I believe this is perhaps the most comprehensive article on marketing channels. If your company is looking to expand, take a look; it may be helpful.

Before starting promotion, there is one important thing to do: market positioning. This is because the subsequent promotion strategy, channel selection, and marketing appeals all revolve around it. Through market positioning, you clarify product positioning, brand positioning, competitive positioning, and target customer positioning, and choose the most suitable promotion channel mix for your product.

I divide promotion channels into paid channels, sponsored channels, self-media channels, word-of-mouth channels, and sponsored channels. Paid channels are further divided into: online advertising, media advertising, outdoor advertising, social advertising, app advertising, and BD alliances. Sponsored channels mainly include celebrity sponsorship, concert sponsorship, and sports event sponsorship. Self-media is divided into: official channels and community channels. Word-of-mouth channels are divided into: celebrity channels, media channels, and fan channels.

Paid Section

I. Online Advertising

Usage Scenario: Essential for SMEs, essential for short-term quick wins, not suitable for brand owners. Digital advertising is easy to control, easy to evaluate, and effective. It pairs naturally with brand advertising, achieving brand-effect interaction.

Promotion Tips:

The most effective ones are search engines, WeChat big accounts, and app stores. (App stores and WeChat big accounts operate on search mechanisms, similar to Google. WeChat big accounts rely on KOL influence and social distribution.) In the digital advertising field, the best future results will still be on Baidu (Google) and Tencent (Facebook).

High-quality traffic is mainly concentrated in Baidu and Tencent, especially WeChat and QQ series.

The most influential mobile platforms are WeChat, Weibo, and Toutiao.

In app stores, Baidu 91, Yingyongbao, 360, Huawei, and Xiaomi are rising fast; APPSTORE stands out.

1. Search Channels: Take Baidu as an example; others are similar. Baidu Brand Zone, Baidu Huabiao, Baidu Zhixin, Baidu Aladdin, Baidu Keywords, Baidu Union, Baidu DSP, Baidu Showcase, etc.

Note: Huge volume, keyword bidding is extremely difficult; if you have a professional team, results can be very good.

  1. Union Advertising: Baidu Union, Sogou Union, 360 Union, Google Union, etc.

Note: Large volume, union ads are cheap, but results are average; three key elements: creative, targeting, and bid.

  1. Navigation Ads: hao123, 360 Navigation, Sogou Navigation, 2345 Navigation, UC Navigation, etc.

Note: Large volume, navigation ads work okay, but good positions are expensive.

4. Super Advertising Platforms: Guangdiantong, Sina Fuyi, Toutiao, Momo, NetEase Youdao, etc.

Note: Large volume, especially Guangdiantong, results are moderate; same three elements.

  1. T-type Display Ads: Tencent, Sina, NetEase, Phoenix, super app splash screen ads.

Note: Large volume, expensive, more suitable for brand owners.

II. Media Advertising

Usage Scenario: Essential for large enterprises, essential for branding, suitable for brand owners. Media advertising provides immersive experience, strong visual impact, and is memorable.

Promotion Tips:

TV advertising is still the best brand promotion channel, especially prime time slots on CCTV.

Media advertising emphasizes repetition, i.e., frequent bombardment within a certain period.

Media advertising focuses on brand recognition, visual, and auditory elements.

1. TV Advertising: CCTV, satellite TV; can be hard ads, interviews, exclusive sponsorship, or public welfare placements.

Note: Depending on the type, it has certain brand endorsement and reputation-building effects; the more expensive, the more traffic; cheaper ones are often for content endorsement. Results can be sky-high or rock-bottom.

  1. Newspaper Advertising: People's Daily, Southern Weekly, Southern Metropolis Daily.

Note: Can reach mainstream audiences, with certain brand benefits.

  1. Magazine Advertising: Automotive, finance, travel magazines.

Note: Same as newspaper ads.

  1. Radio Advertising: City FM/Music FM.

5. Video Advertising: Youku, iQiyi, such as 15-second pre-roll ads.

Note: Brand-effect interaction, high cost-effectiveness.

III. Outdoor Advertising

Usage Scenario: Essential for large enterprises, essential for branding, suitable for brand owners. Outdoor advertising has strong visual impact and a certain scarcity.

Promotion Tips:

Focus Media is the top choice for many brand owners for outdoor advertising, offering forced exposure.

Outdoor advertising can support regional channel efforts.

Outdoor advertising can reach more mainstream audiences.

Outdoor advertising has excellent demographic targeting effects.

1. Focus Media Ads: Focus Media, Bus Online.

Note: Focus Media has strong exposure and can quickly increase brand awareness.

  1. Subway Advertising: Brand trains, brand-named direct trains, various display spaces.

Note: Strong exposure; some subways have LCD screens with excellent display effects.

  1. Bus Advertising: Bus body ads, bus stop signs.

Note: Good exposure.

