Explore some of the most popular and relevant Chinese social media platforms for student recruitment.

1. Using Chinese Social Media for International
Student Recruitment
Presented by:
Higher Education Marketing

2. 1. Importance of China in International Recruitment
2. Chinese Social Media Marketing Basics
3. An Intro to QQ & Qzone for Recruitment Pros
4. WeChat: China’s Most Important Social Media Site?
5. Sina Weibo- Using the ‘Chinese Twitter’ to Connect with
Prospective Students
6. What RenRen Can Offer Western Schools
7. Tips for Launching Chinese Social Media Campaigns
Overview

3. 1. Importance of China in International
Recruitment
Source: HEM – Social Media Marketing in China for Student Recruitment
China is the world’s largest market for
international student recruitment.
„ Many schools now offer Chinese versions of their websites,
Chinese admissions services, and other initiatives that specifically
target Chinese students.
„ Social media marketing, however, continues to be a problem for
recruiters.
In 2014 alone, 459,800 Chinese Students Entered programs
abroad!
- Chinese Ministry of Education

4. Why do many schools struggle to establish a
social media presence in China?
„ Since 2009, The Golden Shield Project- AKA ‘The Great
Firewall of China’- has severely restricted internet use in the
country
„ Popular sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube are all
banned
„ In their place, Chinese-based sites have thrived, creating a
unique and unfamiliar social landscape for recruiters
Read on to learn more about the most popular Chinese social
media sites!
Source: HEM – Social Media Marketing in China for Student Recruitment
1. Importance of China in International
Recruitment

5. Here are a few important things schools need to remember when
using Chinese social media-
„ The popularity of Chinese social networks tends to fluctuate more
frequently than established Western sites
„ QR codes are the preferred method of adding connections among
social media users
„ Chinese social media platforms offer far more functionality than
Western sites, often including games, online shopping, and more.
„ Heavily tailored towards mobile- 61% of Chinese users access
social media on their phones
„ Censorship still plays a role- be careful not to post controversial
content!
2. Chinese Social Media Marketing Basics
Source: HEM – Social Media Marketing in China for Student Recruitment

6. QQ is one the world’s most popular social media sites, with
nearly 1 billion active monthly users!
3. An Intro to QQ & Qzone for Recruitment
Pros
Source: HEM – Social Media Marketing in China for Student Recruitment
Overview-
Ø Users tend to be quite young
with limited spending power
Ø An instant messaging app
similar to Skype
Ø Also offers a host of other
features
Ø Includes Qzone, a Facebook
style site with over 659 million
users!

7. Your school can use QQ and Qzone to connect with
prospective students in a number of ways-
„ Send targeted promotional messages to leads using the QQ
Groups function, which allows between 200 and 1,000 chat
members!
„ Use Qzone like Western social media sites such as Facebook,
sharing photos, videos and status updates
„ Translate articles and blog posts into Chinese and repurpose them
on Qzone. The site’s users like long-form content!
„ Invite a current Chinese student to use the ‘diary’ section on Qzone
to document their experience at your school
Source: HEM – Social Media Marketing in China for Student Recruitment
3. An Intro to QQ & Qzone for Recruitment
Pros

8. Example-
Follow the lead of Chinese institutions like Anhui University to get a feel for
what sort of content works on Qzone
Source: HEM – Social Media Marketing in China for Student Recruitment
Qzone’s layout is
similar to Facebook.
Anhui use it to share
regular updates and
answer
prospective student
inquiries through the
‘message board’
function.
3. An Intro to QQ & Qzone for Recruitment
Pros

9. WeChat is often called the ‘WhatsApp of China’, but it actually
offers a whole lot more!
4. WeChat: China’s Most Important Social
Media Site?
Source: HEM – Social Media Marketing in China for Student Recruitment
Ø 762 million monthly active users
as of March 2016!
Ø 93% market penetration in Tier 1
Chinese cities
Ø Usage of the app has exploded,
with 39% growth in 2015
Ø Includes games, a dating app,
and an E-commerce section,
WeChat Wallet
Ø Users ‘Moments’ page functions
as a mini social network
Ø You can even order a cab from
WeChat, just like Uber!

10. Many western schools already have already set up WeChat
accounts to engage with students. Here’s how you can use the
app-
„ Answer queries from prospective Chinese applicants using the
IM function
„ Communicate with existing Chinese students on your campus
„ Share as much content as possible on your Moments feed- WeChat
has no file size restrictions or character limits on posts!
„ Promote your school through paid campaigns using WeChat
Advertising and WeChat Subscriptions
4. WeChat: China’s Most Important Social
Media Site?
Source: HEM – Social Media Marketing in China for Student Recruitment

11. WeChat users will only be able to receive your
communications if they follow your official account, so
schools need to promote it on their websites-
4. WeChat: China’s Most Important Social
Media Site?
Source: HEM – Social Media Marketing in China for Student Recruitment
Example
The University of Nottingham-
Ningbo campus has a page on
its website to promote its
WeChat account. Use
‘WeChat’ in the title for
maximum SEO benefits, and
don’t forget about QR Codes!

12. Sina Weibo is by far the most-used
Chinese social media channel by international schools-
5. Sina Weibo- Using the ‘Chinese Twitter’ to
Connect with Prospective Students
Source: HEM – Social Media Marketing in China for Student Recruitment
Ø 176 million users
Ø Popular for breaking news
stories and topical content
Ø Most visible western presence
Ø Many brands and celebrities
post regularly
Ø Likely to be one of the first
places Chinese students search
for international schools

13. Sina Weibo is very similar to Twitter, and can be approached
in a similar way by recruiters, but does offer a number of more
customisable options-
5. Sina Weibo- Using the ‘Chinese Twitter’ to
Connect with Prospective Students
Source: HEM – Social Media Marketing in China for Student Recruitment
Example-
The Hague University
customised their Weibo
homepage with a scrolling
image slideshow, and
displayed QR codes
prominently on their page

14. Formerly China’s most popular social media platform, RenRen
now has just 195 million users. However, it could still be
valuable for recruiters-
6. What RenRen Can Offer Western Schools
Source: HEM – Social Media Marketing in China for Student Recruitment
Ø Still very popular among
students in 2nd and 3rd tier cities
Ø Now features an online student
shopping service which allows
users to pay bills in installments
Ø Have invested in Social Finance,
a student loan and financing
company
Ø Provides full service for brands,
including paid advertising and
on-page analytics

15. While setting up accounts for your school on Chinese social media
can be challenging, the number of students you can reach makes it
worthwhile. Here’s a few tips for launching your campaigns-
„ Use current Chinese students as student ambassadors for your school
„ Offer convenient Q&A hours on Chinese social media that account for
timezone differences
„ Pay close attention to Chinese cultural norms and to produce content
that really speaks to your audience
„ Chinese social media is competitive and changes all the time, so keep
an eye on developments to ensure you’re present on the most popular
channels!
7. Tips for Launching Chinese Social Media
Campaigns
Source: HEM – Social Media Marketing in China for Student Recruitment