Weibo, which is owned by Sina Corp and has its headquarters in Shanghai and Beijing, is one of the most popular microblogging services in China. With around 550 million monthly active users and 241 million daily active users, the Chinese social behemoth offers enormous marketing potential to businesses interested in expanding their operations in the country.
Around 94% of Weibo users access the social media platform via mobile devices, and at least half of them make multiple visits per day. They use Weibo to get the latest news, to follow trending topics, to share information, and to interact with family, friends, and acquaintances. Additionally, they use it to shop online, to pay bills, and for banking.
At first glance, this expansive swath of users might make Weibo marketing (adstochina.westwin.com/weibo-marketing)seem like a walk in the park. However, practically speaking, they are not all going to be interested in your products and services, and you will be wasting your resources if you try to advertise to everyone. It will be more to your advantage to research different demographics and narrow down and target the users who are most likely to convert into customers.
Here is how you can get started with using Weibo marketing to further your business goals in China:
You can advertise your brand using display advertisements
These display advertisements are available in different dimensions and are adaptable for both PC and mobile viewing. When a user clicks the display, they will get directed to your website.
You can advertise your brand on a Fan Tunnel
If you have just got started on Weibo, using a Fan Tunnel will help you to build up a following on the social media platform and reach out to still more users. You can promote both stand-along posts as well as your entire account on a Fan Tunnel. The promotional content will appear in the news feed of other Weibo users. Depending on how interesting and attention-grabbing it is, the users may decide to check out your brand website and follow your Weibo account to get more news about your products and services.
You can advertise your brand with a Fan Headline
Do you already have a decent following on Weibo? In that case, you will benefit from using a Fan Headline to promote your social media posts and advertising content. The brand promotional material will show up within 24 hours not just in the newsfeed of your followers, but also in that of their connections and in that of other users who have similar interests. That way, you will be able to get more people to view your Weibo marketing content, and that, in turn, will increase your chances of expanding your following.
The Fan Headline model comes with three options to fine-tune your Weibo marketing. The most commonly used ones are the Fan Headline for Posts and the Fan Headline for Accounts options. You will find the Fan Headline for Others’ Posts useful if you have hired social media influencers for your brand advertising and want to promote their posts about your products and services.
Keep in mind that the price for using a Fan Headline will depend on the number of followers you have. The general rule of thumb is that Weibo accounts for more followers who will have to pay a higher fee.
You can advertise your brand using Weibo Search Engine Promotion
Promoting your advertising campaigns on the Weibo search engine is another effective way of marketing your brand. Weibo users commonly input targeted keywords in the search bar to look for accounts, posts, and fan pages. You can improve your chances of showing up in the search engine results by including competitive keywords in your advertising copy.
The hardest tasks of marketing are to make people aware of your brand and to convince them that they need your products and services. You will not necessarily achieve this overnight with Weibo marketing, but advertising on the platform can certainly make a significant difference in raising your brand profile. With regular exposure and interactions, your target audience will become familiar with your brand, and they will be more open to buying your products and services and even recommending them to others.