Listen to advice, the new code for brand marketing

On social platforms, various ways of listening to advice emerge in an endless stream, and "listening to advice" has become a common way of content creation and interaction on social media. Why is "listening to advice" so popular? This article analyzes this marketing idea, let's take a look.

Recently, as Harbin's tourism boom has swept across the country, the cultural and tourism bureaus of northeastern cities such as Shenyang, Jilin, and Dalian have also begun to adopt a "listening to advice" strategy on social platforms such as Xiaohongshu and Douyin, actively soliciting suggestions and opinions on tourism development from netizens.

Listening to advice means posting some questions or confusions on social networks and seeking suggestions or opinions from other netizens so as to make better decisions or improvements.

This interactive method is not limited to local tourism bureaus, but has long become a popular way of content creation and interaction on social media. Various ways of listening to advice on travel, dressing, and health are emerging on social networks, and brands in many industries such as fashion, beauty, and catering also solicit consumer opinions through social media.

In 2023, the number of views of topics related to "listen to advice" on Xiaohongshu exceeded 900 million times, and searches increased by more than 51 times year-on-year. Many bloggers and brands regard "listen to advice" as the new traffic code.

"Listening to advice" has not only become a popular way of interaction on social networks, but has also become an important trend in modern marketing. It emphasizes the importance of user participation and two-way communication between brands and consumers. In this way, brands can not only better understand consumers' needs and expectations, but also enhance their brand image and market competitiveness by directly responding to these needs.

01 The birth of a big name who listens to advice

Listening to advice as a way of interacting with users is not a new thing. Similar methods have appeared after the birth of Web20. In the early days of Weibo marketing, many brands posted on Weibo to solicit relevant content to guide users to provide creativity for the brand. A term was also born in the Web2.0 era - UGC, which means user-generated content. Its essence is the same as listening to advice today.

However, what is different is that listening to advice today reflects the emotional needs and social concepts of young people in the new era. On the one hand, they need to seek help and advice in the face of uncertainty and anxiety, and on the other hand, they pursue independence and individuality and prefer equal and sincere advice.

It is impossible to trace the earliest origin of the saying "listen to advice", but one of the earliest people to become famous through this method was "Xiao Ai" on Xiaohongshu.

In December 2021, Xiaohongshu blogger "Xiao Ai Tongxue" posted a full-body photo of herself and sincerely sought suggestions from netizens on how to improve her image.

His post attracted wide attention and discussion, and netizens offered suggestions on hairstyle, body shape, dressing, inner self-improvement, etc. Xiao Ai not only humbly accepted these suggestions, but also began to make drastic changes based on these suggestions in the following year.

Xiao Ai achieved a significant change in his body shape through a reasonable combination of sleep, diet, drinking water and exercise, and shared his weight loss methods and experience on Xiaohongshu. In addition, he also showed his outfit in his notes and optimized it according to the suggestions of netizens.

This series of changes not only improved his appearance, but also refreshed him mentally. On December 8, 2022, Xiao Ai posted a video note titled "Chasing Light" to record his transformation process. This video was admired, praised and moved by many netizens, and eventually received more than 90,000 likes.

Xiao Ai's latest update is that he got married, and his notes received more than 95,000 likes. Currently, he has more than 290,000 fans, and is on the road to becoming a big V.

02 Why is listening to advice so popular?

Xiaohongshu itself is a highly interactive community. My personal experience is that the content posted on it has a higher level of interaction than other platforms. Netizens like to give their own opinions and ideas on a problem or phenomenon. After Xiao Ai became famous by listening to advice, more and more bloggers began to follow suit. Listening to advice seems to have become a new way to gain huge traffic.

So why is this approach of listening to advice so popular among many bloggers and brands?

1. Increase exposure and traffic

An important purpose of persuasion marketing is to allow brands to gain more exposure and traffic on social networks, thereby increasing brand awareness and influence and attracting more potential customers. To achieve this goal, brands need to effectively interact with users on social platforms such as Xiaohongshu, especially by participating in interactions on hot topics or trends to attract users' attention and discussion. At the same time, with the help of social media algorithm recommendations, high-quality interactive content is more likely to be more widely displayed, further expanding the brand's market exposure.

For example, the tourism bureaus of Shenyang, Jilin and other places took advantage of Harbin's popularity on Xiaohongshu and released a series of advice videos, inviting netizens to give suggestions and opinions on their tourism products and services, thereby increasing their exposure and attracting many tourists from other regions.

