Social media marketing in China is unlike anything you’ve ever seen: it is very different from the rest of the world. Since China doesn’t have access to Facebook, Twitter or Youtube (thanks to the Great Firewall of China), usually social media marketing techniques won’t work here. If you want to connect with the typical Chinese customer, you have to walk a mile in their shoes. And for that, you will need the tools to communicate with them efficiently.

What social media platforms do they use? Ever heard of WeChat? Weibo? Let’s start with WeChat. Did you know that about 877 million users sign into WeChat on a daily basis, which contributes to about 30% of all Chinese mobile traffic? Almost 60% of all WeChat users open the app at least 10 times a day. Needless to say, if one starts contemplating the various means of social media marketing in China (adstochina.westwin.com/social-media-marketing-in-china), the use of WeChat ranks the highest. This is just one of the top few social media platforms that play a significant part in the lives of Chinese consumers.

Social Media Marketing in China: What Does This Mean for Businesses?

Let’s really let this question sink in and take the example of WeChat for reference. This comprehensive app presents some stunning marketing opportunities for businesses in China. Not only does it offer the state-of-the-art services every app does, but it also has an intriguing marketing perspective. WeChat ads can be used to tailor a specific target market, which can then be used by official public accounts in order to stay in touch with the Chinese audience by posting relevant and gripping content. Isn’t it interesting?

Social Media Marketing in China: Beyond WeChat?

In case you’re a new business looking to tap into the Chinese market, here’s a tip: there’s no doubt that the first app to consider while thinking about social media marketing in China is definitely WeChat, given its wide popularity throughout the country. That said, there are other apps as well, such as:

1. Sina Weibo

This is basically the Chinese equivalent of Facebook and Twitter. It has over 361 million active users in a month. This site can be used by companies to post their unique content using photos, music, videos, and links, even links to external content. It also promotes a platform for engagement and communication to occur with desired customers.

2. Youku

Essentially the Chinese equivalent of Youtube, Youku is a massive video-sharing app used extensively throughout China. Companies that want to have a little fun create video accounts and upload relevant and intriguing marketing info in order to connect with their target audience: it works like a charm!

Reasons Why Social Media Marketing in China Is Pertinent

It has become rather apparent that the power of social media in China is immense. In order to increase your brand presence, you must have an active social media presence across various platforms. Now, let us talk about 4 specific reasons why marketing through social media is a must for every business that wishes to tap into the ever-expanding Chinese market.

1. Engagement is KEY

The one thing that is guaranteed through social media marketing in China is engagement, and essentially that’s what every business wants: to connect with their target audience. Over 55% of Chinese customers participate in online discussions about brands because they like companies that put themselves out there. They do not shy away from new, exciting opportunities, especially if it’s a foreign company. The importance of understanding a customer’s point of view about a brand using social media is undeniable and is one of the main reasons why social media marketing is such a hit in China.

2. Social Media Marketing is Persuasive

Remember that the power of social media marketing in China is 5x anywhere else in the world. People LOVE stories. Weave them tales about your brand, how they started out and how they are tailored to fit the typical Chinese customer’s daily needs. Make sure your content is captivating and most important, easy to relate to. Don’t complicate it or drown it in flowery language- keep it succinct and simple. Get to the core of their emotions. After all, nothing quite as persuasive as the power of social media marketing in China!

3. Key Opinion Leader (KOL) Marketing WORKS

Influencer marketing in China has become the next big thing as it continues on this booming trend. “Key Opinion Leaders” are making life relatable to the common man by engaging with them on social media through their posts and getting them to try different products and invest in different brands. KOL is most effective in China today because Chinese customers are loyal followers.

4. Shows Your Chinese Lifestyle

Finally, if you’re a business in China looking to expand or reach your target audience, be available on social media. This is the only way customers can find you and reach out to you.

The picture of young adults sitting in front of their computers playing video games is not the picture of sports that most people have in their mind. Nevertheless, esports are becoming big news, and sports leagues in their own right. That is one big reason to invest in esports marketing. It’s big money, and the number of brands who are feeling the excitement of this type of sports marketing is growing and building. That could be all the reason needed, but here are some more.

Why are brands so attracted and what are some of the other reasons for investing in esports marketing?

Not familiar with esports? Some people still think of electronic video gaming as kids trying to avoid their homework, or nerds in mom and dad’s basement, but it has become much, much more. These ‘kids’ are not kids, but professional players taking part in video gaming competitions in sports arenas with paying fans. And these players have fans, spectators, investors, and the whole thing operates as any other kind of professional sporting event. The players make money from sponsors, subscribers and by being as highly skilled as the more traditional kind of professional sports player. Brands are becoming involved in esports marketing for the same reasons that they might have invested in the top teams and players from the NFL, NHL, FIFA, or the NBA.

