Vietnam Cosmetics Brand Success Story

5,000+ Qualified Leads Generated on Xiaohongshu

Client Overview: Vietnam Cosmetics Brand Seeking Expansion

Our client, a mid-sized Vietnamese cosmetics manufacturer specializing in natural ingredient-based skincare, had established a strong domestic presence but faced stagnating growth in their home market. With five years of successful operations and a product line featuring locally-sourced botanical ingredients, they were well-positioned for international expansion. Their products – particularly facial serums and masks containing traditional Vietnamese herbs and plant extracts – had potential appeal to Chinese consumers increasingly interested in “clean beauty” and Asian skincare traditions.

Despite quality products and packaging, the brand lacked visibility in the Chinese market and had no established digital footprint on key platforms like Xiaohongshu. Their previous attempts at market entry through conventional e-commerce channels had yielded minimal results, with high customer acquisition costs and low conversion rates. The brand approached Hashmeta seeking a comprehensive strategy to penetrate the Chinese market effectively, with particular focus on building brand awareness and generating qualified leads that could be converted into loyal customers.

The Challenge: Breaking Into the Chinese Market

Entering China’s beauty market presented several significant challenges for our Vietnamese client:

Intense Competition: The Chinese beauty market is saturated with domestic and international brands, including established Korean, Japanese, and Western players with substantial marketing budgets. Standing out in this crowded landscape required more than just product quality – it demanded strategic visibility on platforms where Chinese consumers discover new brands.

Cultural and Regulatory Barriers: China’s unique digital ecosystem operates under different rules and consumer expectations. The client lacked familiarity with Xiaohongshu’s content requirements, community guidelines, and the specific aesthetic preferences of its users. Additionally, cosmetics products face strict regulatory scrutiny in China, requiring careful messaging around claims and ingredients.

Limited Brand Recognition: As a relatively unknown Vietnamese brand, establishing credibility with skeptical Chinese consumers presented a significant hurdle. Without established trust or recognition, converting interest into leads and sales would be exceptionally difficult.

Platform-Specific Expertise Gap: The client had no previous experience with Xiaohongshu marketing and lacked the specialized knowledge required to create content that would resonate with the platform’s discerning users. Their internal team was unfamiliar with the nuanced content formats, engagement patterns, and search algorithms that drive success on the platform.

These combined challenges required a holistic solution that addressed both technical platform expertise and strategic brand positioning. With Xiaohongshu serving as both a social discovery platform and a pre-purchase research destination for Chinese consumers, developing an effective presence was identified as the critical path to generating qualified leads at scale.

The Strategy: Xiaohongshu-Focused Approach

After comprehensive analysis of the client’s objectives, product offerings, and target market, Hashmeta developed a multi-faceted strategy centered on Xiaohongshu as the primary channel for brand building and lead generation. Our approach leveraged Hashmeta’s deep expertise in Xiaohongshu Marketing combined with advanced AI marketing tools to create maximum impact.

Implementation and Execution

Following the strategy development phase, Hashmeta executed a comprehensive three-month campaign for the Vietnamese cosmetics brand on Xiaohongshu:

Phase 1: Foundation Building (Month 1)

• Established and optimized the brand’s official Xiaohongshu account with complete profile information, verified status, and initial content uploads

• Created a content calendar with 24 planned posts covering product showcases, ingredient spotlights, and founder stories

• Developed detailed influencer briefs and contracted initial partnerships with 15 micro-influencers for authentic testing posts

• Implemented tracking infrastructure for comprehensive analytics and lead attribution

Phase 2: Momentum Building (Month 2)

• Scaled content production to 3-4 weekly posts based on performance data from initial content

• Activated mid-tier influencer partnerships with 8 beauty content creators who had demonstrated high engagement with testing posts

• Implemented community management protocols to ensure rapid response to all comments and questions

• Launched targeted Xiaohongshu search advertising to amplify organic content visibility

Phase 3: Scale and Conversion (Month 3)

• Activated partnerships with 3 strategic macro-influencers based on performance data from earlier phases

• Implemented lead capture mechanisms including exclusive sample offers and VIP community registration

• Optimized highest-performing content formats based on engagement analytics

• Coordinated cross-platform amplification through WeChat mini-programs and targeted landing pages

Throughout implementation, Hashmeta’s team provided weekly performance reports and strategic adjustments based on real-time data. Our consulting approach ensured that the client maintained visibility into campaign progress while benefiting from our specialized platform expertise.

