- Search captures active demand; feed ads create passive interest
- Video channels build trust upfront and deepen relationships
- Test with small budgets first, then allocate by conversion cost
Introduction: It's Not About Channels, It's About Decision Paths
Since China's Private Economy Promotion Law took effect on May 20, 2025, the institutional framework for fair competition and rights protection has been gradually implemented, drawing attention to the external environment for private enterprises seeking customers. Yet rising acquisition costs and fragmented traffic entry points remain practical challenges for most private businesses. Search ads, feed ads, and video channels are often compared side by side, with the question: which one should we invest in? The question itself is misleading—the three tools serve different decision scenarios.
A better question: when your customers develop a need, do they open a search box, get triggered while scrolling content, or receive a recommendation through a trusted relationship chain? The answer determines channel priority.
Search Advertising: Capturing Demand That Already Exists
Search advertising is essentially demand interception. When users enter keywords, intent is relatively clear, and advertisers compete for attention at the end of the decision journey. Its strengths are short conversion paths and attributable results; its weakness is that it only reaches people with existing awareness, and keyword bidding pushes up costs.
Businesses suited to search advertising typically share three traits: the product or category is already widely searched, the ticket size is high enough to invite comparison, and the decision cycle is under a month. If customers don't even know what your category is called, search advertising has no foundation. Before investing, review search term reports to confirm real demand, then test click costs and inquiry conversion with a small budget rather than bidding on broad terms from day one.
Feed Advertising: Triggering Interest Through Content Consumption
Feed advertising works through interest stimulation. Users aren't actively looking for you; platforms push content based on tags. It suits market education for new categories, products with visual impact, and breaking complex selling points into scenario-based short content.
The challenge is creative iteration. Any given asset decays quickly, so teams need continuous production and rapid testing capability. For private enterprises, depth in a narrow audience beats broad exposure: run multiple small-budget creatives to find a reusable content model, then scale gradually. Feed ads don't build trust—they build awareness. Landing pages and sales follow-up must be designed in parallel.
Video Channels: Putting Trust Before the Transaction
The value of video channels lies not in traffic volume but in relationship chains and trust built ahead of the sale. Users arrive through likes from acquaintances and community shares, which carry an inherent layer of trust. For businesses requiring long-term service, repeat purchase, or referrals, video channels are better for building trust assets than generating immediate leads.
The key is consistent professional content, allowing prospects to have multiple light touches before purchase. Results are slow, but accumulated followers and private-domain relationships are more resilient to traffic fluctuations. If you already have physical stores, customer communities, or industry reputation, video channels act as an amplifier; starting from zero, they shouldn't be your only acquisition channel.
Conclusion: Test in Parallel, Then Allocate
The three channels correspond to three decision paths—none is inherently superior. The pragmatic approach: use search ads to verify demand exists, feed ads to test whether content can spark interest, and video channels to accumulate trust and repeat business. Set a minimum viable budget and clear observation metrics for each, run a full cycle, then allocate resources by conversion cost. Customer acquisition isn't about picking sides—it's about placing limited budget where customers actually travel.