PATA Micronesia Board Secretary
It’s not all about Facebook and Instagram in Asian countries. Our destinations are comfortable with the usual twitter, Instagram and facebook platforms given that a majority of our Governments are either U.S. Territories, or under some sort of agreement with the United States. However, our source markets don’t all come from the 50 states. We’re all very familiar with the aforementioned social media networks in the western world, but some of these channels are not available in the world’s largest markets that we’re used to seeing on our shores: China, Korea, and Japan. China, Korean and Japan have created their own social media platforms that are consistently growing year after year.
So, how do you connect and market to these customers? The quick list below outlines some of the more popular platforms that are in use in those countries.
CHINA
WECHAT: With around 1.2 billion active users, WeChat is one of the most popular social media platforms in Asia. Features messaging, social media, brand awareness, call and video call features, payment services, city services like food taxi and medical appointments.
SINA WEIBO: Asian Social Media Networks. Over 500 million it is often seen as the most influential social network in China. Similar to Twitter, It enables you to post short sentences with a maximum of 2000 characters with images, videos, and games. One of the more successful marketing platforms in China.
YOUKU: China’s version of YouTube.
JAPAN
LINE is a Japanese messaging app that is popular across Asia. Similar in offerings to WeChat with a focus on the Japan market.
KOREA
SNOW: South Korean messaging and multimedia app that is gaining popularity in its photo sharing capabilities.
NAVER: South Korea’s version of Google. An all-encompassing search engine that will connect you to evolving marketing applications within its sytem.
These are just a few of the more popular social media apps in Asia. Engage your customers on different levels. If you’d like to know more, please contact our PATA Micronesia Marketing Committee at [email protected]