It’s worth it for all brands to redo their search marketing on Xiaohongshu!

More and more users will choose to use Xiaohongshu search to help make consumption decisions. So how can brands do search marketing on Xiaohongshu? The author analyzes the three stages of preliminary understanding, selecting alternatives, and in-depth understanding.

With the rise of the trend of "looking at Xiaohongshu when in doubt" , more and more users will search and view relevant notes on Xiaohongshu before making consumption decisions . The latest data shows that 70% of Xiaohongshu's monthly active users have search behavior , 42% of new users will use the search function on the first day of using Xiaohongshu, 88% of search behaviors are initiated by users , and 90% of users said that consumption decisions will be influenced by Xiaohongshu search content.

For brand merchants, in the decentralized field of Xiaohongshu, search has become the only aggregation field that can directly reach all business fields. At the same time, the high-intention crowd brought by search can not only help brand merchants improve the conversion effect of seeding, but also occupy the user's mind by positioning the core words in the search field, boost the effect of information flow delivery, and improve the efficiency of seeding in the whole chain.

As a scenario-based content community, Xiaohongshu not only has 300 million monthly active users and over 80 million sharers, but has also become the preferred community for many users to search for information . Official data shows that nearly 40% of searches in the community are related to products . At the same time, unlike traditional search engines, every search by users on Xiaohongshu is closer to consumer decisions . The large amount of real user UGC content in the Xiaohongshu community is not only more trustworthy, but the dual superposition of high-seller users and high-seller domains also makes Xiaohongshu searches more accurate and easy to convert, which can effectively connect good products, good merchants, and good users to jointly build an efficient, win-win, and sustainable business ecosystem.

At present, the construction of Xiaohongshu's search commercial product capabilities has just started, and Xiaohongshu's search advertising is still a " blue ocean of value " . There are few brands entering the market, and the search traffic in many industries is growing rapidly. At the same time, Xiaohongshu also builds a communication scene with consumers for brand merchants by connecting the content field and the search field , allowing brand concepts, products and service selling points to naturally integrate into high-quality notes, and using search to stimulate consumer shopping needs, penetrate the user's mind, and accurately reach high-intent users, thereby discovering new business growth.

Faced with the huge business opportunities brought by Xiaohongshu search, brands must attach great importance to it and make early arrangements. Whether it is to seize the traffic dividend, occupy the user's mind, or to achieve the optimization and improvement of the entire marketing chain, it is worthwhile for brands to redo search marketing on Xiaohongshu . Only in this way can we seize the initiative and achieve greater success in the increasingly competitive market.

So, how can brands do search marketing on Xiaohongshu? First, we need to understand the user 's behavior path on Xiaohongshu. Usually, users go through three stages: initial understanding, selecting options, and in-depth understanding .

In the initial understanding stage, users will search for brand-related information , and brands need to attract users' attention through high-quality content; in the selection stage, users will establish awareness of the brand , and brands need to provide more persuasive materials; in the in-depth understanding stage, users will make the final purchase decision , and brands need to optimize search terms to guide users to complete the conversion. It can be seen that users have different needs at different stages, and brands need to adopt corresponding marketing strategies based on these needs.

But for mature brands and potential brands, the focus of search marketing is different.

Search marketing strategies for mature brands - from intensive to extensive:

• Build a solid foundation and hold the position : Mature brands must first lock in core brand words, product words , etc., firmly occupy the first screen position of search results, stabilize brand awareness, and consolidate the main position. This is the top priority of mature brand search marketing.
• Seize the track and increase exposure : Then, we need to occupy a good position on the core category words , seize the traffic entrance of the segmented track, minimize the diversion of users by similar brands, and maximize exposure and traffic.
• Go deep and thoroughly to expand traffic : On the basis of firmly grasping the core words, mature brands can combine product characteristics, efficacy, usage scenarios, etc. to deeply complete long-tail search terms , and match them with high-quality grass-planting content to fully cover user needs and expand more incremental traffic.
• Break through the circle to plant grass and explore the blue ocean : The last step is to reversely explore blue ocean search terms through the interests of high-conversion groups and target groups, leverage potential users , and achieve breaking through the circle to plant grass.

Search marketing strategies for potential brands - gradually try from general to specific:

• Reverse exploration and targeting the crowd : Potential brands must first reversely target high-intent crowds through search terms based on the needs and pain points of the target crowd, thus opening up a breakthrough for precise seeding.
• Deepen the scene and build voice : seize the potential population discovered in the early stage, use segmented scene words to continuously cultivate voice , enhance brand awareness and trust, and accumulate grass-roots assets.
• Focus on differences and seize the track : Then we need to dig deep into the efficacy characteristics and unique selling points of our own products, consolidate the special search terms of our products , continue to exert efforts in the segmented track, and establish search positions and minds.
• Consolidate the foundation and incubate the brand : After accumulating a certain user base, you can gradually enter the brand word and product word card position, consolidate the main search position , and accelerate the branding process. For example, the case of the new weight loss product in the article, through the step-by-step strategy from crowd words to scene words and then to category words, it finally achieved the first SOV in the industry.

But no matter what stage the brand is in, the early "participle" positioning is the key. Only by accurately grasping the needs of the crowd, product characteristics, and search paths can we formulate strategies based on the product and be targeted.

In addition, whether it is defending the position, grabbing the track, or expanding demand and incubating the brand, it is important to pay attention to the construction of content and keyword buying infrastructure . In terms of content, it is necessary to produce materials in a targeted manner according to the attributes of different keywords to improve the fit between content and search terms; in terms of keyword buying, it is necessary to reasonably allocate the budget and find the best delivery strategy through continuous data analysis and effect optimization . In particular, at least 2-5 high-quality notes should be included in one plan, and the keyword strategies between different plans should be differentiated to fully cover the search needs of different dimensions. Only when the content and channel infrastructure keep up can search marketing truly maximize the monetization of brand value.

Case study of a hand cream brand: The client found through the upstream and downstream results of "hand cream" that hand cream is closely related to blue ocean words such as manicure, gift, and office supplies, which provided different material directions for the subsequent search delivery note production, improved the relevance between hand cream-related search terms and delivery materials, and improved delivery effects. The final search index increased by 57%, TI assets increased by 87%, and store entry rate increased by 20%.

Case study of a beauty instrument brand: The client discovered in the early stage that although the brand had a large search volume, the brand word was blocked by similar products, resulting in all traffic being taken over by similar products , and the overall brand SOV and reading rate were poor. By targeting the downstream of industry word packages such as brand words, category words (hydrating instrument, radio frequency instrument, beauty instrument), scene words (skin care, home, staying up late), and crowd words (staying up late, lazy skin care people, anti-aging people), the final 618 Little Red Star data showed that GMV and ROI achieved double breakthroughs, and the SOV in this track also jumped to the first place.

In general, Xiaohongshu search marketing has become a new track for brand growth , and more and more brands are starting to plan and explore. For mature brands, search marketing is an important tool to consolidate their positions and deepen their minds ; for potential brands, search marketing is a key way to seize the track and accumulate people .

Brand marketing requires not only offense but also defense! Through search marketing, we can achieve marketing demands in multiple scenarios such as product promotion, decision-making promotion, and brand positioning, and achieve the marketing goal of integrating brand and effect.

I believe that as more and more brands pay attention to and invest in search marketing on Xiaohongshu, this field will usher in greater development opportunities and growth space. For every brand that hopes to achieve a breakthrough on Xiaohongshu, search marketing will be a key area worth deepening and planning.

Author: Brand Old White

Source: WeChat public account "BrandLaoBai (ID: BrandLaoBai)"