iwom - microblog china 2011

IWOM WATCH ISSUE Special© 2010 CIC IWOM WATCH

2011

IWOM WATCH

网论观察

© 2010 CIC© 2010 CIC

微博专刊

网络口碑趋势观察1月特辑

Special Edition: Microblog

IWOM WATCH

Special

IWOM WATCH ISSUE Special

IWOM WATCHCONTENTS

Microblog Landscape

PAGE.4

Microblog Development in China

PAGE.18

Build Weibo Brand Culture - Louis Vuitton and BananaFish BookStore

SINA Weibo Case

Study Sharing

PAGE.16

Interactive Microblog Marketing – Vancl Copy & Auto IWOM Applications

PAGE.20

7 Key Elements of Meituan’s Microblog Campaign

PAGE.22

Parents’ Use of Baby Weibo

PAGE.14

Get your iPad back from China Eastern Airlines in just over an hour

18 Tips on Managing

Your Brand Account

PAGE.24

There is no "right way" to market. Brands and

organizations need to keep finding new and creative

means of microblog marketing depending on brand

positioning and purpose. There are some basic rules

though and here we’ve provided 18 tips for reference


IWOM WATCHEXECUTIVE SUMMARYMicroblog Special Edition

The microblog is a specialized social media platform that constrains users within a concise, 140 character limit.

Originating with the launch of Twitter back in 2006, which was itself an evolution of RSS aggregator Odeo, the microblog

medium was emerging in China as early as 2007 as a series of Twitter clones. In August of 2009, Chinese Internet giant

Sina.com introduced SINA Weibo and set the stage for a new evolution of the microblog in China.

From BBS, SNS and conventional blogging, to the global embracing of the microblog, Web2.0 applications have provided

a steady stream of new ideas and communication concepts to engage and connect people, both online and offline. Some

form of self-published social media is now common practice and the increasing popularity of microblogging looks set to

usher in a new era of expression and development self-made, user generated digital media.

Within 140 characters, users can share heart felt emotion or the hottest news, their private lives or work experience. It’s

also a good platform for brands to communicate product, industry and corporate operational information. The microblog, at

once a seemingly fractured yet innately cohesive information source, is fast becoming an important platform for

conversation between brands and users.

In this special issue of IWOM Watch, we’ll examine Chinese microblog development, history and brand application, based

on solid data and detailed industry analysis, culminating in an 18 tip guide on best practice when managing your branded

microblog account.


IWOM WATCH

Microblog Development in China

Vol.1

IWOM WATCH ISSUE Special 5

2006 2007 2008 2010年

21st MAR Odeo

Twitter’s

predecesor

15th JUL Twitter

Twitter was a

prototype born

within Odeo

14th APR Jiwai

China’s first

microblog

12th MAY Fanfou

9th JUL Zhuosha

2007 1st wave of

microblogs emerged

12th MAY Plurk

Initiation Stage

8th FEB

22nd MAY

6th AUG

16th AUG

28th AUG

14th DEC

22nd DEC

Digu

9911

Follow 5

139

Sina

Sohu

People.com.cn

2009 2nd wave of

microblogs emerged Development Stage

2009

20th JAN

1st APR

NetEase

Tencent

China Microblog History

The first wave of pioneering

microblogs, launched in 2007,

generally failed due to complicated

industry challenges. The second

wave, spearheaded by SINA Weibo,

emerged in 2009. Since Tencent

launched its microlbog in 2010,

we’ve seen strong industry

competition.

Source：Information collected from Zhihu.com，CIC Research Team

China Microblog History


Registered Users Active Users Tweets/Day Words LimitsBrand

Accounts

Sina Weibo 100 million - 25 million 140 Chinese characters >5000

Tencent Weibo 100 million - - 140 Chinese characters <300

NetEase Weibo 32 million 4.3 million 1.2 million 163 letters -

Sohu Weibo 20-30 million - - Unlimited <100

Sina Weibo Tencent Weibo NetEase Weibo Sohu Weibo

No.1 Yao Chen 7,452,554 Liu Xiang 14,645,392 Ye Zi Feng 1,632,321 Liu Ye 2,666,144

No.2 Xiao S 6,52,732 Kai-Fu Lee 14,225,521 Liu XiaoQing1,503,088 Zhang ChaoYang 2,034,719

