Public organisations try integrated approach to social media

As social media channels grow in popularity, non-commercial organisations are starting to take notice

In a country where 464m people, roughly a quarter of the population, use smartphones, public sector organisations are beginning to adopt social media channels.

The CPC has opened its official Weibo account to surprising popularity, with over 100,000 people following them within the first two hours.

Social media is gaining popularity with local officials too, who see the platforms as a clear and open way to communicate with residents.

SNS platforms can also have a larger scale social impact in times of crises too. After the Ya'an earthquake earlier on this year, the Chengdu Fire Control unit posted a micro-blog update the was shared some 60,000 times.

Similarly, the Chengdu Military Quarter also ran a campaign during the 50 days following the earthquake, which also attracted 316,000 followers.

The key difference between Weibo and Twitter is that the former provides tools for uniting a number of different social media platforms. Weibo allowed users to link in their WeChat instant messaging service as well as other tools, like Google Finder. The result led to 561 victims being reunited with their families.

Combining Weibo accounts with location services would help lubes marketers alert social media users to localised deals quickly, allowing them to capitalise on promotions and trends.