4. Others: Train stations, airports, cinemas, highway billboards, plaza LCD screens, etc.

Note: All have strong exposure and good demographic targeting; for example, airports are the top choice for reaching high-end audiences.

IV. Social Advertising

Usage Scenario: Essential for all types of enterprises, brand-effect interaction. Social networks spread extremely fast; essential for content marketing.

Promotion Tips:

Maximize KOL influence.

Maximize the dividends of social network dissemination.

Content and creativity are key to forwarding and sharing.

1. WeChat: Public big accounts, Moments, in-depth WeChat cooperation.

Note: Recently, after WeChat Pay, ads for Jiebaobao appear; after Moments ads, other WeChat features will likely try advertising cooperation.

  1. Weibo: Big Weibo accounts, Fans Tong, topic rankings.

Note: Creativity is important.

  1. Communities: Various community organizations.

Note: Deep waters.

V. App Advertising

Usage Scenario: Essential for all types of enterprises, results-oriented. Similar to search mechanisms, targeting users' app download habits.

Promotion Tips:

ASO is a long-term task.

Cooperate with app developers for activities or resource integration.

1. App Stores: APPSTORE, 360, Baidu, Xiaomi, Huawei, Yingyongbao, VIVO, OPPO, Gionee, Lenovo, Samsung, etc.

Note: The most important promotion channel for apps; CPT/CPD/CPS.

  1. Union Advertising: Reward walls, rebate alliances, mobile ad platforms, such as AdWords, Youmi, Domob, Yima, Aizhuan, etc.

Note: Essential for ASO, but not precise, results not good.

  1. Pre-installation: Phone manufacturers, distribution manufacturers, chip manufacturers, etc.

Note: Large volume, deep waters.

4. Super Apps: Didi, Uber, Meituan, WiFi Master, Meitu, lock screen apps.

Note: Super app exchanges are good; lock screen apps have average results.

VI. BD Alliances

Usage Scenario: Essential for SMEs, saves money.

Promotion Tips:

Build an open platform.

  1. Association Alliances: Various associations.

Note: Best to establish official relationships for PR or resource integration.

  1. Campus Alliances: Student unions, various associations.

Note: Essential for ground promotion; labor costs are extremely low.

  1. Industry Alliances.

  2. Cross-industry Alliances.

  3. Media Alliances.

  4. Community Alliances.

Sponsored Section

Usage Scenario: Essential for large enterprises. Brand awareness? Entertainment marketing, sports marketing, creating a trend is key.

Promotion Tips:

Brand fit is key.

Event influence is key.

Create a trend, as seen with JDB and VIVO.

1. Celebrity Sponsorship

Note: Prioritize hot IPs like Li Yifeng, TFB, Kris Wu, AB, etc.; popularity is king.

  1. Hot Event Sponsorship.

Note: Prioritize popular entertainment programs and TV dramas, such as The Voice of China.

3. Hot Sports Event Sponsorship

Note: The match between event influence and corporate market goals is key.

  1. Concert Sponsorship.

Note: Same as celebrities; the key is the performer's influence.

Self-Media Section

I. Official Channels

Usage Scenario: Essential for SMEs, saves money. The best channel for corporate PR.

Promotion Tips:

Cold start.

Content marketing.

Official mouthpiece.

1. On-site: Own website and app ad spaces, SMS channels, in-site messages, pop-ups, etc. Note: Official internal channels are also good promotion spaces; use them wisely.

  1. SEO: Official website ranking, Baike, Zhidao, Tieba, news sources. Note: This is very suitable for cold start. If possible, build a professional team to do site group ranking, news source ranking, enterprise Zhidao, Tieba; early cultivation, later harvest. Key point: understand search system rules.

3. Official Media: Service accounts, subscription accounts, official Weibo, official blog, official community. Note: Treat service accounts as products, capturing users' product needs; treat subscription accounts as communication, capturing users' information needs. WeChat and Weibo can be matrixed; blogs are declining; communities are extremely difficult, but if successful, very effective.

4. News Self-Media: Huxiu, 36Kr, Baidu Baijia, Toutiao account, Sohu, NetEase, Tencent, Sina self-media. Note: Must-do for cold start.

  1. Video Self-Media: Youku, Tudou, iQiyi, Sohu, Sina Video. Note: Same as above.

  2. Others: Such as customer service, sales, stores, agents, etc. Note: Reasonable integration of official internal resources is key. A salesperson who visits 100 users without closing a deal still generates substantial promotional benefits for the company. Now, using offline resources to get app downloads and real users works well. Store promotional effects can also be integrated.

II. Community Channels

Function: Soft marketing. This is a treasure trove, the core battlefield for soft ads. Apple, Samsung, and Uber all like to do this, with pre-launch warm-up activities and content marketing. When you see many people discussing Apple's new products on forums, don't believe it's all spontaneous; there are many paid posters and bloggers. In fact, Uber maintains deep cooperative relationships with bloggers in comprehensive and vertical fields in China. It is common for automotive, beauty, maternal and child, and electronics products to conduct community marketing.

