Analysis of Chinese Hotel Social Media Strategies and Effectiveness on Xiaohongshu

Abstract

Social media has played a crucial role in the era of Web3.0, and the past few years witness a rapid growth and development of Xiaohongshu app in China, which is a platform for sharing various information including fashion, travel, education, etc. While little research has been conducted in Xiaohongshu marketing of hotels in China, the purpose of this paper is to apply the Uses and Gratifications theory to explore current marketing strategies that frequently employed by hotels in China on Xiaohongshu, investigate the weaknesses and make recommendations. The study results have identified three commonly used marketing strategies, which are knowledge and photo sharing, lucky draw, and KOL and brand collaboration. The major drawback for Chinese hotels on Xiaohongshu is their replication of marketing materials on other platforms, not in line with the style of Xiaohongshu, and thus gain very low exposure. This study suggests hotels that leverages Xiaohongshu to conduct social media marketing to customize the content, follow the trending topics recommended by the official channel and enhance user engagement.