2. Stimulate UGC and create better creativity

"The experts are among the people" is an eternal truth. By listening to the suggestions of users, brands can stimulate UGC and gather the wisdom and creativity of many users. This user-centric marketing method is not only closer to the needs and interests of users, but also can bring more attractive and innovative marketing strategies to brands.

In 2007, Doritos launched an event called "Crash the Super Bowl", inviting users to create Super Bowl ads for its brand, which inspired a large amount of UGC and made users partners and communicators of the brand. In this era, there was no such thing as listening to advice, but the essence of Doritos's approach was the same.

This year, Yan'an Fruit Industry Center, which faced sales challenges, adopted a "listen to advice" strategy to increase the popularity of its Apple products among young people by posting a simple note on Xiaohongshu. The note sincerely asked users for advice on how to sell apples and used the popular online buzzword "listen to advice", which triggered 500 to 600 comments.

Many users provided suggestions on marketing, planning and sales to help the Fruit Industry Center rejuvenate its brand image. The Fruit Industry Center then applied the users' suggestions and slogans to product packaging and sold them on Xiaohongshu. The following copywriting, "It's not an Internet-famous fruit, but it was popular long before the Internet," was provided by netizens.

3. Enhance user participation and community interaction

The characteristics of platforms such as Xiaohongshu and Weibo emphasize user-generated content and interaction between communities, providing an ideal environment for interaction between brands and users.

By implementing persuasion marketing, brands can communicate directly with users. This approach not only makes users feel that their voices are valued, but also enhances their sense of participation. Users are willing to share their ideas and experiences in this interactive and open environment, which promotes more active community interaction. In such an environment, users are not only passive recipients of information, but also become co-creators of brand stories and culture. In this way, brands can establish a positive and mutually supportive atmosphere in the community. ● Enhance brand image and trust

By genuinely listening to consumers’ opinions and applying them to products or services, brands can effectively build consumer trust and loyalty. The success of this strategy lies in its ability to make consumers feel that their voices are not only heard, but also valued and adopted.

LEGO has a dedicated platform that allows consumers to submit their own LEGO building designs. If a design receives enough support, LEGO will consider making it into a real product set. This approach has allowed LEGO to successfully tap into consumer creativity and launch several hit products.

In this example, when consumers’ suggestions were implemented, they not only felt their influence on the brand’s development, but also deepened their trust and loyalty to the brand. This strategy makes consumers feel that they are important participants in the brand’s growth and innovation process, thus forming a closer brand connection.

In addition, persuasion marketing also conveys an important message: the brand is willing to have two-way communication with consumers and respect their opinions. This open and inclusive attitude is crucial to enhancing the positive image of the brand. Consumers will be more inclined to support and recommend the brand because they feel that their opinions are respected, thus forming a positive word-of-mouth effect in the social circle.

4. Gain market insights and product improvement opportunities

In the modern business environment, persuasive marketing is not only a means of interacting with consumers, but also an effective strategy to gain market insights and product improvement opportunities. This approach can be seen as a market test, which allows brands to gain a deeper understanding of consumers' real needs and preferences, thereby making more precise adjustments in product development and market positioning.

Starbucks' "I give Starbucks an idea" campaign is a good example. Here, "I give Starbucks an idea" is actually a "platform for listening to advice". In this campaign, Starbucks invites consumers to share their opinions and suggestions on products and services. This strategy not only makes consumers feel that they have a real influence on the brand, but also provides Starbucks with valuable first-hand market data.

By analyzing consumer feedback, Starbucks can capture the latest consumer trends, discover potential market opportunities, and innovate and improve its product lines. For example, Starbucks once launched a maple roast meat flavored latte, which was a new product launched based on suggestions from consumers.

Conclusion

As an emerging social media strategy, "advisory marketing" has not only attracted widespread attention on Xiaohongshu, but also set off a new trend on major social platforms. The success of this marketing method lies in its deep understanding of the social needs and emotional appeals of contemporary young people, allowing users to freely express their opinions and suggestions, while also allowing brands to get closer to consumers and better understand their needs and preferences.

Listening to advice is not only a marketing strategy, but also a new way for brands to interact with consumers. It emphasizes the importance of user participation and two-way communication in the social media era. By listening to advice, brands can not only increase user participation and community activity, but also continuously optimize products and services by collecting user feedback, and improve brand image and market competitiveness.

"Listening to advice" may become outdated, but in essence, the way to inspire users to create content will never become outdated.

Author: Xunkong

WeChat public account: Xunkong’s Marketing Revelation (ID: xunkong2005)