In case you’re unfamiliar, Weibo is China’s second largest social media platform. Launched by Sina in 2009, Weibo sees 100 million daily messages shared amongst its 500+ million monthly active users. Similarly to Twitter in the west, Weibo rose to popularity for its short-form post format. From a user’s perspective, this approach created a seemingly never-ending feed of engaging and tailored content: including user posts, news articles, videos, live content, eCommerce links etc. However, while Weibo is most frequently likened to Twitter, it’s important to understand that the platform has evolved significantly over recent years. With each year that passes, the comparison becomes less accurate as the similarities between the two continue to diminish.
Having a strategy for Weibo is a must-have for any business working in China’s Cross-Border eCommerce (CBEC) space. Not is Weibo friendly with Alibaba’s tech-ecosystem, but it has also emerged as a major touchpoint for Chinese Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) and Celebrities. In other words, it’s potentially a major source of traffic for your Tmall, Kaola, VIP, Suning and Little Red Book stores. For businesses in the general trade environment, you can now also take advantage of Weibo’s new eCommerce feature.