Social Media Marketing in Vietnam in 2020s: The Guide Book of Secrets.

The world in 2020s starts with a “new normal” fighting against Covid-19. Though Vietnam is on the winning side, making it even more lucrative, foreign brands and investors can’t turn a blind eye to latent disruptions to how this blooming market behaves in the global chaos.
Undoubtedly, the pandemic accelerates the ever-present groundswell of support to online adoption. Social media marketing has turned from a common tool to an indispensable edge for businesses to mark their influence in Vietnam market.
65/68 millions Internet users own at least one social media account.

Survey the Social Media Strategic Map in Vietnam

A Dynamic Look at Vietnam Social Media Map

The Digital 2020 report of We are Social and Hootsuite provides a clear view of how Vietnam’s social media market looks from an eagle eye.

With the Internet penetration rate standing at 70% of the population (more than 68 million users) and 65 million active social media users on the rise (roughly 9.6% increase yearly).

Deloitte’s 2020 Vietnam Consumer Survey also shares the point, stating “social media is serious business”.

However, with the pandemic outbreak in Q1, 2020, the landscape of social media marketing in Vietnam has observed a shift: an increase on time on social media, an explosion in the number of online sales and continued digital adoption.

With health authorities publishing official information via social media channels, there is no doubt that the rate of social media penetration will accelerate even more than expected.

Social media marketing in vietnam

A Sharp Look at Vietnamese Social Media Users

The year 2020 brings about changes in the habits and preferences of Internet users and consumers all over the world, and Vietnam is not an exception.

With health authorities publishing official information via social media channels, there is no doubt that the rate of social media penetration will accelerate even more than expected.

The year 2020 brings about changes in the habits and preferences of Internet users and consumers all over the world, and Vietnam is not an exception.

Twitter marketing vietnam

An Informed Look at Vietnam Social Media Landscape in Future

Researches have shown a rise in importance of global social media marketing after the Covid-19 outbreak. With minimum impact from the pandemic, Vietnam market is without a doubt an even more worthy venture for any foreign brands and investors looking to expand their influence and reap bountiful rewards.

With a compliant population mostly adhering to health care instructions from authorities, Vietnamese consumers are considered more resilient than other countries’, with some noteworthy trends:

Not just photos, videos and music… text has its own charms

The total daily time spent on media in general and social media in specific does not differ much from 2020 to 2021, but Vietnamese Internet users start reading press media (both online and physical print) more, increased by nearly 2 hours a day.

Social media as a main source to research brands

While the habit of searching anything on Google is still deep-rooted in Vietnamese behaviors, more than 60% of Internet users now consider social media a reliable source to research brands before making purchase decisions.

Age doesn’t limit tech-savviness

The pandemic has pushed the whole population through a permanent change: they pay much more attention to news, and unfortunately, rumours. Deloitte’s survey published in 2021 showed an increase in social media uses for all age groups, including senior citizens who may not show as much interest in this news channel before.

Different groups, different platforms

Though most Internet users own more than one social media account, they don’t spend equal quality time on all of them. For example, Generation Z prefers snappy pieces of news in the form of photos and short clips, so they prioritize Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
On the other hand, Baby Boomers spend more time on the ever-popular platform – Facebook, and the local giant – Zalo.

Spend less, but smarter

According to the survey of Neilsen, in Q1, 2020, “Vietnamese consumers have significantly reduced spending their spare cash” in preparation for unpredicted events. This may be seen as challenging for social media strategists in capturing more viewers with their unique content.
And while Internet users may brand ads on social media platforms as untrustworthy or even downright scam, they do listen to online influencers who they trust.

Researches have shown a rise in importance of global social media marketing after the Covid-19 outbreak. With minimum impact from the pandemic, Vietnam market is without a doubt an even more worthy venture for any foreign brands and investors looking to expand their influence and reap bountiful rewards.

With uncertainties around the corner, the right social media strategies, deep focus on customer interaction, dedication to create optimal online experience and the ability to go with the flow will help your business flourish where others struggle.
There is no better time to invest more in social media marketing in Vietnam to make a difference.

Instagram marketing vietnam

Eye on Vietnam’s Top Social Media Platforms

One common mistake for foreign brands when expanding to Vietnam is applying foreign trends and methods to this unique market. While Twitter secures their place in the most common social media platform list in the US and WeChat tops the board in China, Vietnam’s favorites differ.
The rankings haven’t changed much during the first year of Covid outbreak. And it’s worth noting that not all of these top 10 social media platforms are the best choices for businesses, especially foreign brands looking to build their base in Vietnam.
We will focus on those with higher opportunities to do business, including brand awareness, advertising and lead nurturing.

