Website branding strategy: Accurate user positioning is more important than quantity.

What are the two most indispensable types of software we use when surfing the internet? One is a browser, without which you can't browse web pages and almost nothing else. The other should be IM (instant messaging) software. All online communication with others depends on chat software. You could say that without these two things, your computer would probably only be able to play single-player games or watch movies and TV shows copied from CDs or USB drives. Just like water and electricity in your daily life, neither can be missing. Instant messaging software has changed traditional ways of communication and has been integrated into all aspects of your work, study, entertainment, and life. As two heavyweight monopolists in instant messaging, MSN and QQ, one is the pioneer of instant messaging, and the other is the leader who later dominated the absolute market in China. The current situation of the two could not be more different. Although MSN still holds a monopoly abroad, in China it is well-known but its user base has never had a qualitative leap.

On the contrary, QQ, with a more entertaining and open attitude than MSN, firmly captured the hearts of Chinese internet users, boasting hundreds of millions of users. The phenomenon of almost everyone having a QQ number might be unprecedented and unsurpassed in the internet industry. QQ and MSN follow two different brand-building paths. Even though MSN cannot compete with QQ in terms of user numbers, it still maintains a certain number of stable users. This is worth reflecting upon.

Compared to QQ, MSN has many issues: disconnection problems still exist, the two previous submarine cable fault incidents also brought negative impacts to MSN. It lacks entertainment value, has monotonous and inflexible functions, and version upgrades are overly troublesome without substantial improvements or innovations afterwards. These are the problems MSN needs to face. In comparison, QQ does much better, even business-oriented tools like Business Communicator and Sina UC, these second-tier instant messaging software, perform better than MSN. However, while MSN cannot shake QQ's status, it still has a group of loyal followers and doesn't fall behind when competing with other instant messaging software. Why is this? It should be related to MSN's brand marketing and positioning. MSN did not take the common people route, but instead targeted high-end business professionals and white-collar workers, pursuing a "bourgeois" style. Relying on brand appeal, it monopolizes specific user groups. In China, MSN does not pursue the highest brand recognition or the largest number of users, but rather the maximum effective user group. It presents a consistent brand image to the target user group, making users regard using MSN as a symbol of network life for specific groups, thus generating long-term user loyalty. Therefore, no matter how frequent the MSN blunders are, and how low the netizen recognition becomes, the user group that MSN targets remains very stable.

From MSN's case, we can see that website brand building is equally important. Today's internet is dominated by niche markets. Large industries have gradually become saturated and competitive, and niche markets are becoming increasingly valued. Compared to before, grassroots webmasters have more opportunities in niche markets, and capturing user needs in niche markets is crucial. Accurate user positioning is the key to grasping niche markets. Instead of seeking a massive user base, focus on accurately targeting user groups, grasp user needs, and control user loyalty. Like Starbucks, it targets white-collar workers, small bourgeoisie, mid-to-high-end customers. Although it does not have a large user base, Starbucks focuses on brands and monopolies, controlling mid-to-high-end users. For others to enter this market is difficult. Webmasters are the same; whether you run an industry site or a local site, you must make the user positioning as detailed and precise as possible. If you capture high-end users, you can earn high prices through high-quality services and products to compensate for the lack of user numbers. If you capture low-end users, you can attract a large number of users with practical and cheap services and products to offset the shortcomings caused by low profits. In short, accurate user positioning is more important than quantity. At the same time, while building the brand, ensure the website's substantive content, improve services and products, combining internal and external efforts.