As we all know, the Chinese market is a unique and independent market, it’s no surprise that this also holds true for the digital marketing industry.
Digital marketing in China is made up of a completely different set of online platforms, which can be intimidating for foreign companies who are just starting their Chinese digital marketing plans. Although these digital marketing channels are different from what corporates are used to in the Americas and Europe, there is no doubt that the development of digital marketing in China is very mature now.
Whether you’re a manufacturer trying to tap into the fastest-growing trillion-dollar economy or a B2B services company looking to partner with Chinese corporates, you can grow your business in China through paid and organic marketing.
Here are our top five suggestions for starting your organization’s digital marketing in China.
#1: Refresh your marketing collateral
Language is usually the first problem a brand faces when entering a new foreign market. Although China has become a very mature and international market, the use of English is still very limited, particularly in certain sectors. To thrive in China, it’s critical that you not just translate your existing marketing collateral into Chinese, but rewrite the content in a colloquial way that clearly resonates with this unique target audience and communicates your company’s key selling points.
Whether it’s your website, brochures, product catalogs, or social media posts, a clear and consistent voice is key.
#2: Customize your content
China’s too big and too diverse for a one-size fits all approach. As marketers, we have all heard of the importance of segmentation and personalization. While it’s easy to think of the Chinese market as one big segment full of opportunity, the reality is that it’s a very complex segment likely filled with many different buyer personas based on your products or services.
You can’t just repurpose your company’s existing content. To be successful in a foreign market like China, your organization needs to strategically recreate your content.
You must clearly understand who your company is targeting in China; what are the expectations of the target group(s); what is your brand’s unique competitive advantage in the market for each of these groups? What are your competitors doing? With all this information, you can begin to create quality content that is truly tailored to your Chinese audience.
#3: Optimize your website
Today, your website is one of your most important marketing assets. Apart from content translation, what else needs to be considered? Your website’s performance.
Your company’s website server should be a top consideration. In order to provide a better user experience to target customers in China, it’s important to test the performance of your existing servers.
You can also consider placing your Chinese website on a separate server in China – Alibaba Cloud web hosting works for many of our clients. It’s important to note that using a server in China also requires more work, as all websites on a server in China require an ICP filing or ICP Commercial License, which requires the company to have a registered subsidiary in China.
#4: Goodbye Google. Hello Baidu
Google is not available in China. Instead users search the web with Baidu, Sogou, Shenma and 360 search engines. According to the latest data, the top search engine, Baidu, has nearly two-thirds of the market share, with 67.09% of all search queries. The second and third largest search engines in China are Sogou and Shenma, with their market shares at 18.75% and 6.8% respectively in 2019.
Usually, when planning for search engine optimization and SEM projects, we recommend that companies consider Baidu first since it’s the major search engine in China. Foreign companies can apply for a Baidu ads account, which is essentially the equivalent of a Google Ads account – but the Baidu Ads interface is only in Chinese.
#5: WeChat is king
To start marketing in China, you must understand the influence of social media in this market. Even if you are a B2B business, WeChat is a very important platform for branding and lead generation.
WeChat is the most used social media platform in China. It’s functions include messaging, video calling, posts and corporate account marketing.
A common analogy is that WeChat has the communication function of WhatsApp, the social function of Instagram and Facebook, the customer service capabilities of Twitter, and the payments function of PayPal. While WeChat is a private social network for Chinese people, it’s also a place where business gets done. WeChat is used for personal life and work, which makes WeChat so powerful.
What can WeChat be used for? WeChat allows for the exchanging of messages between users and supports free calls. The messaging functions include text and voice messaging, broadcast messaging, video calls and conference calls. Other than the social function, WeChat can also be used for transactions such as payments, delivery service, transportation, e-commerce and even games. WeChat had over 889 million monthly active users in 2016. As of 2019, WeChat’s monthly active users have increased to an estimate of one billion.
For businesses, the establishment of a WeChat official account is essential. WeChat users can register as an official account, which enables them to push feeds to subscribers, interact with subscribers and provide them with services. There are two types of official accounts: a service account and a subscription account.
What’s the difference between a service account and a subscription account? Generally speaking, a service account is more focused on customer relationship management, while a subscription account is more focused on increasing brand exposure.
Here is a detailed comparison of the two accounts:
For companies that want to share daily content updates, we recommend a Subscription Account. For businesses that just need regular updates and customer relationship management, Service Accounts are often a better choice.
Conclusion
As you can hopefully begin to see from this quick overview, the independence of the Chinese market makes it truly unique from a marketing perspective. From language to culture to the remarkably fast adaptation of modern technology, overseas enterprises entering the Chinese market face significant barriers to entry – but where many firms face huge challenges, some reap huge rewards.
