Since 2017, TONG Global has partnered with iQ Students to help the UK’s leading student accommodation brand engage Chinese students and parents – a crucial audience for its long-term growth.

What began as a simple social media activation has evolved into a full-funnel, multi-platform China marketing strategy encompassing awareness, engagement, and conversion.

iQ continually strives to tell its brand story to potential customers, building stronger direct booking channels while enhancing long-term brand credibility in China. The key goal was to deliver an authentic and consistent brand experience for Chinese students – from the first point of discovery to life as a resident.

1. Building a Robust Digital Ecosystem

Over almost a decade, TONG and iQ have worked together to build and enhance their digital presence in China, build a strong enquiry and conversion pipeline, and ensure that both short and long term commercial goals are reflected in the strategy. A key pillar of this strategy is social media – TONG established and continues to manage iQ’s presence across RED, Douyin, WeChat and Weibo – and ensuring consistent storytelling and brand voice across platforms. Paid advertising spans multiple Chinese channels, complemented by continuous Baidu SEO and SEM optimisation to strengthen visibility during key recruitment seasons.

2. Always-On Influencer Marketing

Recognising the power of authentic storytelling, TONG built an “always-on” KOC network that showcases iQ properties across cities and price points. In June 2025, lifestyle creator 赵百万在英国 produced a day-in-the-life video about an iQ property in Leeds, achieving 3 million+ views and 200,000 engagements across RED and Douyin. Her honest review reflected real student experiences – seamlessly highlighting iQ’s unique value proposition.

3. The Chinese Student Social Club (CSSC) and Ambassador Network

At the heart of iQ’s China strategy lies the Chinese Student Social Club (CSSC) – an award-winning programme designed and managed by TONG. CSSC connects thousands of Chinese residents across 50+ WeChat groups, combining digital community-building with regular offline events held throughout the academic year.

TONG identifies, interviews, selects, and manages a team of student ambassadors drawn from current iQ residents. These ambassadors host in-person CSSC events in their respective cities — ranging from group dinners and festival celebrations to partnerships with local brands such as food delivery and beauty companies. This decentralised approach ensures every event feels authentic to its community, fostering connection and pride among residents – boosting both current resident satisfaction, and creating a wide range of UGC on Chinese socials promoting iQ properties.

The CSSC, recognised with a Bronze Award for Community Development at the 2024 Digital Impact Awards, has become a cornerstone of iQ’s resident engagement — boosting satisfaction, retention, and organic social sharing across platforms like WeChat, RED, and Douyin.

4. Career Roadshows and Alumni Engagement

TONG supported iQ in the delivery of its UK-based career development roadshow – a series of events designed to inspire Chinese residents to plan their post-graduation futures.

Organised by iQ and an external agency partner, these events were promoted through the CSSC network, ensuring strong awareness and participation from current residents. TONG additionally sourced and briefed high-quality panelists, including Chinese alumni and former iQ residents who have gone on to work in diverse industries or launch their own ventures.

This initiative reinforced iQ’s role as not only an accommodation provider but also a long-term supporter of students’ personal and professional growth.

5. Insight-Led Optimisation

Regular WeChat-hosted surveys in Chinese capture feedback on everything from room preferences to amenities and budgets. As well as boosting re-booking numbers and friend referral schemes, the findings from the surveys inform both marketing and product development, ensuring iQ remains aligned with evolving student expectations.

6. Paid Media and Performance Discipline

TONG continuously monitors CPM, CPA, and CPE metrics across all advertising platforms, dynamically reallocating budgets to maximise performance. Beyond mainstream Chinese channels, the team explores non-traditional platforms reaching Chinese communities in the UK – ensuring comprehensive coverage across the full customer journey.

7. Building a Deep Partnership

Together, TONG and iQ’s teams understand the importance of developing a close relationship between the two organisations, as well as with other third party providers who play a crucial role in the student booking journey, or student experience for current residents. Through contribution to internal training for iQ staff, working across multiple teams, and open attitude to different collaboration formats, our joint team is able to meet emerging challenges, plan for the long term, and underpins the success of iQ Students in the Chinese market.

• 40,000+ followers on Chinese social channels
• Lifetime impressions exceeding hundreds of millions
• 1000s CSSC community members
• Market-leading cost per acquisition performance across paid media

Through this integrated and adaptive approach, iQ Students has achieved a seamless China customer journey – from awareness and discovery to booking and community participation.

iQ Students is now recognised as one of the most reputable and well-known PBSA providers among Chinese students in the UK. Its brand evokes trust, community, and student well-being – attributes strengthened by TONG’s ongoing local insight and execution.

Long-term success in China requires more than short campaigns. Through sustained commitment, cultural adaptation, and constant evolution, iQ Students has built a model of best practice for PBSA brands seeking to connect authentically with Chinese audiences.