WeChat: The Go-To App, But What About Weibo?
While WeChat dominates as the must-have app for companies, other social media platforms in China offer unique features that cater to different demographics. One standout is Sina Weibo, often dubbed as “China’s Twitter.”
What is Sina Weibo?
Sina Weibo is a popular microblogging site similar to Twitter, allowing users to post content within a 140-character limit (compared to Twitter’s 280). With 462 million monthly active users (MAU), Weibo offers a massive audience for businesses to tap into.
Key Features of Weibo:
- Supports images, videos, and GIFs in posts.
- Home to many Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) who have built large personal brands and follower bases.
- A favorite platform among China’s Generation Z for sharing and consuming information.
Why Should Marketers Consider Weibo?
Weibo stands out as one of the top social platforms for connecting with Chinese netizens. While platforms like Baidu Talk, Follow5, and Digu exist, Weibo dominates in reach and engagement.
Benefits for Marketers:
- Access to a large, active user base.
- Ability to leverage KOLs to promote brands and build credibility.
- Opportunities to creatively communicate messages through multimedia content.
READ MORE >> 5 Ways on How You Can Take Advantage of Chinese Copywriting Services
How Do Global Companies Use Weibo Marketing?
Hashtags and compelling copywriting work in Weibo marketing. But there are other things to keep in mind when you use it as a tool for marketing.
1 Display Advertisements
You can use these ads that come in different dimensions and optimized for both web and mobile views. When netizens click the ad, they are directed to the advertiser’s homepage.
To be effective, you can use keywords to increase your visibility and target specific demographics. These display ads are often visible and positioned on the search page or Weibo homepage or the user’s news feed like how Facebook ads work.
2 Collaborating with Key Opinionated Leaders
You’d be astonished as to how influencers like celebrities and artists (and even beauty and cosmetic reviews) use Weibo to make money and at the same time build their personal branding online.
As the younger generation idolizes famous celebrities, from singer Cai Xukun (蔡徐坤, a.k.a. KUN) to teenage idol Jackson Yee, global brands have to keep up with these marketing trends on how they can engage with the netizens. Billions of views on videos, viral posts or anything that could go viral, global companies can experiment and explore.
3 Promote your Brand via Weibo search engine
Last but not least, global companies can use this option if they want to target a specific market, and also they need to armed with a robust, well-planned marketing strategy and keywords.
Think of Google and the search terms. With millions of users, Weibo has already a database of buzz words or phrases.
To create an account, you need to have an email address and Chinese mobile number to be used for verification.
Is Weibo free to use?
Creating an account is free of charge. However, the verification process especially for overseas companies also require them to submit business documents and fund their account if they want to use paid marketing.
But you can always ask help from locals and social media specialists to get you started.
Let us know, and we’ll be happy to assist you with social media marketing.
