- Alicia Sigmon
How Schools Can Set Up a Verified Weibo Account
Using Chinese Social Media In Student Recruitment
Register for a Verified Weibo account to reach Chinese students on the most popular micro-blogging site in China!
Table of Contents
Introduction to Weibo
Sino Weibo, commonly referred to as Weibo, is the most popular micro-blogging site in China. It’s more or less the Chinese equivalent of Twitter.
As of 2021, Weibo had about 573 million active users, with 62 million more users than in 2020. With a verified Weibo account, schools can reach potential students through this trending platform.
Schools can create official verified accounts. With a verified account, schools can post videos, images, and text in an official capacity, demonstrating trustworthiness to students and parents.
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Weibo Account Types
To apply for a Weibo account, there are two initial types of accounts: personal and company accounts. Regardless of the type of account, you must verify your account to be able to use Weibo marketing features, such as analytics, and to show prospective students and parents that your account is verified.
Once you have a verified personal or company account, you can then apply to upgrade your account to a VIP account for additional features, such as pinning posts to the top of a page or editing posts after publication.
See the table below for a list of features for each type of account.
Verified Personal Account | Verified Company Account | VIP Account |
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Application Materials
Applying for a verified company account is more complicated than applying for a verified personal account due to the many documents required for a company account. If you do not have the requested materials for a company account verification, you can apply for a personal account and upgrade to a VIP account.
To complete your application, you will need the following documents:
Verified Personal Account | Verified Company Account | VIP Account |
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Cost
To sign up for Weibo, a verified company account costs 1,000 USD. The agency Nanjing Marketing Group states that there is no fee for schools. However, to ensure that you do not have to pay a large fee, you can instead sign up for a verified personal account and then upgrade to a VIP account for only 17 USD per year.
Verified Personal Account | Verified Company Account | VIP Account |
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Steps for Schools to Register for a Verified Weibo Company Account
Here is a step-by-step outline for schools to create their own verified Weibo company account
1. Begin Registration at Weibo’s “Official Registration” Page
To register for a Weibo company account, visit Weibo’s Official Registration page here. First, confirm that you are in the “Official Registration” tab. If your page is in Chinese, go to the bottom right corner of the site and select English as your language before beginning the registration process.
Next, input your email, password, nickname, location, and verification code as directed on the page. You do not need a Chinese email or phone number to register for an account. If you are using a non-Chinese phone number, you should register with your email and then activate the account with your mobile number in the next step.
2. Activate Your Account
When you click “Sign Up Now,” you will be prompted to confirm a phone number to activate your account. Weibo will send you an activation code by text.
3. Activate Your Account by Email
After verifying your phone number, you’ll also need to verify your email.
4. Update Your Account Information
Next, you will need to create your profile, including a bio and a profile photo. This will help attract prospective students and their parents.
5. Verify Your Account
Verifying your account is the most important step because it shows prospective students that the information you post is official and trustworthy, and it gives you access to all of Weibo’s features. It is also the most difficult step because you will need to send the requested documentation directly to Weibo or work with a third-party company:
Business license
Authorized application letter
Authorized purchase order (template provided during application)
Authorized Weibo community convention (template provided during application)
Business card of a school representative
Official website link
A brief company introduction
Companies must pay a 1,000 USD fee. As an educational institution, your registration might be free. If you follow all these steps and provide the necessary instruction but are still required to pay the fee, you can instead apply for a personal account and then upgrade to a VIP account. The verification process usually takes about 6 weeks.
6. Upgrade to a VIP Account
To upgrade your verified account, you’ll need to pay the annual 17 USD fee upon registration. The golden crown next to VIP account names makes your account more visible and trustworthy to prospective students and parents.
Steps for Schools to Register for a Verified Weibo Personal Account
If you are unable to apply for the company account or do not want to pay 1,000 USD, you can apply for a verified personal account and then upgrade to a VIP account. The steps will be very similar to applying for a company account, but you will need fewer documents to verify your account:
ID (passport or driver’s license)
At least two of the following
proof of employment
a business card
proof of belonging to the school
You can find the personal account registration page here. If your page is in Chinese, go to the bottom right corner of the site and select English as your language before beginning the registration process.
You do not need a Chinese email or phone number to register for an account. Follow each step and submit the required documentation. Once your account is verified, you can upgrade to a VIP account for 17 USD for access to more features and increased visibility.
Conclusion
Whether you apply for a company or personal account, verified accounts help you share official, reliable information with prospective students. Once you have your verified account, applying for a VIP account will provide you with additional features and increased trustworthiness to promote your school to students and parents. With Weibo, you can reach a wide variety of students across China.
To simplify and speed up the verification process, you can alternatively work through a third-party agency like Nanjing Marketing Group or AdChina.io.
For information on how to sign up for WeChat, see our piece How Schools Can Set Up a WeChat Official Account.
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Our platform features more than 1,200 organizations and reaches millions of students across China.
Click here to learn more about getting your institution online and how eduFair can help you reach students in China.
