China Case Study: WPI’s Multi-Platform Digital Strategy

In today's competitive global education market, building meaningful connections with Chinese students and stakeholders is essential for universities. Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) partnered with Sunrise to implement a comprehensive digital marketing strategy and to improve its presence in China. This case study highlights how WPI utilized a multi-platform approach, including website development, WeChat account management, video campaigns on Bilibili and Xiaohongshu, as well as advanced China SEO, to strengthen its relationships with Chinese students and families.

Building a Strong Digital Presence: WeChat and Website Localization

Sunrise created a fully localized Chinese website for WPI, incorporating best practices and tailored design elements to ensure a seamless user experience. The website was mobile-optimized, providing easy navigation and access across all devices. We implemented floating buttons on key pages, which remain visible while users scroll, making it convenient to access application links at any time. The website's visual design prominently features WPI's iconic school colors and campus imagery, which highlights the academic environment and atmosphere of the institution.

Drawing on our extensive experience in website localization, we swiftly secured domain and ICP (Internet Content Provider) approval, ensuring that the website went live within a rapid turnaround time of just two weeks. This quick launch was possible due to our deep understanding of the regulatory process and our ability to navigate the approval process efficiently—a significant advantage of partnering with a company like Sunrise. 

Hosting the website on a .cn domain was essential for optimizing user experience within Mainland China. Without a .cn domain, websites hosted abroad can experience load times that are significantly slower, which negatively impacts user engagement and overall satisfaction. This is particularly crucial for Chinese parents, who play a vital role in the college decision-making process and often face language barriers when engaging with English-language content. By providing a fully localized website in Chinese, we ensured that Chinese parents could easily access the information they needed to make informed decisions about WPI's offerings for their children.

To maintain consistent and meaningful communication, WPI leveraged WeChat—China’s leading messaging and social media platform. Sunrise managed WPI’s WeChat official account by translating and publishing engaging content on a regular basis. These efforts resulted in a 30.89% increase in account followers, highlighting consistent growth in audience engagement.

Improving search visibility on China’s leading search engine, Baidu, was a key priority for WPI. Sunrise implemented an advanced SEO strategy to boost WPI’s rankings and optimize its web presence. 

Our strategy included optimizing WPI’s Chinese website and publishing targeted content on top educational platforms such as 21 Century Education (news.21cnjy.com), Xinhua Newspaper Net (xhby.net), China Online (China.com), and China Edu News (cnedunews.com). We also leveraged popular platforms like Zhihu and Xiaohongshu to reach broader audiences. Articles such as ‘Worcester Polytechnic Institute: An Ideal Starting Point for Fostering Future Leaders’ and ‘Worcester Polytechnic Institute: Cultivating Innovation Leaders through Project-Based Learning’ were prominently featured.

As a result, WPI’s content began appearing on the first page of Baidu search results for relevant news queries, significantly enhancing visibility and driving traffic. Notably, the article ‘Worcester Polytechnic Institute: A Hub for Internships and Employment’ consistently ranked on the first page, highlighting the success of our SEO efforts.

Targeted Outreach through Bilibili: Engaging the Student Audience

Bilibili, China’s leading video-sharing platform, plays a critical role in reaching younger audiences, particularly those aged 16 to 18. Sunrise launched a video campaign around 30 days for WPI on Bilibili, running in MidOctober. The campaign’s creative approach involved extracting key insights from alumni interviews and presenting them through fast-paced editing to create a short video effect that boosted both views and interactions. Additionally, the campaign featured a dedicated H5 landing page to further engage the audience, driving significant views and interactions..

Through tailored content for prospective students, the Bilibili campaign generated 1,830,682 impressions and 18,295 clicks. The campaign demonstrated strong geographic impact, particularly in China's major educational hubs. The top five cities—Shanghai, Beijing, Guangdong, Chongqing, and Shenzhen—showcased the highest coverage and click-through rates, aligning perfectly with key recruitment territories. This geographic spread highlights the campaign's effectiveness in targeting regions with high concentrations of prospective international students.

Xiaohongshu: Reaching Young Adults with Lifestyle-Centric Content

Xiaohongshu, also known as Little Red Book, is a popular lifestyle-focused platform that resonates strongly with young adults aged 18 to 22. Sunrise crafted a 20+ days campaign for WPI on Xiaohongshu. The campaign featured a mix of compelling articles, vibrant visuals, and an H5 landing page designed to engage Chinese students considering international education.

The Xiaohongshu campaign cast a wide net across various cities in China before refining its focus on top-performing regions. The results were impressive: 51,940 impressions and 2,518 clicks. By blending lifestyle content with insights into WPI’s academic offerings, the campaign effectively captured the attention of young Chinese adults seeking to advance their education overseas.

Comprehensive Video Production and Channel Management

To further enhance WPI’s outreach, Sunrise produced and localized video content specifically for the Chinese market. Video content plays a crucial role in driving organic engagement in China, as video results often rank highly in search engine algorithms, increasing visibility. Sunrise delivered videos tailored to resonate with the target audience featuring Chinese subtitles and covering a range of topics, including admissions information, alumni interviews, campus landscapes, and career fairs, providing comprehensive insights into WPI. The video production process involved a range of services, including content editing, translation, subtitling, and final production. This holistic approach ensured that the videos were not only visually appealing but also culturally relevant, helping WPI connect authentically with Chinese students and parents.

Conclusion

Sunrise's multi-platform strategy seamlessly integrated strategic content creation, targeted advertising, and advanced SEO techniques to position WPI as a leading choice for Chinese students. By harnessing the influence of platforms like Bilibili and Xiaohongshu among younger audiences and optimizing WPI’s presence on Baidu and WeChat, the campaign effectively boosted brand visibility, audience engagement, and lead generation.

This collaboration delivered measurable outcomes, showcasing the impact of a localized, tailored digital marketing approach. WPI’s strengthened digital presence in China represents a significant milestone in connecting with Chinese students and their families.

To learn more about how Sunrise can help your institution build a strong presence in China, contact us at contact@sieconnection.com.