In the last post we took a look at Weibo, what it can do for your brand, and how to get the most out of it. Weibo offers a wide selection of features to help brands build their reach, and there are many ways to get the most from the platform when social media marketing in China. Let’s take a look at some more Weibo marketing tips.

Design your profile for maximum result

Like many Western social networks Weibo offers users the chance to upload a custom background and banner image as well as a profile picture. These all provide opportunities to further demonstrate your brand through Weibo marketing in China. Choose images and slogans that speak to your target market; ones that instantly show users viewing your profile for the first time what you are all about. Keep in mind that profile pictures are displayed as circles, so make sure the corners of your chosen image don’t feature important parts of the picture.

Utilise your slideshow

Weibo also offers a slideshow feature which sits underneath your banner image. It can be used to display a static picture or a carousel of images. Each item is clickable and can link to external URLs, making it a useful feature for running specific events or campaigns. Putting campaign specific images in your slider which then link to a landing page is a great way to convert your Weibo followers into web visitors and measure how well they respond to your site. Keeping an eye on your bounce rate can help you determine whether your Weibo and website demonstrate the same brand, or if there is a discrepancy in your visual identity that is putting customers off.

Create exclusivity using private messages when Weibo marketing

Private messages on Weibo have a high open rate, making them a useful tool for companies to communicate with their followers. Because PMs often get read some companies use them in the same way as direct mail (source: Search Decoder), although you should be careful of this approach as it runs the risk of spamming your users and becoming too sales-focused. Weibo marketing is about interaction and engagement, not pushing products and services.

Private messages are a useful way of running competitions, as you can protect the privacy of the winners. It also makes it easier to run giveaways and encourage engagement. You could run a campaign where one lucky follower who shares your latest update gets messaged a discount code, for example. This builds trust and intimacy with your followers.

Promote posts for maximum reach when Weibo marketing in China

Weibo offers you three paid-for ways to get your content in front of your target market: fan reach (fensitong), mini tasks (weirenwu), and fan headlines (fensi toutiao). Respectively, the three methods allow you to:

1. Push content to new users targeted by age, gender, hobbies, location, and a number of other factors
2. Pay key opinion leaders to repost your messages
3. Make a post more visible to people who already follow you

Weibo marketing as part of social media marketing in China

As you can see, Weibo is a highly versatile and popular platform. A range of tools and features help you get the most from your profile. What Weibo feature do you think is the most useful for your business?