Baidu Ads vs. WeChat Ads: Optimize Your China Marketing Strategy

When it comes to Baidu ads versus WeChat ads, there are some commonalities as well as major differences. But what does this mean for your brand: What are the low-hanging fruit and opportunities to grab, and what do you need to watch out for?

In this article, the Baidu advertising experts from Nanjing Marketing Group explore the opportunities and pitfalls of ads on Baidu and WeChat in detail.

Let’s jump right in.

Quick Recap of Baidu

Before we take a deep dive into Baidu ads compared with WeChat ads, let’s set our playing field.

What is Baidu?

Founded in 2000 by Robin Li and Eric Xu, Baidu (百度) is the largest search engine in the country with a market share of more than 50% 

As Google is blocked in China, more than 670 million monthly active users rely on Baidu to search online and use integrated services like Baidu Maps, Baidu Baike (encyclopedia), and Baidu Tieba (forums). As such, Baidu processes five billion queries every day! And just like on Google, many users open Baidu in a browser, instead of being logged into the app.

Click here for a more detailed breakdown of the Baidu user demographics.

Why Advertise on Baidu?

Generally, brands can appear first in the search results through organic content strategies (SEO) and paid ads (PPC).

Running ads on Baidu is effective for global brands, regardless of their niche and size, and allows companies to reach an audience with a strong buying intent, test the market quickly, and optimize cost per lead.

Based on our experience, the average cost-per-click (CPC) for Baidu ads is between 0.10–0.80 USD, depending on factors like ad type, targeting, and competition.

To see what Baidu ads look like in practice, below is an example from our B2B client—CrimsonLogic.

Next, let’s check out WeChat.

Quick Recap of WeChat

Let’s quickly recap the key facts about WeChat.

What is WeChat?

With popular global social media like Facebook and Instagram blocked in China, WeChat (微信) has become the go-to app for communication, social networking, and business interactions.

Developed by Tencent and launched in 2011, WeChat has more than 1.3 billion monthly active users as of 2024. It is known for its multi-functional ecosystem that includes instant messaging, WeChat Pay (mobile payments), mini-programs (in-app services like shopping, games, or booking), and Official Accounts for businesses and organizations. 

Users spend an average of 82 minutes per day on the app, and it plays a significant role in everything from personal communication to business marketing.

Unlike Baidu, where many users browse anonymously, WeChat requires users to be logged in, making it a highly personalized platform for targeting ads and delivering content.

Why Advertise on WeChat?

Running ads on WeChat is an excellent strategy for global brands looking to engage with Chinese consumers and boost their presence in the market. WeChat ads allow brands to target a highly engaged audience, generate leads, drive e-commerce sales, and increase brand awareness.

WeChat’s multifaceted approach, which combines social interaction, entertainment, and e-commerce, creates unique opportunities for brands to directly connect with their target audience in a highly engaging and efficient way.

WeChat Ads

WeChat offers a variety of ad types with different strengths and advantages.

Click here to learn more about WeChat ads.

Baidu vs. WeChat

The Chinese digital landscape is not the same as the West’s. Google, Facebook, and other social media platforms are blocked in China, so user preferences and behavior are different.

Channel Comparison

Both apps are leaders in their respective fields, although WeChat plays a unique role in the social media environment worldwide and is unparalleled in its scope.

Remember, certain industries are restricted/banned from advertising on both platforms; for example, medical and healthcare products and treatments, and cryptocurrencies.

PUSH vs. PULL Channels

PUSH marketing channels are those where brands proactively market their products or services to clients. 

Traditional examples are TV ads, outdoor advertising, email newsletters, paid social media ads, and PPC campaigns. In China marketing, advertising on social media channels like WeChat falls under PUSH marketing, allowing brands to actively target their ideal audience through ads, promotions, and other methods.

PULL marketing channels are those where users search for certain terms; this could be an answer to their question (e.g. search engine like Baidu, forum, community), a tutorial (e.g. on YouTube), and so on. 

A brand then meets the user with useful information and solutions while saying “Hey, by the way, we can also fix your problem. And look at all the other cool stuff that we do.” This is usually done with blog posts (like this one!), videos, whitepapers, tutorials, and SEO, to name just a few examples.

In short, PUSH marketing actively advertises products and services to users, while PULL marketing relies on the users’ search for a certain term or discovery of the brand.

Case Study: CrimsonLogic

CrimsonLogic is a leading SaaS company providing trade, supply chain, and digital government solutions. It has a great reputation internationally and wanted to enter the Chinese market, build brand awareness, and drive sales. 

