How Western Companies Use Weibo to Seize Market Opportunities in China

It might seem like Twitter, Instagram and Facebook are the main markets to conquer, but they are not. To take your brand to the marketplace, you need to go to China, and that means understanding strategies to use the Chinese microblogging equivalents such as Weibo. Yes, Western companies can use Weibo marketing to seize market opportunities in China. It just takes a slight adjustment in thinking.

What is Weibo Marketing?

Weibo is one of the most popular social media platforms in China, with over 431 million users per month, and over 90% of the Chinese market. Twitter and Facebook can’t even compare in numbers in the North American market, and neither are widely, or legally, used in China. In fact, Weibo’s numbers are staggering, and this social media platform is a powerful advertising tool for those who know how to use it.

Understand the thinking

On the one hand, it does work the same way as other platforms. Just set up an account and have it verified, in the same way you would on Twitter, and you are good to go, but there are differences to Weibo Marketing. Weibo can easily make use of threading and photos and videos in one micropost, and Chinese users are not as irritated by ads and branding as North American customers can be. A Weibo user is more likely to click on an ad, especially if there are hashtags promising something — whether it is a useful tip, or the possibility of winning something.

Appeal to emotion

One of the major attractions in Weibo Marketing is the appeal to emotion and the quality of the posts. Celebrities and sports figures are a big draw and association with them can really help build up your brand. Using emojis, videos and photographs are big with Weibo users, encouraging engagement and keeping the post relevant for a considerable time period.

Weibo Marketing is different

In order to build up your posts on Weibo it is essential to understand that advertising on Weibo is not exactly like advertising on Twitter in anyway. It focuses its efforts on marketing strategies in four ways. Use the tools that it offers, such as Fan Headlines, the Fan Tunnel, banner headlines, and the specific campaigns that focus on eliciting KOLs (Key Opinion Leaders) to help promote your campaign.

You can’t learn everything you need to know about Weibo Marketing this easily. One thing that is essential in all marketing campaigns is to know your audience and if you are not completely sure that you understand the Chinese consumer, and know which celebrities are hot and which are not, then the best way to gain access into the Chinese market through Weibo Marketing is to work with a marketing firm who does know.

There is no doubt, however, that having a presence in the tricky Chinese market is essential for any western company, but the social media scene there isn’t easy to navigate through without a strong understanding of China and its rules and customs. An experienced and dedicated marketing firm, like Westwin has the expertise you need to get ahead in China.