The efficiency of online operations will ultimately be reflected in customer acquisition costs. This article organizes a set of our methods for enterprise online operations for reference.
1. Set Goals First, Then Discuss Audience
The most common mistake in online operations is to start by choosing channels and publishing content. The correct order is to set goals first: is it to increase brand awareness, or to directly obtain inquiries and orders? Different goals lead to completely different approaches later.
Once the goals are set, then look at who you are trying to reach—age, gender, interests, and consumption habits. Only when the audience profile is complete can you select the few platforms that are truly effective from among the many.
2. Content Is Still the Core
The role of content is to make people believe that you understand their problems. Industry knowledge, product usage tips, and solutions to common problems are all more effective than self-promotional advertising.
In terms of presentation formats, images and text, video, and audio each have suitable scenarios, so there is no need to focus on only one. More important is the update rhythm—stable and regular updates both retain visitors and allow search engines to continuously crawl the website.
3. Choose the Right Channels and Focus Your Efforts Where They Matter Most
The user composition of different platforms varies greatly. Douyin gathers a younger, more entertainment-oriented crowd; WeChat covers a broader range of age groups and industries. Enterprises should choose platforms according to their own audience, rather than whichever one is popular.
Search engines are another area that cannot be neglected. We usually do two things at the same time: optimize website content and structure to improve organic rankings; and run search ads as needed to capture precise traffic at the moment keywords are searched.
For vertical industries, there is also a third type of channel—industry platforms. For example, in the automotive industry, displaying products and reputation on platforms such as Autohome and Yiche often reaches customers with clear purchase intentions.
4. Interaction Maintains Trust
Every comment and private message users leave under an enterprise account is an opportunity to build trust. Replying to inquiries promptly, taking suggestions seriously, and responding positively to negative feedback—these actions add up to determine users' impression of the brand.
In addition to passive replies, interactions can also be actively designed: Q&A, polls, lotteries, and contests. Taking it one step further is community operations: gathering users into WeChat groups and QQ groups so that users can also communicate with one another. The value of a community lies in long-term stickiness.
5. Use Data to Make Judgments
Operations cannot rely on intuition. With tools such as Baidu Tongji and Google Analytics, keeping an eye on data such as traffic sources, user behavior, and content interactions is the only way to see clearly which channel is truly effective and what type of content is truly being viewed.
Data can also expose problems in advance—for example, if a channel has high traffic but low conversion, then the problem is most likely on the landing page rather than in the channel itself. Regularly adjusting strategy based on data is the prerequisite for continuous optimization of operations.
6. Security and Compliance Are the Bottom Line
No matter how well a website is built, a single data breach is enough to destroy trust. Infrastructure such as firewalls, intrusion detection, and encrypted transmission cannot be omitted.
At the same time, the regulations involved in online operations are becoming increasingly detailed—data protection, advertising law, and e-commerce law all need to be complied with. When collecting user information, the purpose must also be clearly stated and consent obtained. This is both respect for users and protection for the enterprise itself.
Written Before 2025
None of the six things above are new concepts; what is difficult is executing them consistently over the long term. In 2025, we are willing to work with more enterprises to make these foundational actions solid.