Social Media in China is pervasive. The consulting firm McKinsey is putting a great deal of focus on Social Media in it's recent edition of the McKinsey Quarterly. McKinsey recently published this article on social media in China.
The authors explain the reasons for social media success and emphasize the broad impact of social media on buyers and purchasing decision in a whole range of sectors.
(see McKinsey-Social_Media_in_China ). The article focuses on consumer products and not education. From our experience, American academic institutions are still underestimating the impact of social media on their recruitment activities in China specifically.
Here is a little plug for one of our presentations highlighting the main social network sites and other aspects of the digital environment in China. http://bit.ly/KdColS
Students and parents in the U.S. have the ability to visit campuses, having first hand experience with various colleges. In the international markets, students and parents rarely have the opportunity to visit campuses prior to making a decision. As a result digital social media, rankings and paid college advisors play a crucial role in influencing the decison making process.
Yes, colleges and universities attend fairs and some visit high schools, but the choices are so overwhelming and the application process so complex, that single short conversations and visits by U.S. admission officers are insufficient.
