The

 Chinese  Social  Media  Universe  － 中国社会媒体概况  

Dr. Mathew McDougall

CEO, Founder; Digital Jungle
 
43% of all internet users are from Asia

Asian is starting to dominate in terms of content creation,

engagement online and number of netizens
 But because of Chinese Government interventions, the Chinese
Internet landscape is quite different. For example, China has blocked
So with this, China has development sites like Renren, Weibo, Youku,
etc.
Here is a comparison of Western and Chinese social media sites
Chinese Social Media Universe Fast Facts
(Source: China Internet Network Information Center June, 2011)
As of the end of June 2011, Chinese netizens reached to 485
Million Internet Users
Average duration for netizens to surf internet is18.7 hours per
week- an increase of 0.4 hour compared to the end of 2010
There were 318 million users of blogs, increased 23.18 million
compared with those at the end of 2010
301 million users of online video sharing sites.
Netizens accessing the Internet at Internet café 33.76 million
 my weibo ID:
sinotechian

In the first half of 2011, Chinese microblog users increased

from 63.11 million to 195 million rapidly, increasing 132 million
in half a year, with a growth rate as high as 208.9%
 There are 318 million mobile phone netizens with an
increase of 14.94 million compared to the end of 2010
 Online shopping users had reached 173 million. Chinese
users of group buying grew from 18.75 million at the end of
2010 to 42.20 million in middle 2011
By the end of Jun 2011, Chinese users of travel booking
engines increased to 36.86 million
Interesting Chinese usage information
So… are there some tips we
can use to leverage Chinese
social media for Tourism
•  Monitor the channels they’re using.

•  What are they saying about your brand?

•  What are they saying about competitors’ brands?

•  Pre-empt reputational crises. Be ready to respond when

necessary.

1. Listen to them
•  Remember our Chinese netizens are different in
behavior and in online intent

•  Consider what are their motivations for using social

media (are you wanting to reach a broad or narrow
demographic)?

•  How do they interact with different social media

channels?

•  How to they interact with each other across these

channels?

•  What drives them to participate and spread messages?

•  What kinds of messages will they be receptive to?

2. Understand them
•  Don’t simply jump on the social media bandwagon.

•  When engaging Chinese through social media you must

know which medium is right for your message and your
objective

•  i.e. when to use corporate blogs vs. forums vs. social

networking sites.

•  After selecting your channels, make sure your brand is

highly visible to the public.

3. Be visible to them
•  Why should Chinese netizens engage with your brand
and spread your message?

•  Is it a social currency?

•  Does it leverage opinion leadership among their peers?

•  Timely and compelling content?

•  Access to exclusive promotions?

•  Incorporate incentives that will drive interest and

participation.

4. Know what incentives work for them

•  Be authentic and transparent in communicating
across social media.

•  Try to add legitimate value to netizens’ online

experiences.

•  Most importantly, don’t try to deceive this group–

they are smart and it will only lead to backlash and
reputational damage.

5. Gain and maintain their trust

Gaining insights from Chinese
social media using technology
 SIP：Enterprise

Leading Chinese Social Media platforms

 Buzz by time then by Airline

Determine online buzz by competitor

Where are people What do people
talking? think?

Which channels are

people talking in?

Today’s social media technology

 Weibo Analysis

•  Fans
•  Followers
•  Content
•  Geography
•  Comment Age
•  Demographics

Understanding your Weibo account

 Competitive analysis
Awareness  &  
PercepBon  
100  
90  
80  
70  
60  
Food  &  Beverage   50   Loyalty  &  SaBsfacBon  
40  
30  
20  
10  
0  
An airline or airport can understand how
they compare in key areas

Cleaniness   Service  

Facility  

Using technology to gain greater understanding

 In China, censorship has not stopped Social Media but simply
changed the players and modified online behavior from the West

Chinese online user behavior is different to the West – Chinese are

more social, trusting and entertainment oriented

Also, impacting business like never before. Companies must look at

their online brand health, online reputation and product promotions

Social media is not simply random posting on various media’s but

using conscious engagement strategies targeting specific netizens

Tools & Technologies are available for monitoring and analyising

your Chinese social media programs (however, not as many as for
Western social media)

5 Parting Thoughts
 Follow on Twitter: @sinotechian

Follow on Weibo: sinotechian

Connect on Facebook:
www.facebook.com.sinotechian

Read my blog:
www.dmic.asia

Connect on Linkedin:
www.linkedin.com/in/drmathewmcdougall
Dr. Mathew McDougall!
Chief  ExecuBve  Officer   My presentations on Slideshare:
www.slideshare.net/digitaljungle

Also, don’t miss out on my new book!

“The Chinese Social Media Universe” !