Weibo Advertising Guide From ChinaDigital Agency

In this Weibo Advertising Guide we will tell you about advertising on Weibo: approaches to launching advertising campaigns, developing an advertising strategy, target users and potential consumers on the site and why it should be used along with other Chinese e-commerce platforms to achieve your business objectives.

What is Weibo?

Today, Weibo (or Sina Weibo) is one of the most popular digital platforms in the China market, attracting Chinese Internet users who want to stay up-to-date and share their opinions on hot topics with others.

Sina Weibo was launched in August 2009, after Twitter was blocked in China. Initially, the platform was intended to become a new Chinese microblogging service, filling the space previously occupied by Twitter. Later, however, the development of the platform went in the direction of expanding user features and developing a multifunctional Chinese social media.

As a result, in addition to short posts on the site, it is possible to share full-blown articles with graphic content, post stories, conduct polls and video broadcasts, and develop a comprehensive social media marketing strategy targeting the Chinese market based on diverse marketing instruments which we will describe in this Weibo advertising guide.

Main features of the platform: Weibo users and content

Weibo is one of China’s largest social networks in terms of active Weibo community. For example, KAWO estimates that the platform’s MAU was approximately 302 million people (September 2021) which is a much larger target audience than on such platforms as Baidu Tieba or Zhihu. Weibo’s large user base makes it a highly sought-after social media platform for both Chinese and foreign companies interested in quick and efficient promotion. That’s why most brands doing long-term business in China now have Weibo accounts and use extensive online marketing tools provided by the social media platform.

First of all, thanks to the large active community and deep targeting options available in Ads Cabinet, it is possible to target your audience much more accurately. In addition, paid advertising cost on the platform is relatively low, with 1,000 impressions costing as little as 5 yuan. This feature makes the site especially popular with foreign brands just entering the Chinese market.

Next it is worth mentioning the target audience demographics. The majority of the audience is made up of young Chinese audiences, who are the main drivers of consumption in China: 48% of users are Chinese consumers between the ages of 25 and 34, and another 30% of users are Chinese customers under the age of 24. At the same time, the majority of users (59%) live in the fast-growing and rapidly developing tier 3-4 cities, which indicates the growing purchasing power of the platform’s target audiences.

Another characteristic is the high value placed on high-quality creative content. Since Weibo posts originally focused on the small publication format, the visual component plays a crucial role in conveying the message of the post and capturing the audience’s attention. Therefore, it is crucial for companies that want to maintain and develop their own Weibo account to pay attention to the creation of high-quality graphic and video content within Weibo posts.

What does it take to run Weibo ads?

First of all, if you want to start advertising on Weibo, you need to create an account. Like many other Chinese social media platforms, it allows you to create not only a personal account, but also a corporate official account, which requires official verification with official documents about your company.

Verification of an account for a foreign company costs $1,000, which includes company verification, documents, notarization, etc. The verification process itself takes an average of 10 to 15 days.

Verifying your profile provides benefits such as creating an ads account with targeted ads, additional customization options for Weibo homepage, access to a CRM system for analysis, streaming to sell live, running contests and promotions, and gaining users’ trust with a verified account.

Before launching an ad campaign, we recommend that you clearly define your target audience and make sure that your account is fully designed and filled with useful content for potential subscribers. We also recommend that you run several test campaigns with different banners and offers before launching a full-fledged advertising campaign.

How much does Weibo Advertising cost?

First of all, paid ads on the platform has a wide range of targeting settings. They include payment methods (CPC, CPM, CPA), keyword selection, target audience identification, consideration of ideal customer characteristics (gender, age, city, etc.), and other relevant parameters which can influence the cost of paid ads campaigns and their pricing models.

The minimum daily budget is 50 RMB, and the lowest CPM (per thousand impressions) rate is 5 RMB. At the same time, the minimum deposit for launching an advertising campaign must be at least 10,000 RMB.

Main types of advertising on Weibo

Advertising in Stories

The format of Stories on Weibo is almost identical to that of Instagram. In this case, successful promotion allows stories being an ad placement to rise to the top among your target followers. Within this format, it is possible to promote through the creation and distribution of AR (augmented reality) elements.

The duration of videos in Stories can be up to 60 seconds, and the validity of Stories is 24 hours.

Advertising though Weibo search engine promotion

This format is as follows: a user enters your brand name in the Weibo search engine bar, and your account appears first, regardless of organic ranking. Another option is when the user does not enter a query in the search page, and Weibo itself offers options with your account listed.

Another way to use this type of advertising is through banner ads. For example, if a user searches for branded cosmetics, your banner may appear in the search results.

Weibo Feed Ads

Feed ads are a popular advertising format on Weibo, consisting of paid posts that brands can share with their existing followers to promote their products or services. These ads often appear between a few posts of followed accounts in the news feeds of users, including their followers’ feeds and their own user feeds.

