Digital Media & Strategy in China: The Why & How to Make It Work Presented at Ohio Drive-in May 4, 2012 Columbus, Ohio Lisa Cynammon Mayers, Intead Michael Waxman-Lenz, Intead
AGENDA A few macro facts The significant players Importance of Social Media and Mobile Highest use digital media tools for student recruitment How to approach China Do this, but DON T do that Finding out how your brand presents in China May 2012 2
China is big and has impressive statistics for many services, but the important question for us as marketers and recruiters for universities is: How important is digital for students (and parents) searching for schools? Notice here MORE Social Network than Internet users CHINA IS DRIVEN BY MOBILE. And how s this for perspective? Remember that the entire US population is 300M people. Source:http://www.slideshare.net/wearesocialsg/we-are-socials-guide-to-social-digital-and-mobile-in-china-dec- 2011-10474962 May 2012 3
Universities favorite marketing and communications tools are blocked in the Chinese market So what are the Chinese accessing online? May 2012 4
YouTube is blocked in China Yet video is EXTREMEMLY important in China 26.5 MILLION visitors DAILY May 2012 5
Social Media Microblogs Tencent (QQ), Weibo, Sina Weibo Social Networks Qzone, RenRen Video Sharing Youku, Tudou Publishing Baidu Baike May 2012 6
Social Media China has a large number of home grown solutions that are different from twitter, facebook, youtube, etc. Other international recruiting markets differ because they have access to these sites. Microblogs Tencent (QQ), Weibo, Sina Weibo Social Networks Qzone, RenRen Video Sharing Youku, Tudou Publishing Baidu Baike May 2012 7
For comparison: Twitter has 140m active users worldwide Facebook has 850m registered users worldwide May 2012 8
Example of a website display in China TOP 50 U.S. research university May 2012 9
Example of a website display in China TOP 50 U.S. research university What does that say? May 2012 10
Cannot display this webpage Example of a website display in China With the www.youtube.com connection has been interrupted. TOP 50 U.S. research university The following are some suggestions: Later please reload this webpage. Please check your Internet connection, restart you may be using any router, modem and other network equipment. "Google Chrome browser" as allows the program to add to your firewall or antivirus software settings. If it is allowed to program, try from allowing the program list will be deleted, and then add it again. If you use a proxy server, please check your proxy settings or contact your network administrator, in order to ensure the normal work of the proxy server. If you think that we should not use a proxy server, please adjust your proxy settings : to the wrench Menu > Settings > Advanced Options > change proxy settings... > LAN settings, uncheck" use a proxy server for your LAN" checkbox. May 2012 11
Social Media Use: Geography and Age Just like the US, different social media tools have different followings LinkedIn has career focused professionals, Facebook is more inclined toward family/social activity. QZONE- similar to Facebook has younger followers May 2012 12
Social Media Tool Type Demographics Registered Users (in millions) Data Date Nickname SNS Teens 540 April 2012 n Real Name SNS Students, White-collars 170 March 2011 ou Real Name SNS Students, White-collars 131 March 2011 Microblog White-collars 300 Feb. 2012 nt Microblog White-collars 310 Sep. 2011 May 2012 13
Social Media Tool Type Demographics Registered Users (in millions) Data Date n Nickname SNS Real Name SNS Teens 540 April 2012 Students, White-collars We recommend Ren Ren as a social media starting point for reaching college bound students in China 170 March 2011 ou Real Name SNS Students, White-collars 131 March 2011 Microblog White-collars 300 Feb. 2012 nt Microblog White-collars 310 Sep. 2011 May 2012 14
Is Mobile Important in China? YES! MOST U.S. University websites with lots of text are a real challenge on mobile devices. MOBILE IS A MUST HAVE --- mobile apps, mobile websites. Mobile adapted delivery is critical for your content. Mobile handsets and tablet computers are a frequent access point for your content. Remember our previous slide 916M mobile subscribers in China. 3X the entire US population. May 2012 15
Consider how you can maintain multiple touch points. Similar to a user having Linked In, Facebook and Twitter accounts in the US. Our advice: Find out what the best social network sites are to reach your target audience Post your content in multiple locations Consider internal staff support or outsourced assistance to manage your outreach & content flow Reviewing what we know: China is online in large numbers Social media use is huge US social media tools are NOT being used Mobile access is used more than traditional online connections May 2012 16
Ren Ren pages mimic Facebook pages Branded Pages: Institution Logo Member Posts Member List May 2012 17
