Persuasive marketing is becoming the traffic code of Xiaohongshu

Recently, "advisory cultural tourism" has become very popular, and the topic of "advisory marketing" has been raised on major platforms. This article will analyze the impact of "advisory marketing", let's take a look!

Recently, "listen to advice-style cultural tourism" has frequently been on the hot search.

From "I do it, you watch" to "co-creation and co-construction", cultural and tourism industries in various places have followed Chengdu's example and reached new heights in sincere hospitality.

At the same time, on the Xiaohongshu platform, the popularity of the term "listen to advice" has also skyrocketed.

According to statistics, in 2023, the number of views on Xiaohongshu #听劝 related topics exceeded 900 million , and the search volume increased by 51 times year-on-year. Therefore, many bloggers and brands regard it as the new "traffic code".

How popular is “persuasive marketing”? How should brands use it? Through some cases, we will analyze the marketing logic behind it.

1. The birth of an amateur celebrity

In fact, "listening to advice" as a way of interacting with users is not new. On the Internet, the first person who became famous by listening to advice should be Xiao Ai.

In 2021, Xiao Ai, a blogger on Xiaohongshu, posted a note with a photo of herself and the caption "I can't find a partner. What do you think is my problem?"

In the comment section, netizens turned into military advisors and gave him advice. Some said that changing his image should start with his hairstyle, some pointed out that his job did not have development potential, and some encouraged him to lose weight through exercise.

Image source: Xiaohongshu

Faced with the suggestions of netizens, Xiao Ai chose to accept them humbly and put them into action immediately, giving feedback on the platform every two days, which attracted a lot of attention and discussion from netizens.

Through long-term regular diet, daily routine, skin care and exercise, Xiao Ai's figure has changed significantly.

He has "completely changed" and shared his weight loss method on Xiaohongshu. He also generously showed off his outfits and made real-time optimizations based on netizens' suggestions. Judging from recent photos, he already has the temperament of a "Korean star".

Comparison of Xiao Ai before and after weight loss

In January this year, Xiao Ai posted a note to share the good news of her marriage with everyone. This note won over 100,000 likes from netizens.

Xiao Ai’s number of fans has also exceeded 290,000, and she has jumped from an ordinary person to a big V.

2. The resurgence of an outdated mobile game

"Listening to advice" can not only make an ordinary person become an Internet celebrity, but also make an outdated mobile game popular again.

I believe many people have played "Snake Battle". The popularity of this game was once not inferior to that of Honor of Kings.

However, the gaming industry is changing with each passing day, and there are too many games for players to choose from, so the single-game-style "Snake Battle" quickly became outdated.

So how did an outdated mobile game become popular again?

The story begins in a very ordinary way. A user with a default ID posted 200 identical videos on Douyin. The content of the video is a picture of a snake head accompanied by Wang Xinling's song "Love You".

Initially, the video data was mediocre. But quantitative change led to qualitative change. When the number of "snake videos" released reached hundreds, the account suddenly became popular. Interesting netizens interpreted the meaning of these videos just like interpreting Picasso's paintings.

Some people say that posting one post every day, day after day, is like a star-chaser's daily check-in, full of love. Some people say that the owner of the account may be doing "performance art" to reflect the mental state of contemporary young people.

Some people also said that it was too magical and they were already interested in it, and hoped that the official could launch a "Love You" themed skin.

Some even choose to "join if you can't beat them". Just like the MOMO army on Xiaohongshu, a group of Oubeibei army (lyrics of "I love you") suddenly appeared on Douyin. They have the same ID and different avatars, but without exception, they are all characters in the Snake game.

In response to netizens' "magic changes and pranks", the official Snake team personally joined in on the fun and quickly launched the same "Love You" skin.

As for the suggestion from some netizens that "I hope the official can do more joint ventures", the official took the approach of "listening to advice" and contacted several popular mobile games at once, even CUE Wang Xinling herself, hoping for a dream collaboration.

When "listening to advice" becomes the traffic code for brand marketing, businesses have chosen to invest in it.