Facebook – The winner of all games

As of January, 2021, Vietnam has 68 million Facebookers, taking up the 7th place in the list of countries with the highest number of Facebook users. It’s hard to imagine a social media user in Vietnam without a Facebook account.
Being the most commonly used platform in Vietnam, Facebook provides both opportunities and challenges for newcomers. Therefore, to do Facebook marketing successfully in Vietnam, precise targeting, careful planning and efficient implementation are without a question.

Zalo – The local gate for global penetration

During the pandemic outbreak, Zalo is one of the official communication channels used by the government to announce confirmed healthcare information, resulting in a boost in its usage time and reach.

With uncertainties around the corner, the right social media strategies, deep focus on customer interaction, dedication to create optimal online experience and the ability to go with the flow will help your business flourish where others struggle.
There is no better time to invest more in social media marketing in Vietnam to make a difference.

One common mistake for foreign brands when expanding to Vietnam is applying foreign trends and methods to this unique market. While Twitter secures their place in the most common social media platform list in the US and WeChat tops the board in China, Vietnam’s favorites differ.
The rankings haven’t changed much during the first year of Covid outbreak. And it’s worth noting that not all of these top 10 social media platforms are the best choices for businesses, especially foreign brands looking to build their base in Vietnam.
We will focus on those with higher opportunities to do business, including brand awareness, advertising and lead nurturing.

As of January, 2021, Vietnam has 68 million Facebookers, taking up the 7th place in the list of countries with the highest number of Facebook users. It’s hard to imagine a social media user in Vietnam without a Facebook account.

Being the most commonly used platform in Vietnam, Facebook provides both opportunities and challenges for newcomers. Therefore, to do Facebook marketing successfully in Vietnam, precise targeting, careful planning and efficient implementation are without a question.Instagram marketing vietnam

Instagram – Where visuals become leads

Instagram, the favourite playground for influencer marketing, is usually the choice to go for advertising and e-commerce due to its emphasis on visuals. One of the main goals for Instagram marketing in Vietnam is to create brand awareness via impressive product shots.

There are nearly 10 million Vietnamese users on Instagram, with Millennials taking up the largest portion. So if you want to do Instagram marketing in Vietnam, you know which age group to do research about.

Twitter – The door for East-West handshakes

With 1.25 million Vietnamese users as of January 2021, Twitter doesn’t even come close to compare with other giants like Facebook and Zalo. However, the number of users is increasing steadily over years, making this a helpful platform for companies in various industries to quickly share (or “tweet”) company updates and positive customer reviews.
Twitter marketing in Vietnam requires a different approach, since this platform doesn’t work like others which are already popular to Vietnamese.

LinkedIn –The ultimate weapon in B2B

LinkedIn didn’t win a high place in the top 10 list, but partly because it is mainly for B2B interactions and business development. The main audience for LinkedIn consists of Baby Boomers, Generation X and Millennials – those with higher purchasing power and inclination to research more information before making the final decision.

When you do LinkedIn marketing in Vietnam, quality text content or keywords is one of the most important factors, followed by engaging media content.

Runner-ups

For video marketing, YouTube and TikTok are considered the most popular, with the former for long-form video and the latter for short, repetitive clips. YouTube has gained more attention since it provides more monetization opportunities for users, while TikTok prizes creativity and entertainment.
Video content also takes more effort to create and more backend tasks like SEO, so foreign brands who want to explore this path need to take into account the increased resources and time to prepare.
No matter which platforms you decide to invest on, researches on local users’ habits and preferences can’t be ignored. A Vietnam-based agency can help you reach the most informed and logical decision of which platforms yield the highest ROI for your unique brands and products/services.

Edge your Social Media Weapons to Cut Through the Noise

Answer 5 big questions to make your social media strategy the unrivaled sword to pave your way to the top.

WHO to target?

The first step to prepare for your social media battle is to define your target audience, in other words, your buyer personas. It’s not enough to do online research. You need to really go out and learn about your future customers.

If this is a new market for you, don’t hesitate to reach out for a local agency with insider knowledge and first-hand experience. If Vietnam is your target this time, make a deep dive first into the market through our local eyes.

WHICH platforms or WHERE to post?

Your well-researched and detailed buyer persons will help you answer this question. Generally, targeting more than one platform will increase reach and conversion, but posting on the “wrong” platform (where most users are not interested or even disturbed by your content) may even undo your effort.

Since Zalo is made for Vietnamese, you need a dedicated local guide – an expert local agency – to navigate through this forest and reach the harvest field.
The Dong index will then gradually increase in the coming years. This strategy is previously employed by China and Japan.