On Ren Ren 25 Ohio Institutions have been mentioned ONLY 2 SEEM TO HAVE OFFICIAL SITES May 2012 18
Bowling Green State University Case Western Reserve University Cleveland State University Kent State University Miami University Oxford Ohio State University Ohio University Union Institute University of Akron University of Cincinnati University of Dayton University of Toledo Wright State University Denison University Heidelberg college Marietta College Oberlin College Tiffin University College of Wooster Kenyon College Ohio Wesleyan University Wittenberg University University of Findlay Ashland University Ohio Northern University May 2012 19
Consider your audience May 2012 20
Consider your audience Who are you trying to reach? Where are you reaching the user? How are you reaching the user? Recruiters: A powerful force in the decision making process. 2 out of 3 Chinese student applicants rely on the help of a recruiter. Top Three Reasons Students Seek Guidance: 1. Little knowledge of college app process (72% of respondents) 2. Little knowledge of US visa process 3. Little knowledge of US higher education institutions Parents: Most do not speak English and will not understand or use your website in English. They rely on you for reliable information: NO college tour, no alumni, no regional affinity. Your message, your collateral, your digital presence needs to give parents the pride, the bragging points that make them feel great about their child s plans. May 2012 21
Consider your audience Balancing all the factors Rarely will Chinese students and parents have the opportunity for a campus visit Chinese education and society is very ranking oriented Less than a dozen universities have broad name recognition Parents are concerned about the safety and care of their children as much as the academics Academics are what matters, not sports, extra-curricular activities and nice dorms May 2012 22
Yes, Chinese people know how to use translation tools, but You want to show respect, interest and dedication. What can you do? Relying on translation tools misses the point of reaching a target audience what marketing is all about. In social media jargon, that s a Marketing Fail. Creating content in Mandarin shows your respect, interest and dedication. Examples of concrete steps Create Mandarin Wikipedia version (if it does not exist) Assure delivery of your web content into China Create dedicated landing pages for Chinese prospects Create Mandarin language content sections on your website Ease into social media involvement with one tool at a time and build May 2012 23
More Recommendations: Building and supporting your brand awareness Be present with a professional, relevant, local language presence Support your off-line marketing with digital (and offline material) Become active in the social media conversation Create a positive voice, success stories remember that little information is published about most universities. So a negative voice can affect your reputation significantly NONE of these efforts alone will offset or replace your personal recruitment touch, the school s academics and student s success and your resulting word-of-mouth reputation May 2012 24
What are you monitoring? Actual comments on Ren Ren Negative online content regarding X University The city around X University is not a good place to live and get a job. X University is a place for nerds who know nothing but their academic studies. Students at X University have a great amount of pressure from their classmates as well as from the teaching/learning style of their college. It is very common for students at X University to stay up all night, and professors are just spoon-feeding the students. This last Ren Ren users concludes: If a student at X University works so hard but still can t be optimistic about getting a job, why should I choose X University? May 2012 25
Use Digital Analytics to Make Decisions Digital marketing is highly measurable. Analytics provide you with regular worldwide insights on your digital investments. Conduct a digital media audit to know where your brand stands. Do Chinese ISPs provide access to your site? How much of it? What kind of results come up on Chinese search engines? What are my alumni, prospects, parents saying about my school on social media sites? May 2012 26
Auditing Your Brand s Online Presence in China Find out which Chinese ISPs are able to access your website Understand what happens to your website s links to Facebook, Google maps, YouTube, etc. Evaluate comments on Chinese social media Alumni and prospective student activity Understand results from major Chinese search engines how people find you May 2012 27
Contact Michael Waxman-Lenz, CEO & co-founder, info@intead.com www.intead.com Intead internal research, documentation and services Information Sources Public sources and marketing partners: www.emarketer.com www.wearesocial.com May 2012 28
What We All Want More well-placed well-prepared international students May 2012 29
Thank you May 2012 30