What topics perform best with students on Wechat?

In the first half of 2022, with the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic in the UK waning, UK universities have intensified their social media marketing efforts and diversified their strategies.?

Within China’s unique social ecosystem, WeChat continues to be one of the best platforms to connect with Chinese students before, during and after their university journey.

As the leader in Chinese digital marketing for UK universities, PingPong Digital has just released our UK Universities WeChat Influence Rankings for the first half of 2022. We compiled and analysed WeChat data from 131 UK universities to see which universities are the most influential UK universities on the Chinese social media giant WeChat, and what are the hot topics in the first half of the year.

900 of the total 5,200 WeChat posts are customised works of PingPong Digital for our 40 UK university partners, a third of all UK universities with a presence in Chinese social media.

We’re proud that five of the top 20 most influential UK universities on WeChat are our partner institutions, three of which are among the top 10.

Based on our experience of working with UK universities, below are the six topics that resonated the most with Chinese students in the first half of 2022.

1. Chinese festival greetings

British universities are doing more to connect with Chinese students on a cultural level, and celebrating traditional Chinese festivals is one of the ways they are doing this. For example, many university principals are sending Chinese New Year greetings to Chinese students and stakeholders via special videos.

University-level communication channels, like official WeChat accounts, are the ideal place to release videos and engage with a wider audience. This will not only boost readership, but also increase the universities’ likability among a Chinese audience for the gesture’s cultural inclusivity.

Chinese New Year online lucky draw campaign, Loughborough University?

Chinese New Year digital campaigns, such as lucky draws, are also a great opportunity to interact with your audience. This past Chinese New Year, we partnered with a number of universities to organise an online poll, encouraging students and alumni from around the world to submit videos and images of their Chinese New Year experiences, and ultimately vote for the winner to receive a Chinese New Year prize.

Spring Festival user-generated content and lucky draw campaign, Bayes Business School

2. Building an emotional connection

Cherry blossoms on campus, University of Sheffield

Romantic festivals such as 520 Day (May 20) and Qixi (usually falling in August), both known as “Chinese Valentine’s Days,” are great opportunities for universities to give their WeChat content a human touch and connect with their audience emotionally. Sharing a sweet love story or a short poem about a memory on campus can be enough to resonate with students while showcasing campuses and the beautiful British scenery.

Valentine’s Day story, University of Birmingham

3. “Best of” roundup posts

Three fun facts about the University of Reading

Roundup-style posts generate a lot of viewership. On the one hand, they are clearly structured and easy to read. On the other hand, they are suspenseful and inviting to click on. They combine knowledge, experience and fun, making them very shareable on social media. However, this type of post is more suitable for accounts that are in operation for some time rather than young accounts, as it may require some aggregation of existing content.

Reasons to fall in love with Liverpool, University of Liverpool

4. Policy-related posts

Summer language courses announcement, The University of Leeds

Chinese students keep a close eye out for important information and official updates and often do so via social media (especially WeChat). Students, parents, and partner agents all pay attention to admissions policies, such as language courses, academic year, scholarship applications, the acceptance of Gaokao results, and clearing. Therefore, it is important to publish timely, accurate information. If students are impressed with the information you publish, they will become loyal followers on social media and may even become voluntary advocates for your institution.

Announcement about Gaokao results acceptance, University of Leicester

5. Rankings

SOAS announcement about university rankings

Multiple reputable university rankings have been released in the first six months of 2022, including QS, Times Higher Education and REF. These rankings are important information for Chinese students because ranking is one of the most valued factors in choosing a university. Universities should keep students updated on how they fare in such rankings to boost their influence.

Top 7 in research capability in REF ranking, Cranfield University

6. Celebrations and milestones

ICMA 30-year anniversary, Henley Business School

Anniversary celebrations are a major point of interest each year but are often overlooked. This is not limited to large-scale events such as centenary celebrations, but also smaller retrospectives such as anniversary celebrations and faculty celebrations, which review the school's history, present its heritage and evoke a sense of belonging among alumni.

122nd anniversary celebrations, University of Birmingham

While these topics performed best in the first half of 2022, any engaging, well-designed content has the potential to succeed with Chinese students. However, given that travel restrictions between China and the UK have not yet been lifted, official media outlets are still advised to consider the interests of Chinese students in advance when publishing various teaching arrangements and arrival notices to avoid a PR crisis.

For more information about PingPong Digital’s UK University WeChat Influence Ranking, please contact us via email at: [email protected]