What is Douyin and How Can It Help Your Business in China?

In this article, we will introduce you to the main features of Douyin and explain how you can use it to promote your business in China.

Main specialties of Chinese Tiktok

Douyin (抖音 “shaking sound” in Chinese) is an essential app for any advanced Chinese. It allows you to instantly create, edit, share short videos with friends, and browse the feed that is ranked for you by artificial intelligence. Recently, the Douyin app makes it possible to instantly buy goods shown in the video feed.

The holding company of Douyin is Bytedance, one of the largest digital ecosystems in Mainland China. "Chinese Tik Tok" is another name for the Douyin app. It is the Chinese version of the globally popular Tiktok, which is an international version of the Douyin app. Today, these platforms are two separate entities under the control of Bytedance.

The audience of the Douyin app is about 500 million users in China Mainland, 80% of whom are under the age of 29 and 64% of whom are women.

Application interface

On the home screen, you can often see ads from different brands in the recommendations section; for example, you might see an ad from Lancome based on your interests in cosmetics and makeup.

Registration of Douyin account

Today, there is an Apple App Store available for Chinese users, but instead of Google Play Store, other users in China use local Chinese app stores or it is possible to use APK files.

To create an account in Douyin, you first need to go to Douyin official page, after which the options will be different for Android and if IOS.

Android users need to download the APK file. Next, you need to run the installation process through a file manager on the device and give it permission. After installation, open it and select your region and enter your phone number (it is not necessary to use only Chinese phone numbers). Douyin will send an SMS verification code to your phone number, which you need to enter into the Douyin app to complete registration.

For IOS users, it is possible to download the Douyin app from the Apple Store. You need to change your ID to Mainland China, download it from Apple App Store and install it. Then you need to follow the same steps for Android: enter mobile number, receive SMS, etc.

Verification of Douyin account

Douyin verification unlocks a full advertising account on Ocean Engine, allowing for promotion on ByteDance platforms such as Toutiao. Verified accounts get access to detailed statistics, unlimited post promotion, contact information display, contests, in-app stores, and powerful live streams for sales.

You will also receive a blue checkmark to indicate that your brand is legitimate, but it is important to note that only Chinese individuals or businesses can verify an official Douyin account.

Go to the website, scan the QR code and launch a verification form. After submitting the verification form, you can expect to hear from a Douyin representative within a week.

The requirements for a business official account include having over 10,000 followers, at least one video posted, a business license, a Chinese passport, a Chinese bank card, a Chinese phone number, and a payment of 600 yuan. You will also need an ICP license if you want to link an account to a website.

Please note that Douyin's verification process and requirements are subject to change, and it's advisable to consult the official Douyin platform for the most up-to-date information on verification procedures.

Appearance of the verified brand page

1 Verification check mark

2 Link to Douyin shop where you can buy the product

3 Link to the official website

4 Total likes

5 Direct call to the company's salesperson

6 Page integrated with Toutiao

7 Number of followers

Promotion in Douyin

Ocean Engine

Ocean Engine is an advertising platform that allows you to run targeted ads campaigns not only on Douyin but also on other platforms owned by ByteDance. With its "targeting options" feature, you can reach your most relevant audience by selecting their gender, age, interests, location, and even their income level. Currently, having a legal entity in China is required to use the platform.

Promoting posts

This promotion method is available for both commercial videos from verified accounts and unadvertised videos from regular accounts. The cost is based on CPM from 25 yuan.

To promote, you will need to go to the DOU+ section and configure the targeting settings for a specific post. You can choose specific advertising goals, customize your target audience based on Douyin's algorithms on your own. You can also target a relevant blogger, so your videos appear in the blogger's audience.

Alternative ways

KOL marketing

Douyin is one of China's most popular platforms for working with bloggers.For example, opinion leaders can do broadcasts where they talk about your products and sell them live.

Another way is to advertise in bloggers' video posts, a profitable option is to buy long-term advertising, for example for 1 month. You can search for bloggers either through a special platform of Douyin or through MCN agencies.

Challenges for users

This method involves publishing tasks for users, the completion of which allows you to attract traffic to your page. For example, for a small bonus, you can ask users to make a video of your product, which will mark your account.

Publishing music

You can publish your brand's commercial music on Douyin, and users can find it in the search bar, and it will appear in the first part of the search results page for the first three months.

Attractive content

Douyin is the kind of app that allows you to quickly rise to the top and build an audience of millions with cool content. Doyin's algorithms are trend sensitive and push engaging content that appeals to users, making popular accounts much more popular.

Advertising through stickers

Brands on Douyin can create original stickers to attract the attention of users who can add them to their videos.

Design of advertising account

1 Selection between the promotion priority on followers or likes

2 Selection between the types of promotion
- Intellectual
- By age, gender, and location
- Targeting to a blogger's followers

3 Price

4 Use of discount coupons

5 Time of promotion: 6, 12, or 24 hours

6 Coverage

DOU and DOU Plus tokens

Douyin has a separate section with a wallet where you can deposit your balance and then spend the site's internal funds to buy advertising traffic.

The application has two types of tokens, DOU and DOU Plus:

DOU Plus - are the tokens purchased with the use of fiat money (CNY) and used to launch a promotion via the targeting settings as described above.

DOU - are the tokens to be donated to streamers and for in-app purchases, such as masks, filters, augmented reality elements.

Douyin Store

One of the valuable options for brands on Douyin is e-commerce. For example, Douyin is integrated with almost all major marketplaces, such as Taobao, JD and others. At present, Douyin is focusing on developing its own marketplace to complete the whole cycle of buying and selling within a single application.

Today, Douyin has its own payment service, Douyin Pay, which allows users to make in-app purchases. Douyin is also tweaking its algorithms to show more videos in users' feeds that are associated with Douyin stores rather than other marketplaces. Another way Douyin prioritizes its stores over other marketplaces is by promoting them to the top recommendations in the "shopping" section. Today, native Douyin stores also allow brands to launch live streaming sales on the platform.

Before you go to Douyin to sell products, please note that only a verified account can open a store, not unverified accounts. The store icon appears on the home page after verification, and the account must have at least 10 videos. You'll need to decide whether you want to open your own store on Douyin or link your page on a third-party marketplace to your account.

Douyin is mainly focused on selling low-cost items priced under 300 yuan, but successful companies for more expensive items are starting to emerge. These companies are more likely to attract traffic to premium platforms such as JD. The top selling sectors on Douyin continue to be beauty, food and beverage, home appliances, furniture, children's products, etc.

FAQ

Is it possible to download Douyin app outside of China?

Yes, an IOS user can change Apple ID to China and download from Apple App Store. An Android user can download Douyin via APK file.

Is Douyin just a Chinese Tiktok or a more functional app?

The Douyin application is more than just a Chinese version of Tiktok. For example, Chinese Tiktok has more developed e-commerce, payment and advertising functions.

Is Douyin owned by TikTok?

No, both platforms are owned by Bytedance.

Why is Douyin so popular?

It is related to the increasing popularity of short videos and live streaming in China.

Does Douyin have ads?

Of course, it offers various advertising options, such as promotion through Ocean Engine, KOLs, etc.

Conclusio

Today, short video and live streaming formats are very popular with Chinese audiences and are becoming one of the biggest marketing channels. To create a Douyin account, launch a Douyin store, and run ad campaigns on the platform mean that your company is following the current marketing trends in Mainland China.

Considering Douyin for your business? Optimize your time: contact us to learn about all the advantages of marketing on Douyin.