No.3 Zhao Wei 6,027,141 Mo WenWei 14,215,355 Hu Jun 1,483,347 Liu YiFei 1,975,869

No.4 Cai KangYong 5,865,495 Ma YiLi 14,099,693 Yi NengJing 1,441,911 Cui YongYuan 1,236,463

No.5 Xie Na 5,305,830 Cai KangYong 13,690,456 Yang Lan 1,357,016 Zhao BenShan 1,070,882

User data of China’s top 4 microblogs

Source：CIC Research Team

Top 5 accounts ranked by followers (Data until 12 Apr 2011)

China Top Microblogs Rankings


140 characters

Main body is limited

to 140 characters,

demanding precise

and clear execution.

Comment

Making comment as you

would with a conventional

blog is a unique quality of

Chinese microblogs.

@ Retweet

Another innovation in

Chinese microblogging is

the ability to integrate a

comment with a retweet,

with out sacrificing

original content.

#Customized Topics#

By adding double hash

tags, a user can create

custom topics that can

be tracked and easy

accessed in searches

for similar topics.

Direct Messaging (DM)

DM is the private part of

a microblog’s open

platform. Users can

communicate via chat-

like private messaging.

Emoticons Embedded multi-media

What the Chinese microblog has that Twitter doesn’t?

Built in IM

The microblog, unlike a traditional blog, is obviously limited by content volume. However, also differs in terms of structure, spread

pattern and social communication model. So, what is a microblog and what are the key points of difference when compared to

other social media platforms?

Follow

Following another user is

doesn’t require reciprocal

confirmation; an openness

not offered by SNS.

Adding emoticons, photos,

video, voting and the soon to

be launched IM feature are key

areas that differentiate the

Chinese microblog from Twitter.


What is Chinese Microblog


Customized Contents – In addition to 140

characters, links, photos and videos can be added

for richer, more in-depth content customization.

LV City Guide - Through photo,

video and text, LV’s luxury culture

is presented in a single Tweet.

Easy Viral Effect – Through retweeting of an

original message with new comments and fresh

perspectives, conversations can grow naturally

and cohesively, allowing a brand to maintain a

relationship with their followers.

@奔驰Smart Retweeting of

Kobe’s Smart Car ad spread the

original content 10241 times.

Friend-of-Friend Effect –

With the more involved retweeting feature of

Chinese microblogs, brands can allow followers

to retweet their brand messages and recommend

to their own followers, effectively boosting

credibility and brand loyalty. Quite simply,

consumers believe in their friends more than in

advertisements.

@姚晨 Retweeting a friend’s tweet of a photo

showing her with Karl, itself retweeted 4286 times.

Microblog vs Traditional

Media

Microblogging is all about

real time sharing of key

elements of content, to the

right audience and in a

timely, flexible manner;

something that traditional

media’s prolonged

planning processes simply

will not allow.

Real-Time & Flexible Communication – It takes

only a short time to plan and execute via microblog.

So, brands can interact with followers in their most

active time periods, becoming deeper involved with

consumer’s online behavior.

Followers of @seeisee showed similar trends in

their engagement activity; focused around 10am.


The Microblog’s Unique Qualities


Crisis Management – Microblogs are designed to facilitate the free flow of information in real-time. So, any viral content

can be spread in matter of hours. The same also applies to potential online crisis. With negative sentiment spreading

beyond control, brands face the challenge of defusing a crisis that spreads like wildfire, fanned by millions of potential

retweets.

Follower Maintenance – When a microblog’s followers amount to tens of thousands, or even millions of netizens,

maintaining open and clear lines of communication with them all is extremely difficult. So much so that it can result in a

portion of your followers feeling isolated and their loyalty misplaced.

Employee Social Media Policy Implementation – Time and time again we see employees tarnish corporate image by

engaging in behavior unsuitable for the brand via a corporate account.

24 Hours Maintenance – A microblog, like all internet platforms, operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It’s quite

possible for a crisis to hit outside business hours and constant maintenance can be costly.

