Weibo and it’s Status in 2021

September 20, 2021

Globally, the number of people using social networking sites is constantly rising without an end in sight. By the end of 2021, there will be over 3 billion people using social networks. And with over 2 billion monthly active users, Facebook is the most widely used social media site in the world.

 

Meanwhile, WeChat, China’s most popular social media network, has more than 1 billion monthly active users all on its own. This suggests that the app and other social media giants, in general, are used by nearly all Chinese citizens.

 

However, ever since China set up the Great Firewall of China and internet censorship, in 2008, western social media giants like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube can no longer be accessed in China. As a result, in 2009, Sina Corporation launched Sina Weibo, a microblogging site similar to Twitter and Instagram, to replace the social media giants. 

 

  • Wangyi Weibo was launched in 2010 and claimed 260 million registered users by 2012. However, Wangyi Weibo vanished by the end of 2014.
  • Later, Tencent introduced Tencent Weibo in 2010, but it failed to attract a big following. 
  • Following which, Sohu launched Sohu Weibo, but it never really took off.

 

Because of this, among all the ‘Twitter lookalikes’ that were launched after 2009, only Sina Weibo, has been around to tell the tale. With more than 300 million monthly active users since its launch, Weibo became China’s biggest social media platform after Tencent’s WeChat.

 

Despite the platform’s success since its launch, its supremacy is now being challenged by competitors like WeChat, Toutiao, Zhihu, Douyin, and others. But despite the fact that Weibo has lost some of its shine as China’s social media leader, it is still expanding rapidly, making Weibo marketing a vital tool for companies looking to expand into the country.

 

The following features on Weibo can help brands gain visibility in the China market:

  • Weibo Influencer campaigns
  • Weibo advertising
  • Weibo lottery
  • Cross-promotion
  • Organic growth

 

Despite its ups and downs, the platform is on the rise in 2021. Sina Weibo has 566 million monthly active users in the second quarter of 2021, an increase of 43 million from the previous year’s second-quarter total. The Chinese version of Twitter has quickly risen to prominence as China’s go-to micro-blogging destination.

 

In addition to text, Sina Weibo users can include photos, gifs, and videos in their posts. Weibo now allows users to post audio, video, and photo files, as well as animated gifs. Besides being able to follow friends and celebrities, users may also send and receive messages and search for information using keywords.

As for the Weibo user base, compared to WeChat, Weibo has a significantly younger base. Weibo users are quite young: 30% of them are under 20 years old and 48% are aged between 30-39 years old. This is a significant factor for the placement of your brand and products in the Chinese market. Weibo is also a very dynamic and animated site, and users expect businesses and KOLs to engage at a high level and respond quickly to their posts. Chinese users, particularly Gen Z users, frequently use Weibo to learn about new companies and promotions from major influencers in the industry.

 

In conclusion, compared to other social media platforms, Weibo has a powerful ability to connect with the younger Chinese audience. Thanks to its vast user base, user affective states and engagement rates,Weibo is still on the rise. As a result, if you are looking to grow your brand presence in China and your target audience consists vastly of Gen Z, then you need to use social media platforms like Weibo.

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What is Bilbili and Why Brands Must Consider it When targeting Gen Z

September 14, 2021

When it comes to establishing a business and grabbing the Gen-Z audience through Chinese video-sharing platforms, forums such as Douyin and Kuaishou that create short-form videos take up the majority of air. Hence, one of the fastest-growing social platforms among China’s Generation Z called the Bilibili is often overlooked.

 

What is Bibili?

Bilibili, often known as B site, is a Chinese video-sharing website where users can contribute and read “bullet” chats, which are real-time comments sent while users watch videos. Bilibili is, without a doubt, an ACG (anime, comics, and games) platform at its core and its homepage looks like any other video-sharing site on the surface, but the aesthetics are dominated by anime characters and screenshots from video games. It is because of this content that the daily active user rate has exceeded 65 million, surpassing Youku to become China’s third-largest long-video platform.

Unlike other Chinese video-sharing services such as Youku, iQiyi, and Tencent Video, Bilibili emphasises professional, user-generated material, hence earning recognition as the Chinese version of YouTube.