For example, the Yan'an Fruit Industry Center changed its ID to "Yan'an Apples that Listen to Advice" and posted a message asking for advice from netizens on how to sell products.

In the comments section, some netizens suggested that Yan'an Apple find an endorsement to attract top traffic. So the official had a bright idea and invited the top "female star" Huahua to taste the apples.

Some netizens suggested that Yan'an Apple change its advertising slogan. So the official did not hesitate to launch a new creative advertising slogan with a double meaning and concise and to the point.

Thanks to the company's "listening to advice" and the high cost-effectiveness of the product itself, Yan'an apples have achieved more than 2.23 million views on Xiaohongshu, successfully helping 800,000 fruit farmers survive the cold winter. This is another example of "businesses successfully listening to advice."

In addition to Yan'an apples, "persuasive marketing" has also extended to many fields such as health care, beauty and clothing, catering and food.

For example, some milk tea brands, their packaging design and co-branded partners are inseparable from the "persuasion" of netizens, and facts have also proved that the results of gathering the wisdom of many parties can indeed make brand marketing more outstanding.

3. Three key points to do a good job of "persuasive marketing"

From the above cases, it is not difficult to find that "persuasive marketing" has a multiplier effect. As long as it is used properly, brands can spend extremely low costs and reap huge results.

As the main battlefield for the brand's "persuasive marketing", Xiaohongshu is a highly interactive community for sharing daily life, good things and other content.

From my personal experience, the average interaction rate of posts on Xiaohongshu is also relatively high. Netizens will enthusiastically answer your questions or share their own experiences and insights.

Coupled with its "grass-planting" attribute, we have repeatedly mentioned in our previous articles on brand marketing that this is a position where new consumer brands must be stationed.

When it comes to "persuasive marketing", how should brands act? I have summarized the following 3 points for your reference.

1. Insight into user psychology and improve user experience

Contemporary young people pay great attention to user experience, so brands can start from the three aspects of "sense of ritual + sense of satisfaction + sense of participation".

Sense of ceremony: Inviting celebrities to endorse products, setting up theme stores, and launching related peripherals are a kind of ritual. Borrowing the current trendy hot spots, such as "Princess invites you for tea" is also a kind of ritual.

Satisfaction: The official plays memes, makes fun of themselves, and attracts netizens to create new things, etc. Provide timely feedback and actively adopt reasonable suggestions from netizens.

Participation: Carry out brand activities to attract users to participate. If conditions permit, it is best to do it offline face-to-face so that users have the opportunity to get close to the brand.

2. Establish interactive relationships and obtain valuable feedback

360 founder Zhou Hongyi once said, "Those who complain about your product are actually the loyal users of your product."

For brands, "highly sticky fans" have always been their most important asset, and social media provides brands with the opportunity to interact directly with users.

By guiding reviews, brands can actively communicate with consumers and establish good interactive relationships, which can not only improve consumer loyalty but also obtain more valuable user feedback, thereby further improving products.

3. Seize the hot spots and learn to leverage marketing opportunities

In fact, taking advantage of hot topics is also a form of brand persuasive marketing.

KFC is the best in this regard. “Crazy Thursday” was originally just a slogan for a brand marketing day event, but with the creation of netizens, Crazy Thursday literature became popular on the Internet.

In this context, KFC seized the opportunity and launched “V Me 50 Chicken Nuggets”, which then achieved another wave of hot sales.

Similarly, the joint creations of many milk tea brands can come from suggestions in the comment section. Of course, this is a great test of the brand's perception of hot spots and understanding of user preferences.

Final Thoughts

From functional consumption, to brand consumption, and then to the "participatory consumption" that today's consumers are keen on, the logic of brand sales has been changing.

In essence, the success of "persuasive marketing" is because it grasps the demands of contemporary consumers.

It allows users to express their opinions freely, while also allowing brands to get closer to consumers and better understand their needs and preferences.

Consumers can feel the respect and sincerity of brands. When they feel good, they will spontaneously promote the products and become brand communicators. I think this is what brands hope to see.

Author: Yan Tao WeChat public account: Yan Tao Sanshou