Netizen 1

Initiator

Netizen 2

Netizen 3

Netizen 4

Netizen 6

Netizen 5

Netizen 8

Netizen 7

Netizen 10

Netizen 9

Netizen 12

Netizen 11

Netizen n+2

Netizen n+1

Netizen n+4

Netizen n+3

Netizen n+6

Netizen n+5

Netizen n+n

Netizen n+7


Microblog’s Disadvantages


The Miocroblog's Top 4 Features for Brand Building

1

2

3

4

The Miocroblog’s Top 4 Features

for Brand Building

1. 140 Chinese Characters – Compared to

English 140 Chinese characters can present

3-5 times more information.

2. Embedded Content – Embedded multi-media

contents allow brands to deliver more

attractive material to followers.

3. Open API Platform – Open API allow brands

to create their own Apps. These can open

new channels of interaction between users

and the brand.

4. Celebrity Based Microblogging – Celebrities

in microblogs can interact with their followers

in real-time. For SINA Weibo, users are

notified on which celebrity is following which

brand, promoting both through respective

influence.



IWOM WATCH

SINA Weibo Case Study Sharing

Vol.2


SINA Weibo was launched for public beta on the 28th of August 2009, by one of the largest portal sites in China, Sina.com. After over

a year of development, SINA Weibo revived the microblog market in China, attracting over 80 competitors into the space, including

the other top 3 portal sites: Tencent, Sohu and NetEase. According to current activity on of each site, SINA Weibo is clearly leading

the pack through innovative product development that focuses on differentiating itself from Twitter and creating a top quality user

experience. Today, SINA Weibo has 100million registered users with over 60,000 verified public figures, from top brands to the media.

2009.02.28

Public

Beta

2009.11.02

1st Million

Users

2010.04.28

1st 10 Million

Users

2010.08.28

30 Million

Users

2010.11

50 Million

Users

Sina Weibo Registerer

Users•Male – 57%

•Female – 43%

Sina Weibo Active

Users•Male – 35%

•Female – 65%

In SINA Weibo female users are 30% more

active than male users.

66 Days 177 Days 122 Days

2009.07.28

Sina Weibo

Open API Launch

According to Sina Weibo at

the November 2010

Developers Conference, the

Open API has over 800 Apps,

connecting Sina Weibo to over

10,000 sites.

SINA Weibo

Source：SINA microblog white paper published on 9 Sep 2010



Circle I：A brand’s official Weibo account is its

frontline for consumer interaction.

Circle II ：SINA Weibo Platform

Circle III ：Total User Volume

1 2 3 4 5

About this model：A brand’s Weibo account can

give it a valuable voice within the online

community, providing a key platform for consumer

engagement and effective source of user insight.

Promotional events launched from this platform

can go even further in developing consumer/brand

communication and promoting brand values.

Weibo apps enhance user experience and

augment brand affinity.

Circle I：Brand Weibo Account

Circle IV：Brand Weibo Events

Circle V：Brand Weibo App

Gradiated SINA weibo account

Brand Weibo

Account

Circle II：The SINA Weibo platform houses

brand related information and provides a

source for potential consumers.

Circle III：Total User Volume is the wider pool

of users, including current and potential

followers.

Circle IV：Branded promotional events

promoting online and offline engagement.

Circle V：A Weibo app that’s either produced

by the brand or by a third party.



Summary

On the 24th of February at 00:23, the famous Chinese actor Xu Zhen tweeted to his SINA Weibo that he misplaced his iPad, leaving

it on a flight that night. Fearing a leak of personal content, he mobilized his followers. Xu’s original post was retweeted over 751 times

with 466 comments, even with someone commented that the principle of six degrees of separation could connect to people from

China Eastern Airlines and other passengers from the Xu’s flight. At 1:38 am, @smile瑶啊瑶 identified herself as cabin crew from

Xu’s flight (MU5115) and let him know she’s picked up his iPad.

Time elapsed between Xu reporting missing iPad and it’s recovery: 1 hour, 15minutes

14

Weibo case study sharing


The receipt from lost

property, stating "iPad"

The destiny of Xuzhen was not "call forwarding" this time, but

"weibo forwarding“ (PS: Xuzhen is Starring in Movie “Call for love”)

Just realized I lost my iPad on plane..

