Chinese students are the fastest-growing group of international students in the world. According to Statista, around 703,500 Chinese students left China to pursue overseas studies in 2019, making China the largest country of origin for international students. The pandemic may have significantly affected Chinese students’ plans to study overseas initially, but it didn’t diminish their long-term interest. China just lifted Covid related restrictions within the country recently. Undoubtedly, the international education market will see a huge spike in Chinese outbound students in 2023.
However, while Chinese students are increasingly looking to study abroad, it can be challenging for international schools and universities to attract them. Therefore, content marketing is extremely important for international schools.
Content marketing can be used to promote any product or service but is especially effective when it’s targeted at a specific audience with a clear need. In the case of attracting Chinese students, your content should be directed at prospective students and other stakeholders, and it should address their specific needs. The best way is to develop a content marketing strategy to help you reach them with the right information at the right time. Here are some tips:
1. Create a Chinese website (that is optimized for SEO) and make sure it’s mobile-friendly.
This is a no-brainer, but it’s still worth mentioning. Most Chinese use Baidu as their primary search engine. Creating a Chinese website optimized for SEO by using SEO-friendly keywords, tags and titles will help increase your visibility on Baidu. Also, the number of smartphone users in China amounted to almost 1.04 billion, so your website must look good on smartphones and tablets.
2. Use social media channels like WeChat and Weibo to connect with prospective students and parents directly.
WeChat has become an essential part of people’s lives in China. It is estimated that there are more than 1 billion WeChat users in the country. As such, it would make sense for any international schools or universities looking to market themselves to Chinese students to have an official WeChat account to communicate with prospective Chinese students interested in studying at their institution. This includes posting relevant content to the students, sharing information about their university, and answering questions about applying.
Moreover, more and more people are starting to use the search engine within WeChat. The WeChat search engine enables its massive user base to look up content available within the platform. So, a strong WeChat presence is crucial for any institution that wants to make it in China.
3. Create regular blogs/vlogs to share content relevant to the stakeholders.
Blogs and vlogs are the best ways for international schools and universities to connect with prospective Chinese students and parents alike. By creating content that caters specifically to their interests and needs, you’ll be able to increase interest in your institution while also providing them with valuable information about studying abroad in general.
For example, you can create a blog that features posts about life on campus and student life abroad in general. This gives potential applicants an opportunity to get to know you better before applying; it also helps them understand what it’s like living in your area or city so they can decide if it would be a good fit for them personally as well as academically.
Depending on your audience, requirements and budget, you can feature these blogs/vlogs on your WeChat, WeChat channel, Little Red Book or Douyin.
4. Choose the right platform for your different types of content.
It’s important to remember that different platforms have different audiences and purposes. Weibo is great for personal connections. Douyin or WeChat Channel, on the other hand, are better for educational content and testimonials from current students who love your program.
To do it right, you need to determine your target audience. Are they on WeChat, Little Red Book or other social media platforms? Are they reading articles, listening to podcasts or watching videos? Once you know where your potential students are, find out what kind of content they like to consume and how often. For example, suppose your target audience is undergraduates looking to further their research study overseas. In that case, it makes sense for you to publish content in your research capacity in a podcast or video interview format and post it on WeChat Channel.
To help you identify the right platform and content formats to use at different stages of engagement with stakeholders, we create a ‘Student Recruitment Funnel’.
