whether a Chinese influencer has genuine or fake followers can be done by considering several factors, such as engagement rate, consistency of posting, the correlation between views and likes, and examining comments to determine if they come from real users or bots. This is a basic step that Chinese agencies use in selecting influencers to prevent wasted budget.
For more information about choosing influencers, you can read more here. Expand your brand effectively in the Chinese market through Chinese influencer strategies.
Choosing the right platform for the marketing goals of Thai products.
Besides choosing Chinese influencers, the choice of platform is also important, as each platform has its own unique characteristics, as follows:
- Xiaohongshu (RED) is suitable for skincare, beauty, travel, and lifestyle products. It boasts highly reliable reviews, making it ideal for promoting Thai brands and building trust.
- Douyin Influencer is suitable for products that need rapid sales through video and live streaming.
- Weibo is suitable for national-level awareness, focusing on viral spread.
- WeChat is used to build CRM, customer segments, and in-depth content, ideal for repeat purchases.
- Taobao Live is ideal for promoting Thai brands that aim for immediate sales, similar to Live Commerce.
Therefore, marketing goals dictate which platform a brand should choose influencers on to achieve the most worthwhile results.
If you want to choose professional influencers in collaboration with an agency specializing in the Chinese market, you can check out our services here. Chinese Digital Marketing
Strategies for effectively working with Chinese influencers.
Choosing Chinese influencers is just the beginning, but the strategy is what brings out the real results:
1) Create a targeted customer brief. It should clearly specify the key message, unique selling points of Thai products, and the pain points of Chinese consumers.
2) Design content direction that aligns with the platform. Content for Xiaohongshu reviews will focus on authentic reviews and attractive images, while Douyin should focus on viral videos.
3) Give influencers the freedom to tell their own stories. Chinese followers are aware of advertisements, so KOL should be allowed to tell their story in a natural style to achieve the best results in promoting Thai brands.
4) Use bidirectional KPIs. Include both reach KPIs and sales KPIs to ensure comprehensive performance evaluation.
5) Work long-term: A long-term collaboration strategy helps create a clearer brand image for Thai products than a single post.
If you want to learn more about influencers, you can read more here. Get to know Chinese influencers better: The roles of different types of KOLs and marketing opportunities.
Case Study: An example of a Thai brand that successfully selected influencers.
Case Study: Thai Desserts Expanding into China
Using Food KOL on Douyin, XiaoHongShu's fun and stylish review style boosted sales during live streams and attracted a large number of new followers. This is an example of successful promotion for a Thai brand focusing on rapid sales growth.
Case Study: Tourism in Thailand
Collaborating with Travel KOL, a Chinese company, helps build credibility and drives increased trip bookings, especially among Chinese Gen Z who appreciate storytelling-style video content.
In summary, choose the right influencer, the right platform, and the right target audience.
Choosing the right Chinese influencers can significantly shorten the time it takes for Thai products to penetrate the Chinese market. From product analysis and platform selection to designing collaborative strategies, every step impacts the final result. Thai brands need to implement a comprehensive system to achieve this.
Choosing Chinese influencers will be a catalyst for strong growth in promoting Thai brands, building awareness, increasing sales, and establishing sustainable credibility in the Chinese market.
If your business needs a professional Chinese marketing strategy, leveraging Chinese influencers to promote your Thai brand effectively, with the help of an expert agency, contact HelloAds (HelloAds), a full-service Chinese marketing agency. Facebook Page: HelloAds Or website:HelloAds Agency