Instagram, the favourite playground for influencer marketing, is usually the choice to go for advertising and e-commerce due to its emphasis on visuals. One of the main goals for Instagram marketing in Vietnam is to create brand awareness via impressive product shots.

There are nearly 10 million Vietnamese users on Instagram, with Millennials taking up the largest portion. So if you want to do Instagram marketing in Vietnam, you know which age group to do research about.

With 1.25 million Vietnamese users as of January 2021, Twitter doesn’t even come close to compare with other giants like Facebook and Zalo. However, the number of users is increasing steadily over years, making this a helpful platform for companies in various industries to quickly share (or “tweet”) company updates and positive customer reviews.
Twitter marketing in Vietnam requires a different approach, since this platform doesn’t work like others which are already popular to Vietnamese.

LinkedIn didn’t win a high place in the top 10 list, but partly because it is mainly for B2B interactions and business development. The main audience for LinkedIn consists of Baby Boomers, Generation X and Millennials – those with higher purchasing power and inclination to research more information before making the final decision.

When you do LinkedIn marketing in Vietnam, quality text content or keywords is one of the most important factors, followed by engaging media content.

For video marketing, YouTube and TikTok are considered the most popular, with the former for long-form video and the latter for short, repetitive clips. YouTube has gained more attention since it provides more monetization opportunities for users, while TikTok prizes creativity and entertainment.
Video content also takes more effort to create and more backend tasks like SEO, so foreign brands who want to explore this path need to take into account the increased resources and time to prepare.
No matter which platforms you decide to invest on, researches on local users’ habits and preferences can’t be ignored. A Vietnam-based agency can help you reach the most informed and logical decision of which platforms yield the highest ROI for your unique brands and products/services.

Answer 5 big questions to make your social media strategy the unrivaled sword to pave your way to the top.

The first step to prepare for your social media battle is to define your target audience, in other words, your buyer personas. It’s not enough to do online research. You need to really go out and learn about your future customers.
If this is a new market for you, don’t hesitate to reach out for a local agency with insider knowledge and first-hand experience. If Vietnam is your target this time, make a deep dive first into the market through our local eyes.

Your well-researched and detailed buyer persons will help you answer this question. Generally, targeting more than one platform will increase reach and conversion, but posting on the “wrong” platform (where most users are not interested or even disturbed by your content) may even undo your effort.

Hubspot classifies social media platforms based on their main purposes: social networking (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn), photo sharing (Instagram, Pinterest), video sharing (YouTube), Interactive Media (Tiktok) and blogging/community sharing (Reddit).

Some platforms have more impact on B2B transactions such as LinkedIn, while others prevail in brand building through personal posts, such as Facebook.

One worthy note is platforms with direct shopping features may work better for products/services with shorter buying journey, as people are more inclined to do online shopping these days.

WHAT to post?

Now is time for an effective content marketing plan to take place. Different platforms and audience groups favor different content and style. Also, different types of content requires attention to different aspects. For example, colors take up the spotlight in photos and videos, while SEO is one of the key factors in creating text content.

Some platforms have more impact on B2B transactions such as LinkedIn, while others prevail in brand building through personal posts, such as Facebook.

One worthy note is platforms with direct shopping features may work better for products/services with shorter buying journey, as people are more inclined to do online shopping these days.

It is a rule of thumb to keep all of your content consistent across platforms, but a tweak in wordings or colors may do the trick.

Facebook marketing in vietnam

WHEN to post?

When it comes to the question, “How often is enough to retain attention?”, the more doesn’t necessarily mean the better. Quality is the key, with some factors to consider:

Industry: Do you know different industries have different standards for social media frequency? This includes the features of your product/services, and your target audiences (How informed are they? How often do they want to have new content? How quick do they digest different content? How many pieces of content needed to reach the purchase decision?

Platform: Each platform has their “best” number, and it may vary depending on the local market.

Competitors: Depending on the situation, matching your posting times with your opponents may not result in the best.

Day and time: Certain groups spend time on social media differently. If you miss the “golden window”, your content may never reach your audience.

After you have agreed on the best schedule, you can use a social media tool to set up in advance the posting times.

HOW to measure success?

All in all, a comprehensive social media marketing plan for Vietnam market tailored to your company needs more than just a few quick searches. Every stage must be carried out with care and dedication by a team of local experts.

linkedin marketing in vietnam

Learn Social Media Secrets: For Foreign Businesses Entering Vietnam Market

One same recipe will not make top chefs, but secret ingredients may do wonders. For foreign businesses aiming to engrave their brands in the minds of Vietnamese consumers, there are several tips to keep in mind:

Multiple platforms is a must

Don’t send your whole army to one battlefield, making it an all-or-nothing battle, especially when your loot scatters across different platforms.

