Xiaohongshu Matrix Account Strategy: Building from Scratch to Amplify Brand Value

It’s widely known that a single viral post on Douyin can drive massive traffic. However, Xiaohongshu, or also known as Little Red Book, or officially Rednote, operates on a different principle, where success is built gradually through the accumulation of popular notes and product placements. By establishing multiple interconnected accounts, you can create a matrix of content and influence, achieving comprehensive penetration and value amplification for your brand or personal IP. Understanding the China market is crucial for tailoring your strategy to fit the unique cultural nuances and consumer behaviors.

Matrix operation allows you to reach users from various angles, increasing brand exposure and user engagement. Effective marketing in China requires a comprehensive approach that includes content localization and leveraging local social media platforms. Let’s delve into how to effectively build and operate a Xiaohongshu matrix.

Understanding the Chinese Market

To succeed in the Chinese market, it’s essential to understand the unique behaviors and preferences of Chinese consumers. Here are some key insights:

Influence of Social Media: Chinese consumers are highly influenced by social media platforms and online reviews. Recommendations from friends, family, and key opinion leaders (KOLs) play a significant role in their purchasing decisions.
Health and Environmental Awareness: There is a growing trend towards health-conscious and environmentally friendly products. Chinese consumers prioritize items that are sustainable, organic, and promote a healthy lifestyle.
Tech-Savvy Consumers: Chinese users are highly tech-savvy, expecting seamless online experiences. They prefer mobile payments, online shopping, and digital services that offer convenience and efficiency.
Value of Convenience: Speed and convenience are paramount. Chinese customers expect fast delivery, easy returns, and responsive customer service.
Cultural Values and Brand Loyalty: Brands that understand and respect Chinese culture and values tend to build stronger loyalty. Demonstrating a commitment to social responsibility and community engagement can significantly enhance brand reputation.

What is a Xiaohongshu Account Matrix in the Chinese Market?

Five smartphone screens on a blue background display profiles and posts of various accounts. Text includes user names and follower counts. — Guyu, a premium Chinese skincare brand, has 4 verified official accounts on Xiaohongshu.

A Xiaohongshu account matrix is an organic whole composed of multiple interconnected accounts on the platform. These accounts collaborate in content creation, fan interaction, and commercial realization, forming a stable self-media ecosystem. The core advantage of matrix accounts is their ability to achieve diversified content output and increased brand exposure through multi-account operation, thereby gaining more followers and business opportunities.

In the context of Chinese marketing, matrix accounts can belong to different sub-brands under the same parent brand or represent collaborations between different brands or individuals. A Xiaohongshu matrix refers to establishing multiple related accounts on the platform, achieving broader influence and better user coverage through mutual linkage and cooperation.

In essence, a matrix account strategy involves a brand setting up multiple accounts, producing content with low-cost graphics or videos, publishing product-related notes, and gaining exposure and traffic, ultimately achieving the goal of sales conversion.

Types of Accounts in a Xiaohongshu Account Matrix

Five smartphone screens show a branded account, hero, tutorial, product, and campaign with skincare images and text on a blue gradient background. — Guyu's Branded Account is mainly used to publish high-level brand content, such as hero campaigns and celebrity collaboration.

When building a matrix account, it’s crucial to plan the relationships between various accounts as part of your overall marketing strategies. They can be broadly categorized into two types:

Main Account: Responsible for outputting core content and attracting followers.
Sub-Accounts: Responsible for expanding content and interacting with followers.

There should be a good interaction between the main account and sub-accounts, such as mutual reposts and comments, to increase the overall exposure of the accounts.

Specific account types include:

Official Account: Registered under the brand/company name, allowing users to understand the brand, open Blue V verification (official verification), and legally attract traffic to private domains. These accounts are used for positive image exposure, conveying brand tone, and announcing events.
Personal IP Account: One IP can extend to multiple content accounts, creating an expert or experienced player image in a specific field, increasing personal appeal, and building momentum for the brand.

Personal accounts can be real individuals, such as consumers or brand assistants, or they can be virtual personas. They are used by brands to create a personal IP image that aligns with their positioning, using more concrete settings to enhance interaction and increase user stickiness.

KOL Account: KOL (Key Opinion Leader) accounts are those with a certain level of influence and professionalism on Xiaohongshu, usually run by experts, opinion leaders, or well-known bloggers in the industry.