I picked up //…… (one of cabin crew

claimed she saw the iPad and picked up)

http://t.sina.com.cn/1783286485



http://t.sina.com.cn/1783286485/5en0W3Yk8BN



http://t.sina.com.cn/1838185955/5KD0W3YncST




CIC View

In just over an hour, Xu was able to find his missing iPad and SINA Weibo played a significant part in the process. As Kai-Fu Lee wrote in

his book <Weibo Changed Everything – 微博改变一切>, SINA Weibo has changed the way people communicate with each other online.

China Eastern Airlines’ participation showed that as one of the leading air travel company in China, they are actively participating in social

media.

Crisis management in the new social media age has pushed brands to face real problems in real-time. For airlines, customers late for

boarding, flights delayed and other cause for complaint can be found in platforms like SINA Weibo. Reacting to these complaints is a

challenge considering the wide coverage and real time processing qualities of social media. For a brand to establish an official Weibo

account, they must appreciate that there is now a new channel of communication that allows customers to voice their problems as soon

as they arise and to expect a response just as quickly.

15

Sample quotes：China Eastern Airlines staff is so “gelivable” (link)

Best interactive practice between brands & consumers！(link)

So amazing! I will take flights from China Eastern Airlines in future. (link)

Many hands make light work, weibo of China Eastern Airlines is great!~

(link)

Good for China Eastern Airlines! (link)

It's so nice that China Eastern Airlines flight attendant found Xu Zhen's

iPad.! (link)

Hi, we will help you reach our aircraft

crew on duty about your iPad and send

direct message to you asap, thank you

for your trust in China Eastern Airlines

(link)

We checked with the aircraft crew of this

flight, they did pick up an iPad and already

pass to China Eastern Airlines baggage

tracing department on the ground, you can

get that from "Lost property" section in

terminal 2. … (link)

@smile瑶啊瑶 @smile瀟 Let's help, we are on duty that time, should be easy to find out... (link)



http://baike.baidu.com/view/4665273.htm

http://t.sina.com.cn/1418859182/5en0WkL9WDk

http://t.sina.com.cn/1662033707/5en0W4CkyUv

http://t.sina.com.cn/1783286485/5en0W3YjPJI

http://t.sina.com.cn/1726506660/5en0W3YojqT

http://t.sina.com.cn/1496852457/5KD0W3Ye8Ek

http://t.sina.com.cn/1899957437/60L0W3YaYPj

http://t.sina.com.cn/1723216305/60L0W3YaKMP

http://t.sina.com.cn/1671422054/60L0W3ZCoZG

http://t.sina.com.cn/n/smile%E7%91%B6%E5%95%8A%E7%91%B6

http://t.sina.com.cn/n/smile%E7%91%B6%E5%95%8A%E7%91%B6

http://t.sina.com.cn/n/smile%E7%80%9F

http://t.sina.com.cn/n/smile%E7%80%9F

http://t.sina.com.cn/1832759141/5en0W4B5gAA


Weibo APP – VANCL DIY and uto WOM

Summary

On the 28th of July 2010, SINA Weibo launched an open API for developers to design third party applications, including those that

can be used for brand promotion through the Weibo platform. These apps come in two distinct forms; one is tailored to the desktop

version (for example, the DIY Vancl Ad), the other is designed for a mobile interface and integrates Location Based Services for

smart phone users. These apps tend to be more costly and less viral than desktop equivalents.

Vancl copy application can auto

generate the ad from your image

SINA Weibo’s Official “Most Creative Apps” Ranking

Vancl copy application (link)

Copying Vancl ads has become a popular form of User Generated Content

(UGC) circulating SINA Weibo. This is a third party app that’s designed to auto-

generate a Vancl customization for each user and so far, it’s been used by over

260,000 users and attracted 34222 followers to its official Weibo account.

Post a message on microblog like "Accord @汽车口碑", you

will get the result of WOM in 1 minute.

Auto IWOM application (link)

This app was designed by SINA officially for Weibo. A user can @汽车口

碑 (Auto IWOM official Weibo account) with a specific car model and receive

an automated reply with the car’s full specs, along with comparable indices.



http://t.sina.com.cn/app/detail/6R4kGi




http://t.sina.com.cn/womauto

http://t.sina.com.cn/womauto

http://t.sina.com.cn/app/detail/1xwQrU


CIC View:

The Vancl effect

1. Brand Education – the process of user interaction with the app is an educational one; presented with the unique characteristics of a brand’s

culture.

