Social Media Websites from China

3.2 billion individual accounts and counting. The info graph from above is an interesting comparison of world populations and registered users on social media websites from China. In my last post I wrote about social media marketing companies in China and now I want to talk about the importance of social media websites from China.

According to a report by McKinsey & Company, “The country has by far the world’s most active social-media population, with 91 percent of respondents saying they visited a social-media site in the previous six months, compared with 30 percent in Japan, 67 percent in the United States, and 70 percent in South Korea.” The report can be downloaded and read in its entirety on their site (link provided above).

Overview and List of Social Media Websites from China

Social Media Websites from China Trends

Before you start micro-blogging it is important to take a look at some of the trends on Chinese social media. The above info graph has been making its way around the internet and I thought I would share it with you, but it just gives an overview of the social media landscape. Here I want to give you some more resources and dig a little deeper into the continuing trends.

In a report by HP Labs titled “What Trends in Chinese Social Media” (PDF), they compare the difference between Twitter and Sina Weibo. Table 1: shows that the most retweeted topics are Fashion, Travel, and Jokes/Entertainment. Looking at the most retweeted posts and understanding what the Chinese like will greatly improve your overall strategy when setting up your social media campaign.

Problems Converting Sales

According to a report by Booz & Company Inc., tilted “Impact of Social Media in China” (PDF). 360 Buy was one of the first companies to start marketing on Weibo but they have had difficulties converting sales.

“One of the first movers, 360buy initiated its Weibo marketing in late August 2011. It added a ‘promotion’ button on its Weibo webpage which directly links to the 360buy official website where the product in question is shown already added to a shopping cart. Although 360buy has more than 1 million followers on Weibo, it has not yet seen any substantial increase in its sales volume.”

So, what is the point of using social websites from China? The best use of social media, according to CIC Business White Papers, is not to drive sales but to build customer loyalty and deal with any potential crisis.

Final thoughts on Social Media Websites from China

When we think about social media marketing in the west or in China; we have to remember that it is SOCIAL think about the friends you like best and that should help you better understand social media. Do you like the friend who is always trying to sell you something or the friend that never listens to what you have to say or the one that provides you will little or no value. Companies are competing with real friends on your Twitter feed or Sina Weibo feed, so next time, before, you post make sure that the content provides value to your intended audience.