China marketing strategy. What are the Chinese advertising options

Your digital marketing strategy in China

If you are planning to advertise in China, you have come to the right place. China Advertising market is huge and we have partnered with no.1 advertising platform that helps international businesses to market in China. Discover new opportunities to grow your business in China. Get unparalleled insights into your China marketing, and make data-driven decisions. We help with following:

• Keyword research in China
• China market research
• Chinese audience research

China marketing strategy

Want to get started to generate new leads from China? You can now market in Chinese media campaigns across 10+ channels in one place. Analyse campaigns results on different levels, and export campaign reports in a few clicks.

China marketing at a glance

Last Updated: April 2026

To advertise in China, businesses need to use local platforms, Google and Facebook are blocked. The five main advertising channels are Baidu (search engine, similar to Google), WeChat (super-app with 1.3 billion users), Douyin (Chinese TikTok with 750+ million daily users), Little Red Book / Xiaohongshu (lifestyle and e-commerce, similar to Instagram), and Toutiao (AI-powered news aggregator). Advertising on these platforms requires a Chinese business license or a verified partner agency. Typical costs range from $0.30–$2.00 CPC on Baidu to $2,000–$5,000/month for social campaigns on WeChat or Douyin. Leads Dubai provides end-to-end China advertising services, including account setup, Mandarin content creation, and campaign management across all major Chinese platforms.

Popular advertising options in China

Baidu advertising

Baidu is like Google Search in China. It is the only major search engine in china with all western apps not allowed like Google and Facebook apps. Baidu advertising strategy is different than on Google. Baidu ad formats and baidu ads review process is completely different than Google Ads. Baidu ads price is dynamic and can be cheaper at times. We have access dedicated baidu ads manager to assist you. Contact us to know about baidu advertising cost. Baidu holds approximately 60–70% of the Chinese search engine market. Unlike Google, Baidu does not index most English-language content, so advertising in Mandarin is essential for visibility.

WeChat ads – ( is like Facebook, Instagram, Google, Uber – all in one app )

WeChat is a super app, multi-purpose social media and one of the top 10 social networks in the world. Its ecosystem comprehensive, integrated and indispensable. WeChat offers a wide range of advertising opportunities for businesses. Contact us for Wechat Advertising WeChat has over 1.3 billion monthly active users. The average Chinese user spends over 80 minutes per day on WeChat, making it the single most important digital touchpoint for reaching Chinese consumers.

Little Red Book – ( is like Instagram )

China’s top how-to guide and e-commerce platform for all things fashion and beauty. At first, the platform looks like Pinterest, but it functions more as a portal and e-commerce platform where users can first browse then shop “in-platform”. Little Red Book (Xiaohongshu) has over 300 million monthly active users, with 70% of its user base being women aged 18–35. It is the number one platform in China for product discovery in beauty, fashion, and lifestyle categories.

Douyin – ( is like TikTok )

Douyin is a mature national app with massive popularity among Chinese netizens, and is China’s top destination for mobile videos. Douyin’s comprehensive ecosystem of content has grown even bigger in 2022, presenting new opportunities for brands to engage. Douyin surpassed 750 million daily active users in 2024. It generated over $200 billion in GMV (gross merchandise volume) through in-app e-commerce, making it a major sales channel, not just an awareness platform.

China advertising platforms compared

Toutiao – ( is the #1 Chinese news app )

Toutiao is an online platform dedicated to sharing diverse news stories and information. It uses machine learning to analyze individual reading preferences and tailor content to each user, boosting relevance to maximize engagement.

How to get started with advertising in China

In order to advertise on Chinese social media, it is necessary to have a business license and corporate bank statement to set up an ad account. As per china advertising law, there could be few more documents based on the industry. The process usually takes 2-3 weeks. Please note that certain industries, such as finance, cryptocurrency, and medical-related industries (unless licensed by Chinese authorities), are prohibited from advertising.

Below are Chinese required documents for accounts application

Step 1: Start ads campaign

Advertise and reach your target audience on top Chinese channels in one place. Advertise on Baidu, douyin, toutiao, Wechat, red

Step 2: Increase brand awareness

Educate and increase loyalty among your followers. Constantly post relevant content, i.e：videos, articles, pictures, etc. Build up your own community, create the conversation.

Step 3: Capture new leads in China easily

Use landing pages designed to convert or drive qualified traffic to your web. No ICP needed.

Customer journey on Chinese search engine Baidu:

• See advertising banner and click on it;
• Open landing page with key information about company;
• Fill landing form;

China marketing strategy

Want to get started to generate new leads from China? You can now market in Chinese media campaigns across 10+ channels in one place. Analyse campaigns results on different levels, and export campaign reports in a few clicks.

Useful Resources:

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