Users spend over 80 minutes every day on the platform, resulting in 4.7 billion monthly interactions. It also appeals to one out of every two young people in China. The platform has a highly balanced user base of 49% female and 51% male users, making it one of the most popular video platforms in the country.


Why must brands consider Bilbili?

Bilibili’s new e-commerce mini-programs debuted on the platform in April 2019. After Alibaba invested in Bilibili, it changed its online marketing strategy, focusing on e-commerce rather than user acquisition. Because of the evolving Gen-Z lifestyle, which includes online shopping as one of their most popular pleasures, it has recently become a more profitable enterprise due to which many brands are seeking to register an official Bilibili account as a means of tapping into China’s youth market.

Brands can use this platform for branding by using the “Splash Screen Ads”, which usually appear when users first open the App. Such ads were used by brands such as Swaroski to promote themselves among young Chinese audiences. Brands can also use the service to host virtual presentations and live streams.


How can brands leverage the platform?

Businesses can also use Bilibili to promote their products through its marketing platform, “Sparkle” (Huahuo), which can help with monetization by offering features like smart price recommendations, exhibiting sample work, and access to data on followers and user interaction. Another way to promote their business on Bilibili is by partnering with well-known key opinion leaders (KOLs) or key opinion consumers (KOCs) who engage with Gen Z consumers. 


How to engage with the audience on the platform?

Two of the most popular ways for brands to engage with customers on Bilibili include partnering with influencers or opening a personal account.  In both cases, it’s critical to have a good understanding of the platform and the target audience. As we all know, the majority of Bilibili users are Gen Z, who are very engaged and on the lookout for authenticity. They are savvy consumers who are well-versed in e-commerce and thus have a lot of options. To win this group, brands should work on creating their brand image and connecting it to a lifestyle, a community, a passion, or an attitude, rather than just hawking their products based on numbers.


Conclusion

Therefore, it is without a doubt that Bilibili has effectively positioned itself as a unique social video platform, with a loyal user community that is deeply involved with the creators and companies that they see as supporting the community. That’s something you won’t find on most other Chinese social media and video platforms, which is why companies should consider Bilibili as a way to reach China’s Gen-Z.

 

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WeChat Payments for Overseas Companies

September 8, 2021

WeChat, a social networking platform developed by Chinese internet giant Tencent, is the most popular platform in China, with over 1.2 billion active users. It provides a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to connect out to the Chinese people. 

While WeChat is the most popular social networking platform in the country, WeChat Pay is the most popular payment platform.  With over 900 million users a month, the payment platform with its convenient payment options have driven China to become the virtually cash-and-card-free economy it is today.

WeChat has recently brought together a number of essential features, including a game platform, a bank, and even a food delivery and thrift shopping gateway. As a result, it has become a must-have tool for foreign businesses looking to expand in the world’s most populous country. WeChat is not just a significant social tool for Chinese users, but it is also at the core of commercial corporate operations in China, making it the best and only opportunity for foreign companies wishing to establish a business in the country.

With 1.21 billion monthly active WeChat users worldwide and a +7 million quarter-over-quarter increase in global monthly active users, there is no doubt that WeChat and WeChat Pay are the most essential platforms for any foreign company looking to establish a presence in China and gain broad access to one of the world’s largest markets.

In order to get started on the process, you’ll first need a WeChat official account. Then, using your WeChat Official Account login information you can set up your WeChat Pay. As with Facebook pages, these are official WeChat brand accounts.

Setting up WeChat Pay is pretty straightforward if you already have a WeChat Official Account. If you don’t, you’ll need to create one. Here are some options on how an overseas business can set up WeChat Pay to conquer the Chinese audience.

1. Establish using Tencent directly

Through Tencent’s WeChat Pay website, businesses can easily set up WeChat Pay. Their Tencent’s bank account will transfer any money you receive immediately to your company’s account.

Setting up your WeChat Pay account directly with Tencent normally takes 2-4 months. Currently, there are limited refund alternatives, and you can only offer one if that day’s inbound transactions are larger than the refund amount. WeChat Pay will collect a 1-2% commission on all transactions.

