Weibo is one of the biggest social media platforms in China. It is like a combination of Twitter and Facebook in the microblogging format. According to DMR, there are 497 million active users on Weibo which is why Weibo advertising (adstochina.westwin.com/weibo-advertising) could do wonders for your business if you are looking to market your products or services in China.

Building a brand and gaining popularity with Chinese users is not easy but Weibo provides great engagement opportunities for your ads. You can build a loyal following, promote your business and engage directly with a large and active community of potential consumers with powerful targeting capabilities based on age, demographics, and interests. Where Weibo scores over its western counterparts like Facebook and Instagram is that users are not unwilling to expose themselves to social media advertising. They are highly engaged and like, comment, and even share your ads with their peers. There are four types of advertising options available on Weibo.

Display Ads

Display ads are traditional but still effective. When a user clicks on your display ad, that person is taken to your website. This method is the best way to enhance website traffic. Moreover, there is a chance that the visitors get converted into customers.

Display ads are optimized both for the web as well as mobile versions which is a good thing because 90% of Weibo traffic comes from mobile users. The price of the display ad in Weibo will depend on the overall size of the ad, the keywords and the page where you want to place the ad.

Display ads are generally placed on the search page in the discover section on the Weibo homepage as well as on the side of a user’s news feeds just like Facebook ads.

Fan Headline

This Weibo advertising method focuses on targeting your existing follower base and their connections. The post or account will appear at the top of their news feed. There is a probability that the content will be re-shared; an activity 65% of Weibo users do on a daily basis.

A fan headline also helps you target your audience based on areas of interest and industries. For example, if you wish to promote a post on sports, then the fan headline will select users who follow sports news.

Fan Tunnel

Fan tunnels are the best forms of Weibo advertising for reaching new consumers and followers. You can use this to promote a specific post or your account. It functions much like a fan headline that appears at the top of a user’s news feed.

Since fan tunnels don’t just focus on existing followers but the entire Weibo community, it is very effective if you are looking to build a large following. With this, you can target users based on age, gender, demographics, interests, and even device types.

Search Engine Promotion

Weibo has a built-in search engine that allows browsing of posts, accounts and fan pages. You can push your account and make it appear in the first part of the search engine result page based on targeted keyword searches from users. To make this possible you will have to tune your account with the algorithms of the search engine. The content created by you will need to have relevant keywords and keyphrases.

Positioning your Brand with Weibo Advertising

● Make an official account designed to promote your brand on the platform

● Come up with the perfect content strategy to engage your new target audience. Work on creating interesting posts and blogs, touching upon various topics to generate engagement. Ensure that it includes rich media content such as videos, pictures, gifs, etc

● Respond to comments, post regularly with fresh, updated content and commit to growing your brand

● Buy an onsite advertising campaign to really boost your brand visibility

Conclusion

One of the major benefits of advertising on Weibo is that it offers high returns on investments. To create the same impact through other marketing efforts, you have to invest a huge amount whereas Weibo advertising can do the same at a very low cost. Also, you can reach out to customers all over China. So, If you are a foreign company looking to find a footing in China, you have to be on Weibo.