iwom - microblog china 2011
DESCRIPTION
TRANSCRIPT
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 WATCH ISSUE Special
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 ISSUE Special
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
IWOM WATCH ISSUE Special 6
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
IWOM WATCH ISSUE Special 7
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.
Source:CIC Research Team
What is Chinese Microblog
IWOM WATCH ISSUE Special 8
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.
Source:CIC Research Team
The Microblog’s Unique Qualities
IWOM WATCH ISSUE Special 9
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
Source:CIC Research Team
Microblog’s Disadvantages
IWOM WATCH ISSUE Special 10
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.
Source:CIC Research Team
IWOM WATCH ISSUE Special
IWOM WATCH
SINA Weibo Case Study Sharing
Vol.2
IWOM WATCH ISSUE Special 12
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
Source:CIC Research Team
IWOM WATCH ISSUE Special 13
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.
Source:CIC Research Team
IWOM WATCH ISSUE Special
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
Get your iPad back from China Eastern Airlines in just over an hour
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)
IWOM WATCH ISSUE Special
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)
Weibo case study sharing
Get your iPad back from China Eastern Airlines in just over an hour
IWOM WATCH ISSUE Special 16
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.
Weibo case study sharing
Interactive Microblog Marketing – Vancl Copy & Auto IWOM Applications
IWOM WATCH ISSUE Special 17
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
Weibo case study sharing
1 Mug
1 Vancl coupon
The lucky draw prizes are Vancl mugs and vouchers.
Vancl Voucher in 100 RMB
1 Mug
Interactive Microblog Marketing – Vancl Copy & Auto IWOM Applications
IWOM WATCH ISSUE Special 18
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.
Build Weibo Brand Culture - Louis Vuitton and BananaFish BookStore
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
Weibo case study sharing
IWOM WATCH ISSUE Special 19
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.
Weibo case study sharing
Build Weibo Brand Culture - Louis Vuitton and BananaFish BookStore
IWOM WATCH ISSUE Special 20
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.
7 Key Elements of Meituan’s Microblog Campaign
Weibo case study sharing
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.
IWOM WATCH ISSUE Special
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.
Weibo case study sharing
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.
7 Key Elements of Meituan’s Microblog Campaign
IWOM WATCH ISSUE Special
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
Parents’ Use of Baby Weibo
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
Weibo case study sharing
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!
IWOM WATCH ISSUE Special
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
Weibo case study sharing
Parents’ Use of Baby Weibo
IWOM WATCH ISSUE Special
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)
IWOM WATCH ISSUE Special 25
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:
IWOM WATCH ISSUE Special 26
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.
Brand Microblog Maintenance Suggestions:
IWOM WATCH ISSUE Special 27
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.
Brand Microblog Maintenance Suggestions:
IWOM WATCH ISSUE Special
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
IWOM WATCH ISSUE Special
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:
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。