It’s 2023 now. Can I still operate Xiaohongshu on behalf of others?

Speaking of agency operation, what do you think of? This article analyzes whether Xiaohongshu needs agency operation. The author summarizes 7 questions and hopes it will be helpful to you.

"Agent operation" is a three-word word that carries the attribute of fraud. When mentioning agent operation, keywords such as liar, cheater, etc. are bound to appear. Some people even directly shout that "agent operation is a dog"!

Is there still hope for agency operation? In my opinion, as long as there are businesses in this world, agency operation will continue to exist. It belongs to the service industry together with advertising and consulting companies.

Why do brands rarely quarrel with planning companies and advertising companies? In fact, it is because clients do not understand and have different standards. For example, when a planning company designs a LOGO, the client does not know whether it is right or not, so they use it first and then decide.

But for Douyin, Xiaohongshu, and Taobao agents who directly connect to sales, customers focus on sales and it is easy to return to the century dialogue: I only care about the results. You just didn’t complete the sales, so you are a liar!

It's really a question mark. There are too many factors that affect the product's poor sales. Of course, it is undeniable that the agency company is so bold in making promises in order to get the orders. They are just short of saying to the customers, "Just give it to me and I will give you a Maserati tomorrow."

Companies that make random promises will gradually exit the market, while companies that are still dedicated to serving their customers should just continue to do so.

So in 2023, can we still operate Xiaohongshu on behalf of others? To be honest, we are also doing it, and we will continue to do so in the future, gradually becoming a full-service company for Xiaohongshu brand.

Why do it now? We have to do it because the talent resources are monopolized by agencies and the profits from advertising are as small as paper. They want to give every profit point to the clients.

When I was operating Xiaohongshu on behalf of others, I increasingly discovered that this is a huge market and the closest way to reach clients’ businesses.

In my opinion, agency operation is not simply operating accounts and shopping malls, but considering how to spread the client's business on Xiaohongshu from a holistic perspective, and then doing professional account content planning, expert placement and advertising.

At the same time, the charm of Xiaohongshu's agency operation is that this is a chaotic market with customers of all sizes, and there are both fancy operations and regular gameplay.

It’s not like doing brand planning, where you basically come into contact with industry leaders and think that the brand is created by you. However, the environment on Xiaohongshu is more complicated. If there is no traffic today, the company may go bankrupt.

The vulnerability of small and medium-sized businesses is vividly reflected on the Xiaohongshu platform. I still remember that the decoration boss had to use the remaining advertising fees to pay his colleagues' salaries and repay the mortgage.

Do Xiaohongshu merchants still need agents to operate? My personal opinion is that they do, and they will always need it. It is like drinking coffee, you can’t live without it. Why do I say that? Changing the topic, do brands need brand planning companies now?

More than ever, stupid people need to look at things from an outside perspective. When a grandmother looks at her grandson, she is full of advantages, smart and cute, but to outsiders, she is just a noise ghost. The agent operator plays the role of an outsider and does operations and delivery objectively.

So how to do the agency operation of Xiaohongshu specifically? First of all, you must not do agency operation for the following 3 types of customers!

1. Incomplete monetization model

Before creating an account, you must think about the monetization model, that is, what products and what model to use to monetize. The most taboo is merchants with low average order value who want to sell a large number of products on Xiaohongshu.

This requires the continuous creation of super-explosive articles, which is very difficult. For products with low average order value (less than 20), it is quite difficult whether you do it yourself or use an operating company.

2. Weak conversion backend

Agent operation is the icing on the cake, not a life-saving straw. If your own back-end conversion capability is weak, such as poor product strength and back-end customer service, it will be futile to find an agent operation company.

Before acting as an agent, it is recommended to complete the back-end conversion link, polish the product, provide good back-end services, and improve follow-up efficiency. Only then can the agent operation company further expand its scale.

3. Get rich overnight

Thinking that you can get rich overnight by finding an agent, with leads and orders ringing in non-stop, and giving the last money in your hand to the agent, it is not recommended for the company at this time. Once there is no food, the company will inevitably panic and make frequent mistakes. It will be difficult to sustain it for long if there is no traffic in a day.

You should think about the following 7 questions before engaging in agency operations.

1. What is the purpose of Xiaohongshu?

The vast majority of customers would say that they want to increase their followers, or that their peers are currently doing it, which indirectly reflects that they are starting from the wrong point.

When running Xiaohongshu, the core should be sales-oriented. Fans are not the core, the core is sales volume. Pay special attention to the sales of private domains and stores, make gradual adjustments and improvements around sales, see which step has problems, and then make optimization adjustments.

2. What is the product structure?

Products are always the protagonist, especially the price. Products with high average order value or best-selling brands are more suitable to be sold on the platform if your average order value is relatively low.

The advertising budget in the later stage or the control over the private message cost shall be extremely strict. Consider clearly what your product structure is, what to promote first and what to promote next, how to match them, and what strategic roles each of them plays.

3. Is there anyone operating Xiaohongshu?

The agency operation is more of a guidance. When there is no one in your team who can work on Xiaohongshu, and there is not even any connection, the probability of failure is normal.

When working with any operating company, you should think about whether your team is ready and capable of taking over the project, rather than leaving all the work to the operating company.

4. Persistence is more valuable than creativity

Creativity is to follow hot topics, such as streamlined skin care, dopamine, and mountain systems, which are all hot topics recently. We can create notes based on popular topics, but this is not the core. The core of operation is to focus on a section and thoroughly study the topics in your own field. Persistence is more valuable than creativity, especially continuous operation and regular posting of notes. Persistence is more valuable than creativity.

5. Lay the foundation and create natural traffic

Natural flow is something that can exist continuously, occupying the core keywords. When users have search needs, your notes can continue to exist and firmly occupy the natural traffic demand.

What we need to do in the early stage is to generate natural traffic, that is, search traffic, so that user needs can be met. If the natural traffic is done well, the efficiency of volume expansion will also be fast.

6. Prepare for the worst-case scenario

Failure of any cooperation is normal, success is accidental. Any agency operation has the risk of not being successful, and the agency operation must be prepared for the worst. If there is no success in 3 months, accept the failure calmly. Our service attitude is not that the project must be successful, but that the customer does not leave with curses.

The above are my thoughts on the operation of Xiaohongshu.

Author: Jianghe Chats About Marketing, WeChat Official Account: Jianghe Chats About Marketing