2. Establish using Tencent-authorized WeChat Pay distributors

With the support of authorised payment agencies, WeChat Pay has worked with brands in different countries to enable them to set up cross-border payments.

Setting up your WeChat Pay through an authorized WeChat partner normally takes 1-2 weeks. Currently, there are flexible refund options; most orders placed within the past month can be refunded. To the WeChat Pay rate/transaction the service provider will add a minor surcharge of 2-3%.

Irrespective of which option you choose to set up your account, there are several documents you must provide:

  • Companies registration certification
  • All directors’ identification documentation
  • Financial license
  • Anti-money laundering agreement
  • Primary business contacts and legal representatives


Therefore, WeChat Pay is an essential medium for seamless selling of products and conducting business with a Chinese audience. It connects global businesses with Chinese consumers, allowing them to pay for transactions with overseas vendors in RMB.

Furthermore, because WeChat Pay can be linked to a WeChat Official Account, you can increase your brand awareness by creating a WeChat Official Account and encouraging your WeChat Pay users to follow and interact with it.

 

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How Brands Can Get Started With WeChat CRM

November 10, 2020

With China becoming a bigger and bigger opportunity for brands by the day, more and more companies gear towards tapping that market, which means bigger competition. Therefore, brands need to deliver experiences that create authentic customer value. They want continuous growth but they forget to utilise the tools that can help them achieve that goal. In order to achieve the best ROI direct engagement and interaction, they need good social CRM.

 💼Why should brands use CRM Integrations on WeChat and how about Salesforce? [UPDATED 2022]

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[UPDATE] WeChat Testing a New e-Commerce Mini Program Feature

July 21, 2020

As its push into e-commerce accelerates, WeChat rolls out a new mini program feature called ‘WeStore’.

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[UPDATE] WeChat Launches Plan to Stimulate Retail Growth

June 25, 2020

Chinese social-media and mobile-payment app WeChat is aiming to boost the recovery of the retail industry and has already introduced measures for it.

The firm’s Wechat Retail Growth Plan can help global businesses and brands better understand and use WeChat’s tools and functions for faster resolution of challenges created by COVID-19.

“The plan uses several recent services launched by WeChat, including WeChat Live for businesses – which allows them to interact with customers and generate sales via live streaming – and WeChat Work 3.0, which has become a key platform for remote working during the pandemic, connecting enterprises with customers.”

WeChat’s key services promoted by the growth plan also include a 1 on 1 Consultant, allowing retailers to tap into existing user bases and manage fans. Retailers can also initiate direct conversations with followers. The plan also includes WeChat Pay, which has encouraged cross-border e-commerce, local orders and scan-and-go self-service during the pandemic.

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What Is WeChat’s “Time Capsule”?

March 26, 2020

With hundreds of features already on deck, there’s one which is quite in talks: the Time Capsule. This feature is similar to Snapchat’s main feature of disappearing messages. It allows users to post videos and other rich media on the platform for a period of 24 hours, after which it vanishes.

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WeChat Rolls Out Paywall Feature for Official Accounts

March 19, 2020

WeChat has been pretty clear on its position as a user-first platform since its inception. Recently, it announced that it’s testing a new feature which allows users to add paywalls to their posts.

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WeChat Clashes With Tik Tok, Starts Testing Short Video Feature

March 13, 2020

Because of the insane traffic on the platform, Tencent’s WeChat always keeps planning to make its user interface better and up to the latest standards for its users. The development team at Tencent has started testing the short video feature on their platform that will make them a direct competitor to ByteDance’s Tik Tok.

This feature will allow users to post videos to an audience outside of their social circle in order to boost engagement.

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WeChat and Weibo Fight Coronavirus Fake News

March 4, 2020

It’s a dark time in the world as coronavirus spreads across the globe. Majority of the infections are contained in Mainland China, the place which seems to be the origin of the virus. Amidst all the chaos, there are people who are trying to survive the catastrophe while others are trying to bring more chaos. The internet has been riddled with fake news relating to coronavirus, and it’s becoming increasingly tough to spot it out.

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