Those of you following our Facebook and Weibo pages will know that for this week’s #AskCW we asked our China VP Liya some questions about content for Chinese social media, specifically Weibo.
Chinese social media marketing can be baffling for westerners as its layout, approach and of course language is completely alien. In this video, we hope to shed some light on the best practices for marketers and encourage more questions from readers about our China media services.
This is a great opportunity for our followers to ask content and social media marketing questions and receive answers straight from our directors. In case you missed it, here are the questions answered by Liya from our fans on Twitter, Facebook and Weibo.
Contentworks Liya talks Chinese social media, bad reviews and … Durex in this week’s #AskCW! Thanks to Τζόαν Ρηκόλονς Origami Kisses and Dara Mouracadé for your questions!
Posted by Contentworks on Sunday, 30 July 2017
Contentworks Liya talks Chinese social media, bad reviews and … Durex in this week’s #AskCW! Thanks to Τζόαν Ρηκόλονς Origami Kisses and Dara Mouracadé for your questions!
Q.What is the most popular/ least popular content that marketers can add to Weibo?
There is no recipe to guarantee the popularity of your content, however, you can follow certain rules to develop your Weibo page, grow fans and build up brand awareness.
First of all, you need to establish a clear persona for your Weibo, which should align with your brand value and image. People follow your Weibo because they like its personality. The best example is Durex, which positions its Weibo as an elegant young man in a pub, a bit gentle and a bit naughty, who enjoys life and plays hard.
Then, you need to prepare content to support and strengthen that persona. You can pick up various subjects and leverage hot topics to gain attention. Your content excels if you can subtly link it with your Weibo persona. One of Durex’s most successful posts is a picture showing a man using the products as waterproof shoe covers in the pouring rain in Beijing. The post not only reflects the brand’s persona as a naughty young man, but also proves the product quality in a funny and engaging way.
It takes time to grow your Weibo page, so be persistent – post regularly, stick to your brand image and be professional when talking about your products, services and industry.
Lastly, be aware of the screening policy of Weibo because posts containing sensitive words cannot be published. So make sure your posts have nothing related to sex, faked news, politically or religiously sensitive content. The best solution is to find a Chinese marketing professional to run the Weibo for you as he or she will have the necessary local market knowledge.
Q. What can marketers do with bad reviews on Chinese forums?
Bad reviews can be a nightmare on Chinese forums, especially if you are not well versed with the local social media landscape. It is advisable to include online media monitoring in your PR crisis management strategy. Capturing negative comments and replying in a timely manner is certainly critical. Responses on social media can take a relatively casual tone, but should remain professional and transparent, focusing on the issue itself, facts and solutions.
Proactively engaging online influencers and creating new content are good ways to influence the conversation, push down the negative reviews and these will also help influence SEO, minimizing any residual negative messages.
Do you have a question for our directors? Tweet us using #AskCW or comment on our Facebook page. Loved this article? Remember to share the love on your social media networks
For enquiries about social media marketing in China, please message the team here.