KOL account content typically has high professionalism and authority, providing valuable information and suggestions to users. Brands can collaborate with KOL accounts, inviting them to publish brand-related content and leverage their influence to expand brand exposure and enhance brand reputation.

At the same time, KOL accounts can provide professional opinions and suggestions to brands, helping them better understand market and user needs

Regular User Account: These are accounts that maintain a sense of authenticity, outputting content that encourages users to try products or services.
Traffic Diversion Accounts: These are used to divert traffic to non-Blue V accounts. Even if they are banned for violations, they can be easily replaced. These accounts are deliberately created personal accounts by brands, used to interact with other users in the comment section. Interaction is an essential means of maintaining fan stickiness. These accounts build good relationships with fans by replying to comments and participating in topic discussions.

Four smartphone screens show a customer service account, product image, press release, and chat. The background is blue. Text in Chinese. — Guyu's Customer Service Account put out selective content customers care about the most, such as how to identify counterfeit. It's used mainly as the messaging tool to address customer enquiries.

Planning Your Account Matrix with Marketing Strategies

When building a Xiaohongshu matrix account layout, companies need to comprehensively consider brand positioning, target users, content strategy, and the specific needs of the Chinese audience. Different account types should complement each other and work together to form an organic whole. Companies also need to pay attention to the linkage and interaction between accounts, increasing the activity and influence of the entire matrix through mutual recommendations and reposts.

During the operation process, companies need to continuously optimize and adjust the layout and strategy of the matrix accounts. By analyzing user behavior and content performance data, understand user preferences and needs, and adjust content direction and posting frequency. It is also necessary to pay attention to changes in platform policies and rules to ensure the compliance and security of the accounts.

Five phone screens show personal life, behind-the-scenes, office culture, and workspace moments with text and graphics on a blue gradient background. — Guyu's Staff Personal IP Account features a carefully crafted personality who appears to be a real employee at Guyu. This account is used to showcase the supposedly authentic daily life of this employee and her experience working at Guyu.

Building a Strong Brand in China

Creating a robust brand presence in China requires a strategic approach that resonates with local consumers. Here are some essential strategies:

Unique Brand Identity: Develop a distinctive brand identity that appeals to Chinese consumers. This includes a memorable brand name, logo, and visual identity that are consistent across all marketing materials.
Strong Online Presence: Establish a strong presence on social media platforms, e-commerce sites, and through digital marketing campaigns. Engaging content, collaborations with key opinion leaders, and search engine optimization are crucial components.
In-Depth Market Research: Conduct thorough market research to understand the behavior, preferences, and pain points of Chinese consumers. Utilize surveys, focus groups, and online analytics to gather valuable insights.
Integrated Marketing Strategy: Implement a comprehensive marketing strategy that combines online and offline channels. Leverage social media marketing, email campaigns, content marketing, and events to reach your target audience effectively.
Positive e-Reputation: Foster a positive e-reputation by actively engaging with customers, responding to feedback, and addressing concerns transparently. Building trust and credibility is essential for long-term success in the Chinese consumer market.

Branding and e-Reputation: Building an Account Matrix from Scratch with Key Opinion Leaders

Core Account Positioning: First, determine one or several accounts as the core of the matrix, usually the brand’s official account or a KOL with strong personal charm, responsible for outputting high-quality content and establishing brand image. Clarify the brand positioning and target users by adapting marketing strategies to align with the preferences and needs of the target users. Brand positioning determines the overall style and tone of the account and needs to align with the preferences and needs of the target users. Target users determine the content direction and publishing strategy of the account, requiring in-depth understanding of their interests, consumption habits, and other information.
Sub-Account Layout: Create sub-accounts around the core account based on different product lines, services, user segments, or content themes, such as product experience accounts, tutorial sharing accounts, behind-the-scenes story accounts, etc., to form a complementary structure. In the Xiaohongshu matrix, different accounts should complement each other and work together.
Account Collaboration: Maintain consistency in content style and mutual response between accounts, forming an internal traffic cycle through @mentions, reposts, and interactions, thereby enhancing the overall activity and visibility of the matrix. At the same time, determine a suitable posting frequency to keep the accounts active.
User Persona Matching: Each sub-account should target a specific user group, with precise positioning and personalized content to meet the needs and preferences of different users.

