January 2021
One of the internet's greatest achievements is the ease with which people can access vast amounts of information. Many people search for information online. In the West, Wikipedia is popular, while in China, Baidu Baike is widely used.
In addition to Baidu Baike, Zhihu (Zhihu) is also a popular information search site in China. Zhihu operates as a Q&A site, providing scientific answers comparable to Wikipedia. The user community is known for its pride in answering even seemingly silly questions with detailed and scientific responses (the site is Chinese only).
Launched in 2011, Zhihu initially guaranteed high-level questions and answers through an invite-only system. Users needed invitations from existing users or to submit a detailed resume, making the application process time-consuming. Aiming for scientific accuracy, answer reliability, and detailed information provision, this became the factor behind its success and growth.
As of 2018, user numbers exceeded 220 million, with over 30 million questions and 130 million answers. Although open registration was introduced in 2013 allowing anyone to register, the trust established by the initial invite-only system remains, which is why Zhihu's answers are trusted.
Zhihu's basic function is Q&A between users. Specific users can be tagged to encourage answers, and other users can be followed to track questions and answers. Answers rise in ranking with "likes", making them prominent.
The average Zhihu user is highly educated and high-income, an attractive consumer layer for companies. Over 30,000 corporate accounts exist, utilized for brand image improvement and customer dialogue. Zhihu is suitable for advertising products requiring research before purchase, such as cars or solar panels.
Expectations from Zhihu users regarding answers are high, and promotion methods are diverse. Companies utilize various methods such as self-Q&A formats, collaboration with influencers, employee workplace introductions, live streaming, etc. Deep and accurate answers can improve brand image.
However, pushy ads are disliked. For example, answers like "Our product is better than others" should be avoided; explaining the mechanism of solar panels in detail is preferred by intellectual user layers. This requires effort but excels at building trust relationships and is effective for products harder to advertise on other platforms.
Zhihu's answers are known for accuracy, rank high in search engines, and company posts may appear at the top via keyword searches.
Zhihu is not suitable for short-term sales boosts but will continue to be a tool of note in the Chinese market as an excellent tool for long-term brand image improvement and customer trust building.
