IWOM – Internet word of mouth is a hot topic in China these days. The sheer number of social media users in China is staggering. The Chinese tend to pay attention to what celebrities and opinion leaders are doing and many take advice online from people they follow on social media websites like Sina Weibo.
This BBC report about a small restaurant in Brighton is a case in point. The owner of the restaurant at first did not understand why more and more Chinese tourists were coming in, becoming noticeably the most frequent customers. When he started asking, the answer was simple and amazing (for social marketers) – a Chinese celebrity chef had visited the restaurant and blogged about it on the micro-blogging site Sina Weibo. With his followers reposting many times, the name and location of the restaurant trended high on searches for restaurants in Brighton on the Chinese search engines. Most young Chinese are highly computer literate and would take time to research online every destination they plan to visit. When they looked for the ‘best restaurants in Brighton’, this particular one consistently came tops.
As proof of how social media in China can directly affect your business, this is a pretty good example.
