Social Media:#UKimpression
Background
During the pandemic, the key target for our Chinese social media campaigns was Chinese students who were living in the UK, or who intended to study there. We focused on building relationships with the Chinese offices of many UK universities, to try to work with them to reach their large student followings on Chinese social media.
The #Ukimpression campaign was developed with the support of 7 universities and VisitBritain.
Activity
The students were invited on Weibo to submit a vlog about their first impressions of the UK. The best 8 were chosen to win trips on LNER. This led to the second stage of the campaign, where the vlogs were combined into a WeChat post which showed others about life in Britain. The campaign was fully supported by our partners with posts and reposts to their audiences.
Results
The original promotional post received 222k views, 56 reposts, 25 comments and 26 likes. LNER’s Weibo following grew by nearly 600 as a result of this campaign. The hashtag #ukimpression had 543k views and 246 relevant posts. The subsequent voting mechanism delivered over 1000 votes, and the WeChat post had 751 views, 12 likes and 61 shares.
Video Project: How to travel by train in the UK
Background
Primary research was undertaken by Guanxi to understand the barriers and opportunities for Chinese students when travelling by train in the UK. The insight helped inform the content of five ‘How To’ videos filmed fronted by a Mandarin speaking, British presenter called Max. Max has more than 3 million followers on Chinese social media platforms.
EP3: How do I find my train?
Activity
Five videos were made on board the LNER train, and at York station. The titles of the videos were
•How to buy tickets and get the best deal.
•The First Class experience on LNER.
•How do I find my train?
•On board – luggage storage, facilities etc.
•How to order food and drink on board.
The videos were shared on LNER’s WeChat account, WeChat Channel, Weibo and Little Red Book. Max also re-shared the content on his own Weibo. We also created a WeChat post containing all five videos and shared it with Chinese tour operators. Miki Travel, TKT Europe and ACE Travel reshared the videos with their own customers.
Results
Within the first month, the campaign delivered 599,049 views, 2257 engagements and 138 comments. Comments showed a high level or satisfaction amongst viewers, as they helped them understand the processes and made them more confident to book with LNER.
Guanxi – How We Can Help You
We specialise in marketing travel and tourism brands to Chinese customers, offering a comprehensive range of services tailored to this influential market. From cultural training and in-market PR to sales representation and social media activity, we help hotels, attractions, destinations, and businesses connect meaningfully with Chinese audiences.
Please feel free to contact us.