1. Comprehensive: QQ Space, Renren, Douban, Zhihu, Tianya.

Note: Zhihu has high authority; QQ Space has many users.

2. Vertical: Ctrip, Mafengwo; Autohome, Yiche; Soufun, Anjuke; Lama Bang, Babytree. Note: Vertical community users are often of high quality, with great marketing value, but communities are strict against marketing. The better approach is to find KOLs for embedded marketing, or hire writers to create original videos, images, and copy for quality content marketing.

3. Social: WeChat groups, QQ groups, Douban groups. Note: Social groups have clear tags, making it easy to find target users, but they are also resistant to ads. You can build good relationships with group owners for marketing; if the official side wants to build a group matrix, it's advisable to guide active users to create groups spontaneously, such as travel websites having user-built communication groups across the country.

Self-media channels are both offensive and defensive for corporate marketing. Official channels help companies build a good image and maintain a reasonable voice in the market; community channels help companies conduct cluster bombing on core target user groups, creating hotspots and phenomenon-level events.

Use self-media to continuously output content, combining the relationship between the company, product, and users, using video, images, and text to elaborate from different angles, pulling the relationship between the company and users, and shaping the company's image and reputation.

Paid channels increase awareness; self-media and word-of-mouth channels build reputation. Companies have different promotion strategy mixes depending on region, time, and competitive positioning. CCTV ads, subway ads, cinema ads, video ads, bus ads, Baidu ads, network alliances, celebrity endorsements, press conferences, large roadshows, themed promotions, etc., are not independent; they are part of the corporate marketing strategy mix. Only by formulating a reasonable promotion channel mix can you maximize the extension, repetition, and complementary effects of advertising communication.

Word-of-Mouth Section

When celebrities, opinion leaders, independent observers, and independent users mention a product on social platforms, blogs, forums, and news sites and give positive reviews, it can quickly gain massive exposure and greatly improve conversion rates. The key points affecting word-of-mouth channels are content and gatekeepers. On one hand, people only like to share interesting and fun content; on the other hand, gatekeepers determine the spread range and final content of information.

I. Celebrity Channels

1. Celebrity Endorsement: TFB, AB... (I don't follow celebrities; figure out the rest yourself)

Note: Essential for big spenders. Celebrity endorsements have strong credibility and can convert the celebrity's large fan base. The key is whether the brand tone matches the celebrity's image. Also, if you hire a celebrity, you must advertise on major media; otherwise, it's like writing a world-shattering story and not publishing it.

2. Notable Figures: Successful or professional people in mass and vertical fields, such as Jack Ma, Tu Youyou.

Note: Rare and hard to come by; to be praised by a notable figure, product strength is important.

3. Opinion Leaders: Internet celebrities, grassroots bloggers, writers, lawyers, scholars, etc.

Note: This is easier to operate; the most typical are embedded ads on WeChat and Weibo big accounts, like the famous "Van Gogh's Death" Alipay story. The reason WeChat big accounts charge high fees and have decent conversion is the blogger's influence over fans. If possible, find a few bloggers for in-depth cooperation.

II. Media Channels

1. Independent Journalists: Well-known journalists from major media.

Note: Invite journalists to write a report about the company. Excellent journalists can write from a unique perspective with relatively fair language, presenting it like news, with strong credibility and word-of-mouth effects. Of course, if the company's self-media content is interesting and piques their interest, and after their gatekeeping it's published in media, the effect is even better.

2. Well-known Media: People's Daily, Southern Weekly, Southern Metropolis Daily.

Note: It's hard for companies to get media coverage. The usual approach is to plan marketing events, such as a travel company that once planned "Invite the Nation to Travel" and got unanimous coverage from mainstream media. Event marketing's core is to attract media attention and coverage, which is quite difficult. Some companies use public welfare marketing to gain media attention and coverage more easily.

III. Fan Channels

1. Official: Official Tieba, community, blog, official account, official Weibo.

Note: Maintain fan channels well, increase fan activity. Regularly hold fan meetings and themed activities.

2. Communities: Douban groups, QQ groups, WeChat groups, comprehensive forums, vertical forums (see Part 2 of this series for details).

Note: Communities need good maintenance; find key figures and build good cooperative relationships.

3. Individuals: Moments, WeChat, Weibo.

Note: In the mobile internet era, everyone is a word-of-mouth medium, such as real-person Moments.

Word-of-mouth channels are the accelerator for corporate communication. Self-media outputs valuable content, and word-of-mouth channels further amplify it. Sponsored channels and media advertising are the surefire way to accelerate branding. Reasonably utilize paid channels, sponsored channels, self-media channels, and word-of-mouth channels to achieve 1+1+1+1>4.