But… any platform for any product is a BIG NO

Each social media platform has certain main audience groups with distinct preferences. Throwing your content on all of them without restraint nor planning will not only waste precious resources, but can also bring about the frown of disturbed viewers.
Remember, you may have won the battle of Facebook marketing in Vietnam, but it doesn’t guarantee you success if you apply the exact social media strategies to do LinkedIn marketing.

Sing the local song

People treat in-groups very differently from out-groups, consciously or not. Once you can make your audience feel you two are on the same side, be ready to reap big rewards.

The turn-key called consistency

It’s great to have diversity… until it crosses the line of identity. If online users can’t see what’s unique about you on various platforms to distinguish you from the rest (which are usually as loud and attention-hungry), all your effort is in vain.
There are of course more secrets to bring you to the top, but they are so unique to your brand that without a deep talk with your trusted agency, they remain uncovered.
B2B digital services providers in Vietnam should keep an eye on the latest global and social trends to ensure your investment success. Also, specialize in diverse social media marketing strategies, including Influencer Marketing, Video Marketing, Content Marketing and much more.

Pack for The Start to Leap Forward

Investment in social media marketing has long ceased to be a question for forward-looking enterprises, but when the gate bars are lowered, the ground is flooded with fiery armies, menacing mercenaries and powerful troops, not to mention skeptical lions on the fence.
Online consumers are bombarded with endless content, seemingly equally attractive, and unable to make their most reasonable decisions to view, share, interact and purchase.
Amidst the chaos, the winner doesn’t need to be the first, the strongest or the most resourceful. They need to know their audience, their competitors and how to turn their unique features to unmatched edges.

All in all, a comprehensive social media marketing plan for Vietnam market tailored to your company needs more than just a few quick searches. Every stage must be carried out with care and dedication by a team of local experts.
One same recipe will not make top chefs, but secret ingredients may do wonders. For foreign businesses aiming to engrave their brands in the minds of Vietnamese consumers, there are several tips to keep in mind:

Multiple platforms is a must

Don’t send your whole army to one battlefield, making it an all-or-nothing battle, especially when your loot scatters across different platforms.

But… any platform for any product is a BIG NO

Each social media platform has certain main audience groups with distinct preferences. Throwing your content on all of them without restraint nor planning will not only waste precious resources, but can also bring about the frown of disturbed viewers.
Remember, you may have won the battle of Facebook marketing in Vietnam, but it doesn’t guarantee you success if you apply the exact social media strategies to do LinkedIn marketing.

Sing the local song

People treat in-groups very differently from out-groups, consciously or not. Once you can make your audience feel you two are on the same side, be ready to reap big rewards.

The turn-key called consistency

It’s great to have diversity… until it crosses the line of identity. If online users can’t see what’s unique about you on various platforms to distinguish you from the rest (which are usually as loud and attention-hungry), all your effort is in vain.
There are of course more secrets to bring you to the top, but they are so unique to your brand that without a deep talk with your trusted agency, they remain uncovered.
B2B digital services providers in Vietnam should keep an eye on the latest global and social trends to ensure your investment success. Also, specialize in diverse social media marketing strategies, including Influencer Marketing, Video Marketing, Content Marketing and much more.

Investment in social media marketing has long ceased to be a question for forward-looking enterprises, but when the gate bars are lowered, the ground is flooded with fiery armies, menacing mercenaries and powerful troops, not to mention skeptical lions on the fence.
Online consumers are bombarded with endless content, seemingly equally attractive, and unable to make their most reasonable decisions to view, share, interact and purchase.
Amidst the chaos, the winner doesn’t need to be the first, the strongest or the most resourceful. They need to know their audience, their competitors and how to turn their unique features to unmatched edges.

Remember, no company can win the heart of everyone, but if they can earn the trust of their target audience, their good days are just one step ahead.
There’s generally no shortcut to success, but the help from On Digitals – a local expert firm with a proven track record – can definitely make your expansion journey into the Vietnam market more pleasurable and less bumpy.
If you don’t know how to kick-start your social media marketing plan in Vietnam, or be unsure of its effectiveness and potential interruptions in the local market, On Digitals are here for you.
Remember, no company can win the heart of everyone, but if they can earn the trust of their target audience, their good days are just one step ahead.
There’s generally no shortcut to success, but the help from On Digitals – a local expert firm with a proven track record – can definitely make your expansion journey into the Vietnam market more pleasurable and less bumpy.