2. Viral Spread – Vanclized ads can be easily posted to SINA Weibo, the user’s followers can then retweet and make the content viral,

especially if the creator is a popular e-fluencer.

3. Interactive Marketing – organizing events within the group and offering them Vancl products as prizes will further motivate them to be active

within SINA Weibo, attracting more users and increasing brand awareness.

CIC View:

Apps like @汽车口碑 are highly attractive to users who are

prospective buyers of the product; in this case, a car. SINA

Weibo’s retweet function makes it an easy route to viral.

This is as yet un-explored field of microblog marketing for

many brands. An branded app can link them to users in fun

and interactive way, spreading brand culture, creating

awareness and promoting trust and loyalty. Apps are

particularly recommended for franchises, digital brands,

FMCG and sport utility products.

@VanclDIY link

Link

link


1 Mug

1 Vancl coupon

The lucky draw prizes are Vancl mugs and vouchers.

Vancl Voucher in 100 RMB

1 Mug


http://t.sina.com.cn/fanketidiy

http://t.sina.com.cn/fanketidiy

http://202.108.37.12/fanke/jiang.php

http://t.sina.com.cn/1765060363/zF0sHXsrtO



How does a brand establish its culture in SINA Weibo? Through these two distinctly different brands, we’ll show you that customized content and the

sophisticated presentation of your brand culture is very significant in successfully leveraging SINA Weibo.


Louis Vuitton weibo account in fashion & luxury style

Emile Sherman, Academy Award

Winning Producer of <The King’s

Speech>, Andrew Garfield, best actor

in a supporting role for <The Social

Network> and star of 2012’s <The

Amazing Spider-Man> all wore Louis

Vuitton suits to the Academy Awards.

(link)

Emile Sherman, Academy Award

Winning Producer of <The King’s

Speech>, Andrew Garfield, best actor

in a supporting role for <The Social

Network> and star of 2012’s <The

Amazing Spider-Man> all wore Louis

Vuitton suits to the Academy Awards.

(link)

Author’s Study Series: Well known

British author Alan Silitoe’s (1928-

2010)study, more details access our

online bookstore

http://sinaurl.cn/h5AI6k

(link)

Stockholm Library: photo

from @colourphilosophy at

Stockholm Library’s furniture

show, more in his Douban

profile:

http://sinaurl.cn/hqgoMa

(link)

@路易威登 (Louis Vuitton), the world famous luxury brand, opened their

SINA Weibo account on the 15th of October 2010. Within 4 months,

they had successful established the brand’s luxury image on Weibo with

only 76 tweets, attracting 71708 followers. That’s an average of 943

followers per tweet.

BananaFish Bookstore is considerably less well known. The offline

bookstore is in Shanghai but it’s popularity is very high online. They’re

amongst the most popular publication related SINA Weibo accounts,

with 48856 followers for 876 tweets; a respectable average of 55

followers per tweet.

BananaFish Bookstore weibo account in books culture style


http://t.sina.com.cn/1836003984/5KD0XnsdtGt

http://t.sina.com.cn/1836003984/5en0rC1tJ1e

http://sinaurl.cn/h5AI6k

http://t.sina.com.cn/1654954234/5KD0Wk9jDYL

http://t.sina.com.cn/n/colourphilosophy

http://t.sina.com.cn/n/colourphilosophy

http://sinaurl.cn/hqgoMa

http://t.sina.com.cn/1654954234/5KD0V1l5FpB

http://t.sina.com.cn/louisvuitton


Louis Vuitton describing the

source of inspiration for Spring

2007.

Buenos Aires (Capital of

Argentina) is the world book

capital in 2011

CIC View

What did Louis Vuitton’s Weibo do right?

Picked the correct theme – from launch, every tweet from LV’s official SINA Weibo account has been entirely focused on it’s luxury brand culture,

creating an online representation to match it’s impressive brand image.

Adapting to users – instead of posting luxury products at high prices, LV has chosen to be more approachable, providing their followers with

fashion news that can be spread easily.

CIC View

What have we learned from Banana Fish Book Store?

