Popularly called China’s Twitter, Sina Weibo is a popular social media channel in China. Though people compare it with Twitter, in practice, Weibo is a lot more in its features. Companies who want to establish their social presence in China should not miss Weibo Advertising. According to Statistics, Weibo has currently850 million users, among which 82 percent shop online. This explains the potential of Weibo and what makes it a not-to-miss source of advertising for marketers. Another main advantage of Weibo is you can reach the whole audience on the channel and not just your followers or fans. Here we present different options in Weibo advertising so that you can choose which one is best suited for you.

Fan Headlines

• What is this: Here you can promote your brand/ad/post/message through headlines. You can either opt for promoting through your brand headlines or leverage the profile of influencers or people with a huge number of followers.

• How it helps: This method works effectively because fans can share the headlines with their friends. The reach that this method offers is simply amazing.

• Works best for: Companies with huge fan followers.

• Pros and cons: Might be costly if you want to promote through influencers or if you are targeting a huge number of followers.

Targeting by Demographics

• What is this: In this Weibo advertising strategy, companies target a specific range of customers by researching their interests and habits. The attributes considered in this approach would include age, salary, hobbies, pastime, number of children, type of job and organization, role in the organization, etc.

• How it helps: This approach helps companies to target their audience seamlessly. Because the homework is done while choosing the audience demographics, the ads or your post will hit straight the targeted audience.

• Works best for: Any brand that is targeting to increase its conversion rate.

• Pros and cons: Comparatively cost-effective way to target customers and increase the conversion rate.

Fan Tunnel

• What is this: You can advertise using this strategy and the ads/post will be displayed in your target audience feed.

• How it helps: This method helps to reach more audiences than just your follower group. The ad is displayed at the top of their feed, which makes it easy for sharing with others.

• Works best for: Companies with fewer followers and want to enjoy more reach. This is one of the easiest ways to draw the attention of non-followers and turn them into your fan base.

• Pros and cons: Besides for normal brands, Fan tunnel helps for the promotion of apps in an effective way.

Display ads

• What is this: You can design ads based on selected keywords that reach your target audience effectively.

• How it helps: This strategy works to its fullest on search engines. One of the tried and tested strategies for reaching a wide audience based on a location and specified demographics.

• Works best for: Companies with a tight budget and want to promote their brand cost-effectively.

• Pros and cons: This requires a precise study of long-tail keywords and the analysis of targeted customers along with their demographics.

So, what’s next?

Digital marketing in China is a little different compared to in the Western World. Chinese search engines have strict rules for non-Chinese brands to step into the digital arena. If you are an outsider, you will need to satisfy many criteria and pass stringent regulations.

Thus, to start advertising on Weibo or any social media channels in China, for the fact, it is wise to take the guidance of a social media marketing agency in China. They will help you navigate the strict rules and Chinese documentation which may pose problems in terms of language. Also, the customer’s mindset in China is slightly different from the rest of the world. They support and trust the products or brands that their dearest friends and well-wishers share.

To capture the pulse of the audience, it is hence important to work with local agencies who know better than you. To choose a proven digital marketing agency in China, check their portfolio and the campaigns they previously succeeded in. Besides, having worked with non-Chinese brands and bringing successful results should add brownie points to the agency. Good luck with your Weibo campaign!