Setting Up a Xiaohongshu Account

Xiaohongshu, also known as Little Red Book, is a vital platform for reaching Chinese consumers, especially in the lifestyle, fashion, and beauty sectors. Here’s how to set up a Xiaohongshu account:

Create a Business Account: Register your business account using your company’s email address and password. Ensure that your account is verified to build trust with Chinese users.
Complete Your Profile: Add your company’s logo, a detailed description, and contact information to your profile. This helps in establishing a professional and trustworthy image.
Upload High-Quality Content: Share high-quality images, videos, and live streams that showcase your products or services. Engaging and visually appealing content is key to attracting and retaining followers.
Engage with Followers: Actively engage with your followers by responding to comments, answering questions, and sharing behind-the-scenes content. Interaction is crucial for building a loyal community.
Utilize Advertising Features: Take advantage of Xiaohongshu’s advertising features to reach a broader audience. Sponsored posts and targeted ads can drive significant traffic to your website or e-commerce platform.
Monitor Analytics: Regularly monitor your account’s analytics to track performance and adjust your digital marketing strategy accordingly. Understanding what works and what doesn’t is essential for continuous improvement.

By following these strategies, foreign companies can effectively navigate the Chinese market, build a strong brand presence, and engage with Chinese consumers on Xiaohongshu.

Content Planning for Different Accounts for a Chinese Audience

Corporate Account: Authoritative Releases and Professional Interpretations

The corporate account is the brand’s official voice on Xiaohongshu, with high authority and credibility, and it is crucial to effectively target the Chinese audience.

When promoting new products, the corporate account should play the following roles:

(1) Authoritative Release: The corporate account should serve as the first platform for new product information, ensuring the accuracy and authority of the information. Release official statements, product introductions, usage tutorials, etc., to let users know the features and advantages of new products at the first opportunity.
(2) Professional Interpretation: Provide professional interpretations and analysis for the technical features and usage scenarios of new products. This helps eliminate user doubts and enhance product awareness and acceptance.
(3) Interactive Q&A: The corporate account should actively respond to user comments and private messages, answering user questions and feedback. Enhance user trust in the company and products through timely and effective interaction.

Persona Account: Emotional Connection and Scenario Integration

A persona account is a virtual character account created by a brand to establish an emotional connection with users. When promoting new products, the persona account can play the following roles:

(1) Emotional Resonance: Establish emotional connections with users through the persona account’s daily sharing and life moments. When users see the persona account using new products, they are more likely to resonate and identify with them.
(2) Scenario Integration: The persona account can create content around the usage scenarios of new products, allowing users to more intuitively understand the product’s application scenarios and effects. For example, sharing experiences and feelings of using new products during travel.
(3) Word-of-Mouth Marketing: The persona account can accumulate word-of-mouth for new products by sharing their own usage experiences and recommendation reasons. At the same time, encourage users to share their own usage experiences, forming a positive cycle of word-of-mouth marketing.

KOL Account: Opinion Leaders and Trendsetters

KOL accounts are well-known users or industry experts on Xiaohongshu, with a large number of followers and influence. Their role in promoting new products cannot be ignored:

(1) Product Reviews: KOLs can conduct in-depth reviews of new products, sharing their usage feelings and opinions. This helps enhance the professionalism and credibility of the product, attracting more potential users.
(2) Trendsetting: KOLs can lead users to pay attention to and use new products by publishing trendy outfits and usage tips. Their demonstration effect can drive more users to try new products, forming trends.
(3) Collaborative Promotion: Brands can collaborate with KOLs to jointly plan promotional activities. For example, invite KOLs to participate in product launches, hold online and offline events, etc., to expand the exposure and influence of new products.

Regular User Account: Authentic Feedback and Reputation Building

Regular user accounts are ordinary users on Xiaohongshu. Their sharing and feedback are more authentic and credible. When promoting new products, the role of regular user accounts is equally important:

(1) Authentic Feedback: Regular user accounts can provide real user feedback for new products by sharing their purchase experiences and usage experiences. This helps brands understand the real needs and pain points of users, optimizing product design and promotion strategies.
(2) Reputation Building: The sharing and recommendations of regular user accounts can accumulate reputation for new products. When more and more users share their usage experiences, the popularity and reputation of new products will gradually increase.
(3) Interactive Guidance: Brands can guide regular user accounts to participate in interactive activities, such as posting photos of their purchases or before-and-after comparisons. By incentivizing users to participate in interactions, the exposure and user engagement of new products are enhanced.

Brands Without Borders provides full services to help you register and verify your official accounts on Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book) and other popular Chinese social apps.

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