Op-Ed Contributors

Handle platform with kid gloves

By Li Guangdou (China Daily European Weekly)
Updated: 2011-04-22 09:49

Medium redefining how we communicate, report and market

Micro-blogging is fast emerging as the most widely discussed topic in China during recent times. With mass communication fast losing its credibility, more and more companies are now looking to micro-blogging for brand communication and marketing.

Micro-blogging is also emerging as the platform of choice for companies as it fits well with the Chinese tradition of guanxi, or dependence on networks or relationships. Such popularity also stems from the fact that not only is the word-of-mouth marketing more cost-saving, but also comes with added credibility in the form of direct communication.

The micro-blogging services help companies broaden their horizons and reach their target audience directly, while consumers have the choice to sift through the maze of promotional material and decide on what they want to buy.

That the medium has vast potential can best be gauged by the fact that leading multinational companies such as Dell are using it to promote and sell their products in China.

Dell realized that the traditional mass communication platforms were insufficient for the constant information updates that its products needed. Traditional media also called for huge investments in money and human capital.

The company realized that the answer to most of its problems would be Twitter and registered several accounts on the social networking website for its various divisions.

Using the platform, Dell sends regular tweets to subscribers about the latest deals for its refurbished machines, discount coupons and information about clearance sale events. Since its debut on Twitter in 2007, the company has notched more than 1.5 million followers and currently attributes about $7 million of its sales turnover from the platform.

Earlier this year, the company opened its Chinese micro blog on Sina Weibo. Since then, it has launched several campaigns to promote its products online and receives "hundreds of thousands" of visits and responses on a daily basis.