News feed ads are a type of feed ad that appears in the news feeds of users who are not already following the brand’s account. This allows businesses to reach a wider audience and attract new followers.

Since feed ads appear in the same format as regular posts in users’ feeds, they have a higher chance of being viewed compared to other ad formats like Fan Headlines or display ads. As a result, many brands prefer to integrate feed ads with other types of ads to maximize their reach and engagement among potential customers.

Weibo Display Ads

Display advertisements are an effective advertising format on Weibo, consisting of visually appealing advertisements that can be targeted to specific audiences based on demographics, interests, and behaviors. There are two types of display ads: banner ads and interstitial ads, which are full-screen ads that appear between content. Weibo offers a variety of targeting options for display advertisements, including keyword targeting, interest targeting, and location targeting. This allows advertisers to reach their desired audience with precision and accuracy, making display ads a powerful tool for businesses looking to increase brand awareness and drive engagement on Weibo.

Fan Headline and Fan Tunnel Ads

Fan Headline Ads are a popular advertising format on Weibo, allowing brands to promote their posts or accounts to a wider audience. Fan Headlines are displayed at the top of a user’s news feed and are labeled as “Fan Headline” or “Fan Connect” ads.

There are two types of Fan Headline ads: Fan Headline for posts and Fan Headline for accounts. The ads related to Fan Headline for posts are used to promote a specific post to a larger audience, while Fan Headline for accounts ads are used to promote an account and gain more followers.

In addition to Fan Headline ads, Weibo also offers a unique ad format called Fan Tunnel. Fan Tunnel ads are displayed to users as they browse through their timeline and are designed to increase engagement with a brand or product. Fan Tunnel ads appear as a branded banner at the bottom of the user’s screen and can be customized with interactive elements to encourage user participation. With Fan Tunnel, brands have an opportunity to create a memorable and interactive experience for users, leading to increased brand awareness and loyalty.

Fan Headline ads and Fan Tunnel are powerful tools for brands looking to increase visibility and engagement on Weibo. By utilizing these ad formats, brands can effectively reach their target audience and achieve their marketing objectives.

Full screen ads

Full screen app launch ads are the most expensive type of ads on Weibo. An important advantage of this format is that it is regularly viewed by about 190 million Weibo users, which means you can advertise on Weibo to a huge audience. In addition, full-screen ads support 3 formats and can be precisely targeted and placed in different regions. The video duration for full screen ads is 3 or 5 seconds.

Other Ways to Promote on Weibo

There are other opportunities that allow you to improve your marketing strategy and advertise on Weibo by promoting your brand in a more organic way.

Lotteries. Weibo has cash and prize lotteries, where users can win money or a product by meeting certain requirements like following an account, liking or commenting on a Weibo post.

Reposts. This option is similar to a lottery and requires existing followers to publish a user’s post (related to your product) on users feed and post links to your original Weibo post. Then, you select users to give them a reward, for example, conduct a free trial campaign or a flash sales campaign related to your product.

Content collection campaign. This approach aims to encourage users to post organic content related to the brand or product. Users post a video, image, product review according to the organizer’s instructions, then winners are selected and prizes are sent out.

Weibo search engine promotion based on keywords and topics. This approach is similar to approaches usually implemented by search engine marketers or digital marketing agencies based in China. The idea of this approach to Weibo search engine promotion is that you can buy keywords or topics that will get you to the top of the search bar. Unlike banner ads, which are more effective at getting users to click on an external product link, this method improves organic traffic.

KOL. Weibo also allows you to interact with opinion leaders. The main formats for engaging with key opinion leaders are based on creative campaigns. For example, a KOL can make a sponsored post with an attractive visual component, help you to organize contests to attract potential followers, conduct live streaming where users can shop online, publish your designated Weibo post, etc.

FAQ

What is the advantage of Weibo marketing compared with WeChat?

Weibo marketing has a wider reach and easier access to user-generated content compared to WeChat. In addition, online advertising on Weibo is generally more cost-effective than through WeChat advertising.

What is the goal of Weibo advertising?

The goal of ads on the platform is to increase the follower base to promote brands and products on the Chinese market, raise brand reputation and awareness, and drive traffic and sales. The site allows brands to target specific demographics and interests to ensure their message reaches the right audience, leading to greater engagement and conversion rates.

Is fashion a popular topic on Weibo?

Yes, fashion is a popular topic on the site and is in line with user wishes. Many fashion-related posts are shared and discussed on the platform, and there are many fashion accounts promoted to Weibo users. Users follow fashion news and updates from these accounts, as well as from the advertiser’s homepage. Weibo friends often share their fashion experiences and preferences, while some users also express their desire to purchase certain fashion items.