To achieve this, Nanjing Marketing Group came into action.

Our strategy for CrimsonLogic

• Setup of a WeChat brand account, creation of an H5 landing page to direct ads to, running WeChat ads, and content marketing
• Development and running of Baidu ads
• Creation and localization of their Chinese website
• Setup of other Chinese social media channels (Zhihu, Bilibili) and cross-promotion

The results (2021–2023)

• Generation of more than 230 high-quality leads
• Improved brand awareness

Our key learnings

For both the Baidu and WeChat ads, keyword research, and ad testing were crucial to precisely targeting the audience CrimsonLogic sought. Addressing people interested in or already searching for related topics is key to running ads that convert.

Example Baidu ads

CrimsonLogic: WeChat ads

CrimsonLogic: WeChat HTML5 landing page

CrimsonLogic: WeChat HTML5 landing page

Next, let’s take a look at another case study.

Case Study: Loqate

Loqate, a global leader in location intelligence and address verification solutions, reached out to us in mid-2023 intending to enter the Chinese market.

Our strategy for Loqate

• Creation and running of WeChat ads (Moments ads, WeChat Official Account ads)
• Development and running of Baidu campaigns (ads and SEO content)

Our key learnings

As you can see in the ads below, we emphasized bold colors that stand out and resonate with a Chinese audience. The image is big, and the message is short and clear without much distraction. The ad aims to catch the users’ attention and interrupt their “doomscrolling.” All the information can be seen at once without scrolling back and forth.

Loqate also includes the specific call-to-action (CTA) “立即体验” (Try Now) so that the user knows exactly what to do next.

Baidu Ads	WeChat Moments Ads

In terms of landing pages, we created these tailor-made sites for Loqate:

Baidu landing page via Jimuyu	WeChat HTML5 page

So, how do you know what to pick: Baidu ads or WeChat ads?

Pros and Cons of Baidu & WeChat Ads

Almost everyone in China uses WeChat and Baidu. 

So, showing up on both these channels as a local or international brand is a must as it allows brands to reach a huge Chinese audience. 

However, both channels have specific benefits and limitations and, in our experience, leveraging the strengths of both platforms in an integrated strategic approach is the key to success.

Baidu

The huge advantage of Baidu is that users already have a certain intent in mind, meaning they search for something specific, which is often a solution to their problem. 

Brands have the opportunity to be the first to show up (through ads and SEO) to solve these problems to gain visibility and generate leads at cost-effective campaign rates. However, many brands do this, leading to high competition. 

Creating “showstopper” visuals and picking the “right” keyword requires expertise and deep knowledge of the Chinese market. Even with tons of experience with these things: A/B testing, continuous adaptation, and improvement are still typically required.

WeChat

This Chinese super app is an integral part of daily life in China, and literally, everyone uses it, which equals a massive social reach. 

The other big plus is WeChat’s gigantic ecosystem. The other big plus is WeChat’s gigantic ecosystem. When we create useful, entertaining, and easy-to-read articles for an official brand account, this content appears when users search within WeChat, and can even be used on other touchpoints. For example, we create useful, entertaining, and easy-to-read articles for an official brand account on WeChat, and this content shows up when users search within WeChat, and can even be used on other touchpoints.

Users may just “hang out” on WeChat or do something specific (like hailing a cab) and then move on to something else entirely. WeChat’s diverse features and offerings mean there might not always be a direct purchase intent, but this doesn’t mean that netizens aren’t open and keen on clicking on flashy, cute, or otherwise interesting icons, banners, or pop-ups. 

Well, you guessed it, all brands are aware of the immense potential of WeChat, which leads to higher costs and competition for running ads. However, an experienced China marketing agency can help you cut through that jungle and get the best return on ads spend (ROAS) for your brand.

The Takeaway

Deciding whether to invest in Baidu or WeChat ads depends on your goals, target audience, and the nature of your business. Here’s a quick guide to help you choose:

Baidu Ads (PULL Marketing)

• Target the users actively searching for your product or service.
• Reach a broad audience through search engine marketing.
• A more cost-effective advertising solution, especially for niche markets.

WeChat Ads (PUSH Marketing)

• Build brand awareness, engage with your audience, and drive social interactions.
• Leverage WeChat’s massive user base and rich targeting capabilities.
• Requires a budget for a more expensive, social-driven advertising approach.

Get started with Baidu ads.