Culture positioning – knowing their limited cultural influence, Banana Fish chose to leverage the broader idea of book culture, attracting followers

by providing interesting content, like “World’s Interesting Book stores”.

Customized rewards – we have seen too many iPhones and iPads as prizes on SINA Weibo. BananaFish bookstore had their own ideas, with

custom made, special edition books as prizes, not only promoting their brand but also attracted more followers looking for something different.

LV is a top end brand with

formidable brand influence and

awareness, what about the

lesser well known brands, how

can they establish a strong

presence in SINA Weibo?

Today, over 5000 brands have established

their verified SINA Weibo accounts and are

using Weibo to organize and communicate

with consumers. We has seen differently

positioned brands approaching followers in

their own distinct way, customizing their

approach to accommodate their brand

culture and followers’ behavior.



http://t.sina.com.cn/k/%E4%B8%96%E7%95%8C%E4%B9%A6%E5%BA%97%E4%B9%8B%E6%97%85


Event Time：14th February Valentine’s Day 2010

Event Rules：Retweet, @ a lover with a love letter

Event Reward：the best love letter will be posted on

Meituan.com (in all the cities)

Summary

It’s no secret that brands are using the microblog to promote themselves. Microblogging campaigns are becoming more common,

with raffle draws for iPads and the like cropping up all over. These promotional methods are tend to require a user to retweet the

promotional message and @ a certain number of their followers. After the initial hype died away, doubts about their authenticity and

complaints of spamming started to become more and more popular. In a vote hosted on SINA Weibo, over 8400 users called for

tighter regulations.

For Valentine’s Day last year, Chinese group buy site Meituan.com launched a special promotion for lovers to “Express Their Love”.

Within 24 hours, it was retweeted 3596 times.



link

@美团 #valentine's day# Retweet this weibo and @ your

lover's name with a love letter. The best one will be posted

on meituan.com on 15th Feb 2010. Your confessions will be

witnessed by millions of people.


http://t.sina.com.cn/1686230250/5en0Tsnf2zh






http://t.sina.com.cn/meituan




CIC View

Initially, brand accounts are focused on number of follows and retweets, often neglecting their real brand values. That can result in a failure to present

the right information and increase sales. This phenomenon is referred to as “Pure Account Marketing”, not Brand Marketing.

“Pure Account Marketing” overlooks user experience, making it difficult to communicate high quality information and bringing accusations of

spamming.

This is a common practice in microblog promotions. Planning ahead is crucial to campaign effectiveness. Hopefully, our 7 key elements can aid this

process.

21

Left：Timing is everything, Valentine’s Day and “Micro-Love-Letters” is a

perfect match, especially when users are accustomed to writing micro-

stories via Sina’s own event “Micro-Novels”.

Right：The winning love letter, posted on Meituan.com, not only

promoted the user but also the site itself.


7 Key Elements of Microblog Campaign Planning:

How to identify your event’s theme?

In Meituan’s case, it’s leveraging Valentine’s Day and ways to express

love.

How to motivate user participation?

Expressing their love on this special occasion is exactly what users

want to do.

How to set the entry level bar?

Both "Micro-Novel" and "Micro-Love-Letter" were easily accessible to

users.

How to choose right reward?

The reward should match the event’s theme, not just the trendiest

product.

How to use third party applications in campaign?

Meituan had the choice of utilizing existing on-site (Meituan.com) blogs,

avoiding the need to host everything solely on SINA Weibo.

How to explore extra promotional channels?

Meituan posted the event information to it’s regional SINA Weibo

accounts, simultaneously promoting across the country.

How to transform events into revenue?

To find out the final result, users have to click through Meituan’s group

buy site.



http://t.sina.com.cn/weixiaoshuo





http://t.sina.com.cn/k/%E5%BE%AE%E6%83%85%E4%B9%A6




Summary

The net generation is growing accustomed to living their lives online. Amongst them, soon-to-be moms and dads are establishing

their unborn child’s internet identity.

Often, the tweets are written in first person, from the baby’s perspective that has an unique quality in it’s interactivities.

22


Above: A day before birth the baby already has a SINA Weibo

account.

Right: Contents of this baby’s Weibo account includes his daily

life and also his parents interests and retweets.

