WeChat is a one-app-that-does-it-all app. It is China’s most important digital platform. So, is there any need for marketing on Weibo? What makes Sina Weibo marketing interesting & indispensable to businesses in China?

Although Weibo may not have as many users as WeChat, it does has 230 million daily users (not a small numer at all!) These users flood to the comments section to engage & interact. As a result, Weibo provides an excellent platform for customer communication.

Let’s look at how to successfully market your business, once your Weibo account is up and running.

How Weibo Is Used In China

Weibo is mostly utilized in China for trend spotting and entertainment. In general, it caters to those that enjoy following well-known celebrities and influencers.

It is also a source of news updates and, more significantly, a platform for freely discussing social concerns online.

Weibo, like Twitter, began with a 140-character limit. However, the word count was doubled to 2,000, and the opportunity to include multimedia elements was added (e.g. photos, videos, gifs). Furthermore, individuals can easily create their own accounts. Individuals and businesses will also have to go through a verification process in order to receive an orange or blue ‘V’ badge.

Chinese users seek out engaging content, which is in line with Weibo’s very nature as a content platform. Consumption of multimedia information, in particular, has grown steadily over the years. Short videos, e-commerce integration, live streaming, and Weibo Stories all contributed to this.

Sina Weibo Marketing – 15 Do’s and Don’ts

The most obvious way to get a new account up and running is to invest in social advertising. Aside from the overall organic plan, here are 15 important points to implement:

1, Do some thorough research to learn what your competition is up to. Track your competition with a social media listening tool like Panda Metrics.

2. Create a concise brand style guide for both Western and Chinese social media platforms. Will you stick with your current writing style or try something new? Remember to keep your intended audience in mind. Do you want to stick to company updates and news, or do you want to present a more fun/entertaining style?

3 Will you create original stuff for your Weibo account? Is there any English-language content that you could localize? We also recommend repurposing content you develop for other Chinese platforms.

4 Don’t forget to examine your available visual and video content. Weibo is not the best location to post ‘official’ videos. Make certain that you can hold your audience’s attention and entertain them.

5. Don’t be inconsistent in the style you select. It’s fine to experiment with a few, but make sure your followers can count on your overall aesthetic. So, if your posts might be quickly reposted to a Baike (wiki) page, you should reconsider your strategy. Opting for a more chatty demeanor works, but remember that Weibo users are quick to unfollow accounts with which they disagree

6. Make a posting schedule that is consistent, part of your Sina Weibo marketing. Evening articles are frequently more successful, but the ideal strategy is to A/B test different times of day.

7. Don’t limit yourself to the bare minimum of ten posts per month – that is mandatory. On Weibo, it’s normal to see at least three original posts per day. However, we recommend limiting it to one per day.

8. Don’t be overly repetitive and monotonous. It is acceptable to reuse content every three months. You can repost common content such as company/university information or product/program data.  

9. Don’t be shy. Aside from fresh updates, make a point of reposting content from others. It’s easier if people are already talking about you and tagging your account, but you should also actively seek out posts to engage with.

10. Weibo is based on ‘trending’ topics and queries, also known as hashtags. So, keep an eye on the trends and use them to your advantage. If the topic isn’t appropriate, let it go. This is the simplest tool in your Sina Weibo marketing toolbox to increase exposure.

11. Don’t forget to share your Weibo account on your website as well. Sharing Weibo’s logo on certain Chinese platforms will result in your account being blocked. You can’t even mention Weibo on some platforms (like as Douyin). Instead use an abbreviation like ‘Wb’.

12 Organize online contests to gain more exposure. In order to win a gift, encourage users to like and comment on posts. Use social advertisements to boost these posts. The goal is to boost the number of interactions. 

13 If you are physically present in China, take advantage of Weibo’s localization function, as many users browse local posts on a daily basis.

14 To develop a connection, much alone conduct a successful marketing or advertising campaign, you must truly comprehend your prospects’ circumstances and way of life. Only someone on the ground can understand what’s going on, how your target market thinks, makes decisions, and other aspects specific to their situation.

15 You may manage updates and interactions directly on Weibo, or you can integrate your account with an external CMS (content management system)

Forge a long-lasting customer relationship with your audience on Weibo, via Digital Crew. Get in touch with us today to figure out the best approach for your business on this platform.