Results: 5,000 Qualified Leads and Beyond

The campaign delivered exceptional results that exceeded the client’s expectations across all key metrics:

Lead Generation Success

• 5,127 qualified leads generated within the three-month campaign period

• 72% of leads came from organic content discovery, with 28% from influencer-driven traffic

• 43% conversion rate from initial interest to lead capture – significantly above industry average

• 87% of leads matched the target customer profile of urban Chinese women aged 25-34

Platform Growth and Engagement

• 18,500+ new followers for the brand’s official Xiaohongshu account

• Average engagement rate of 4.7% across all content (industry average: 2.1%)

• 127,000+ saved posts (a critical metric for Xiaohongshu algorithm visibility)

• 92% positive sentiment in comment analysis

Brand Performance Indicators

• 314% increase in brand search volume on Xiaohongshu and broader Chinese search engines

• 68% of leads expressed intent to purchase within 30 days

• 22% of leads made immediate purchases through directed e-commerce channels

• Successful establishment of two key products as category leaders in the “Vietnamese skincare” niche

The campaign’s success extended beyond pure metrics, establishing the Vietnamese brand as a recognized player in the Chinese beauty conversation. Their distinctive positioning around natural Vietnamese ingredients created a sustainable competitive advantage that continued to drive organic discovery after the active campaign period concluded.

Key Insights and Learnings

The campaign yielded valuable insights about effective Xiaohongshu marketing for Vietnamese brands entering the Chinese market:

Authenticity Drives Conversion: Xiaohongshu users demonstrated a strong preference for transparent, education-focused content over traditional promotional messaging. Posts explaining ingredient sourcing and formulation processes generated 2.3x higher engagement than standard product promotion posts.

Micro-Influencer ROI Advantage: While macro-influencers delivered higher immediate visibility, micro-influencers with specialized skincare expertise delivered superior engagement rates and conversion metrics. The cost-per-lead from micro-influencer partnerships was 62% lower than from macro-influencer collaborations.

Video Content Superiority: Video-based content formats consistently outperformed static imagery across all metrics. Specifically, demonstration videos showing product texture and application generated 3.4x more engagement than traditional product photography.

Cross-Border Story Appeal: Content highlighting the Vietnamese origin story and ingredient sourcing created a compelling differentiation point. Posts emphasizing the brand’s Southeast Asian heritage received 47% more saves and shares than generic product information posts.

Platform-Specific Optimization Necessity: Success on Xiaohongshu required significant adaptation of content that had performed well on other platforms. Posts optimized specifically for Xiaohongshu’s algorithm and user experience generated 5.7x more visibility than repurposed content from other channels.

These insights have informed our continued marketing services for Vietnamese brands entering the Chinese market, enabling increasingly refined approaches to Xiaohongshu as a lead generation channel.

Conclusion: Xiaohongshu as a Powerful Channel for Vietnamese Brands

This case study demonstrates the exceptional potential of Xiaohongshu as a strategic channel for Vietnamese cosmetics brands seeking to penetrate the Chinese market. Through a carefully orchestrated approach combining platform expertise, content strategy, influencer partnerships, and AI-powered optimization, Hashmeta successfully transformed a previously unknown Vietnamese brand into a recognized player generating substantial qualified leads.

The success of this campaign underscores several critical factors for brands considering similar market entry strategies:

Platform Specialization Matters: Xiaohongshu’s unique ecosystem requires specialized knowledge and approach that differs significantly from other Chinese and global platforms. Generic social media strategies transplanted to Xiaohongshu typically underperform.

Integrated Strategy Delivers Results: The combination of organic content, influencer partnerships, and targeted amplification created a multiplier effect that would have been impossible through any single channel approach.

Cultural Context is Critical: Understanding the nuanced preferences and behaviors of Chinese consumers – particularly their research-intensive purchase journey and trust in peer recommendations – enabled effective campaign design.

Measurement Drives Optimization: The continuous feedback loop of performance data and strategic adjustment allowed for rapid identification of winning approaches and resource reallocation to maximize results.

For Vietnamese brands with quality products and compelling stories, Xiaohongshu represents not just another marketing channel, but potentially the most efficient path to establishing presence and generating qualified leads in the competitive Chinese beauty market. With appropriate expertise and strategic approach, the platform offers unparalleled opportunities to connect with China’s sophisticated, digitally-native consumers.

Through Hashmeta’s integrated offering spanning consulting, marketing technology, and comprehensive ecosystem understanding, Vietnamese brands can transform Xiaohongshu from an intimidating foreign platform into a powerful engine for qualified lead generation and sustainable market growth.