Link

Link

Link

Link


Dang! Dang! Dang! I’m coming.

Be patient

Feel so good after shower~it’s

said I looks more like my father,

is that mean I looks more and

more ugly?!

My dad’s attention is so weird!

http://t.sina.com.cn/1879615405/l4Ctu5wgp

http://t.sina.com.cn/1911550090/5en0VOrwmWW

http://t.sina.com.cn/1879615405/Bh0vgttScQ

http://t.sina.com.cn/1879615405/Bh0vi667M6


CIC View

For the parenting and child care market, this means brands don’t need to focus purely on promotion but also on sharing content in a

friendly and personal manner with potential customers. We’ve singled out 3 methods by which brands can initiate campaigns:

A “Baby Weibo” Competition – encourage young moms and dads to create Weibo accounts for their babies, sharing parental

experience. In this way, you’ll define potential needs, potential customers and generate positive IWOM, boosting brand image.

Operate a Professional Parenting Account – share parenting experience through photos and videos, be friendly, attentive, active and

unbiased.

Start a Wei Group (微群) – Start a Wei Group based on the content from the Parenting Account. Groups are designed to concentrate

potential consumers in one social space for more efficient education of brand culture. The group has to be well maintained; spam free

and active.23

1

2

3




IWOM WATCH

18 Tips on Managing Brand Accounts(There is no perfect microblog marketing strategy, different campaigns

focus on their own goals and need customized methodologies to reach

them. Here are our suggestions)


Be time sensitive; generally speaking, users are most active 10 - 12 AM and 10 - 12 PM; least active from 3 - 7AM

Be the first on the scene; you should be breaking the news about your own brand.

Want to engage your fans? Tweet with question marks and start a conversation.

Avoid spamming; keep your tweets relevant to products and services, posting in a timely manner.

Go beyond the brand; share exciting industry information to attract new fans and increase loyalty.

KISS (Keep It Short and Sweet); tweets that are easy to understand are easier to engage with.

Brand Microblog Maintenance Suggestions:


Don’t just retweet; add comments to retweets to take the conversation a step further.

Create topics in tweets; use #hashtag# to initiate a running microblog program, helpful in managing SEO.

Comment on the top trends; link related events to your brand and position yourself at the centre of discussion.

Be content clever; add attractive multi-media content where appropriate.

Be brand aware; use the search function to find key words and topics related to your brand, then engage on them.

Social media synchronicity; aggregate your brand’s activity on various platforms via your microblog.



Social media synchronicity; aggregate your brand’s activity on various platforms via your microblog.

The tweet tone; use a voice appropriate to the brand and be professional; avoiding online arguments.

Involve and include; organize promotional events that educate fans about your brand’s culture.

Make yourself attractive; design a template for your microblog, from background wallpaper to product profiles.

Name drop; use the @ function to mention and invite key opinion leaders and efluencers to join the conversation.

Tweet savvy and with purpose; create an editorial calendar for microblog activity and wherever necessary, employ copyright

protection water marks.



ABOUT IWOM watch: A Monthly Guide to Internet Word of Mouth

* CIC-LKP Model, Defined by Daisy Zhang, 2007 Feb. For more on this definition, see our blogs here (EN) and here (CN)

MAKING SENSE OF THE INTERNET COMMUNITY*

Participate融Know识Listen听

Topic E-Culture Communication

Listen to the

buzz and find

out what’s hot

online.

Know the culture

and context of

the internet

community.

Participate in the

conversation.

28

http://www.seeisee.com/sam/2007/03/19/p270

http://www.seeisee.com/index.php/2007/02/15/p254


OUR BLOGS:

www.seeisee.com (Chinese)

www.seeisee.com/sam (English)

Our SINA WEIBO:

weibo/seeisee

OUR WEBSITE:

www.ciccorporate.com

OUR SERVICE PLATFORM:

www.iwommaster.com

CONTACT US:

[email protected]

This document is for private commercial use only. Distribution to third parties

and/or publication in whole or in part is strictly prohibited without expressed

written consent of CIC.

本文件是针对CIC客户的相关品牌和企业的商业文件。未经CIC的书面许可，本文件或文件中的任何内容不得转交给第三方，同时也不得发表本文件或文件中的任何内容。

iwom - microblog china 2011

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