As you may have gathered in our previous blog posts, WeChat is a marketing channel you don’t want to sleep on if you want to boost your profits by reaching an all-new market. 15% of the world’s population is on WeChat in 2021, and it presents a whole host of opportunities to reach this audience.
WeChat advertorials are a top-tier strategy to turn your readers into customers by drawing them in with interactive design elements paired with a compelling, non-promotional story. If you’re unsure of what a WeChat advertorial is, we wrote a blog post about it and would recommend starting here.
The most significant difference between a press release article and an advertorial is that advertorials are “soft” content, which means they are less formal, more engaging, and creative.
As advertorials are more for general targeting, drawing in your audience by addressing relatable issues or talking about trending topics is an effective strategy. It keeps readers’ attention and increases likelihood they will continue to read the full article — which concludes with your product information.
If you’re in the real estate industry and want to write an advertorial about a new project you’re wanting to promote, a creative and engaging topic angle is super important. As you can imagine, this type of content can sometimes come across as dry, especially to those who aren’t in the market for a new home. To attract a wider range of readers (even those that aren’t currently in the market), you’ll want to choose a topic angle that is relevant to more than just this audience.
We’ve put together a list of 13 topic angles WeChat real estate marketing experts use to get more views, shares, and registrations.
1. Real Estate Data
There’s something about numbers that gets people’s attention — one eyetracking study found readers’ eyes are drawn to actual numbers because they represent facts. Housing issues & real estate investments are some of the top concerns for Chinese immigrants on WeChat, and these data can remind potential buyers to not miss out on the best opportunities.
2. Social News/Government Policies
Talk about recent local news, or global trending topics in your advertorial — for example in our current landscape Covid-19, vaccine development, travel restrictions, working from home, new immigration policies, etc.
3. City Development
City planning and future development discussion will trigger the audience’s interest in learning more about real estate developments in those regions — for example in Vancouver, the regions Lougheed, Brentwood, and Surrey are up-and-coming.
RC at CF Richmond Centre
4. Leisure Activities
Highlighting amenities and fun things to do in the community demonstrates its vibrancy and as the ideal place to settle down. For example, highlighting popular restaurants in the area will draw in the foodies in the audience.
5. Storytelling
Everyone loves a good story — it helps you build a deeper connection with your audience, injects a human side to your brand, and increases trust. For instance, stories about overseas Chinese students, immigrants, and parents who accompany their kids to school in Vancouver, or the experience of home-hunting can attract your target audience’s attention.
6. Immigration Discussion
Sharing discussions about problems related to immigration life can attract people to read more since it is a sensitive and resonating topic for new and potential immigrants.
Tesoro
7. Tips
Sharing ‘insider’ tips in listicle format can spark curiosity. For example, how to choose a good location to buy a home, things to look for during the purchasing processes, pointers for staging and decoration of the interior, etc can come across as exclusive and generate views.
8. Festivals/Holidays
Topics that are related to popular holidays like Lunar New Year, Christmas, New Year’s Eve, Moon Festival, Valentine’s Day, Double 11, etc can increase people’s interest as holidays are culturally shared by many and relevant to the time of year.
9. Entertainment/Celebrity News
Celebrity news can easily attract people’s attention — especially when it’s positioned as an endorsement for your project. For example, highlighting that a celebrity lives in your community will pique the interest of others with the chance to be neighbours with them.
Wood & Water
10. Hot Topics/Trendy Social Language
Beginning the article with trending terms, social language, and hot topics in China can resonate with audiences and make it more fun to read, for example:
凡尔赛：’Humble bragging’ — people who inadvertently show off their achievements, luxurious lifestyle, or purchases
打工人：Office employees that have a hard life with long working hours and low pay, often used in a sarcastic or humorous context.
网红：Internet or social media influencer
11. Awards & Recognition
Talking about award recognition for a city or a community is a good way to prove that it is a perfect location for a home purchase. For example, Steveston has been named the best neighbourhood in Metro Vancouver in a CBC online contest in 2020 and we used it to show that Georgia in Steveston is such a coveted home development in Metro Vancouver.
Georgia
12. Educational Resources
Chinese parents are known for their strict parenting style and are willing to invest in a good education for their children. Talking about educational resources and institutions is a great way to convince readers that buying homes in these communities will benefit them for future generations. For instance, top private schools in the Vancouver Westside or great universities in Metro Vancouver, etc. can draw in this audience to learn more.
13. Real Estate Comparisons
Topics like “Which home around the world can you afford with 1 million dollars?”, or “$1 million homes in Beijing vs Vancouver”, can entice readers to learn more about what these homes might look like and therefore attract clicks.
In Conclusion
When it comes to advertorials, writing engaging and creative content begins at the headline and continues throughout the article to keep your readers’ attention all the way until the end. With all the content out there, choosing appropriate and compelling topic angles is the key to success when it comes to WeChat marketing — especially in real estate.
Contact us today to learn more about how our experienced in-house WeChat content specialists can help you reach a Chinese audience, generating brand awareness and increased sales.