If this is new to you, there really are many good reasons to invest in esports marketing.

Reason 1 – The market. It is a fairly young demographic, and the eSports market is huge. Players and spectators, and even casual video game users, are part of the market that marketers would be investing in.  It includes professional players, as well as hobby players and fans. There are a lot of fans, and the hours spent daily watching, or playing, or looking up information on the games and players is staggering.

Reason 2 – There is a big opportunity for growth. As more people become aware of the potential, or just the overall entertainment factor, more and more, people are discovering the players, the games, and that market is just getting bigger. Brands are not only investing in the players, but there is investment potential in sponsorship, advertising and franchising, and in eSports marketing—just as there always has been in sports marketing. Reach the audience while they are live streaming on online platforms like Twitch, or YouTube.

Reason 3 – High user engagement. While it might surprise some to realize that people are willing to invest time and money to watch others play a video game, there are many people who do, and who will also purchase tickets to go to a stadium and watch live tournaments. The eSports marketing audience is highly engaged, and they give a lot of time to eSports every day.

Reason 4 – The audience. The audience that eSports marketers would be reaching with their advertising, or sponsorship is not just huge; its worldwide. No borders or boundaries, just an internet connection, and anyone can play or watch esports. And they are. Many of the players, creators, and their audiences are from Asia. CNN Business suggests that those who do choose to invest should not focus only on the North American market.

Reason 5 – It’s just getting started. Professional video gaming is fairly new in the sports world. There is a lot of information available to raise interest and show where it is coming from and where it’s going. Revenue is expected to reach $1.79 billion USD by the end of 2022. in addition, a talk at TedX called on the Olympics to consider including Esports in 2024! Watching this talk will give you an idea of the popularity and potential of esports marketing.

Esports is part of a minds ecosystem that includes more than just its young, international fans. The interested parties in the esports world include teams, tournament organizers, streaming platforms, game developers, and upcoming future fans and players. There is opportunity for investment and involvement from everywhere. Just check out Wikipedia’s page for professional esports leagues and tournaments. Esports marketing is an investment area that will give back with its dedicated fans, professional players, up and coming users, and game developers. There are big opportunities in all aspects.

Businesses looking to increase revenue will want to consider implementing a lifecycle marketing strategy. By hiring a lifecycle marketing agency to implement this strategy, your business can determine and address your target market’s needs.

An experienced lifecycle marketing agency should have the ability to understand your business’s target market in order to help you retain and grow customer value over the long-term.

Marketers who think long-term about their relationships with customers tend to experience greater ROI for their efforts. Rather than trying to constantly bring in new prospects, using lifecycle marketing to bring existing customers back again and again is the ideal situation. Hiring a lifecycle marketing agency to help achieve this will save you money because existing customers tend to spend more and are easier to sell to than new customers.

What is Lifecycle Marketing?

Lifecycle marketing aims to identify your target market’s needs as they evolve from prospect to customer to advocates. Each “cycle” gives insight into how contacts engage with a business’s content. In doing so, marketers can segment their database and make more data-driven decisions. By hiring a lifecycle marketing agency, businesses can prioritize the most engaged and interested contacts, entice them with relevant content and ultimately gain a new customer.

The “cycle” starts when customers educate themselves about your business (awareness) and become more engaged with your brand (engagement). The cycle continues as customers research what you have to offer and begin to compare it to other options (evaluation). Once the customer has decided to buy (purchase), the cycle, then uses additional promotions and re-engagement campaigns (post-purchase) and customer engagement (advocacy) to encourage repeat business, they thus start the cycle again.

It’s important to note that the lifecycle stages will differ from company to company because of sales cycle length, website content, and the complexity of your product or service.

Now that you understand lifecycle marketing, it’s time to find a lifecycle marketing agency to work with you. When considering hiring a lifecycle marketing agency, it’s important to ask these four questions:

Do You Have Proven Results from Past Clients?

Before hiring a lifecycle marketing agency, you’ll want to ask for referrals and results from past clients. Any reputable company will be pleased to share their successes with future clients. Past clients may not necessarily provide specific analytics, but they can at least confirm if they experienced a positive impact on their business and lead conversions as a direct result of the lifecycle marketing agency’s efforts.

If a lifecycle marketing agency is unwilling or unable to provide references, it could mean that they have not achieved anything significant to date. It could also mean that they do not have a solid reputation and should be avoided at all costs.

What is the fee structure?

A project could take six weeks or six months. Discussing budget and costs in the early stages is important in order to avoid any surprises. When hiring a lifecycle marketing agency, it’s also important to know if the agency charges by the hour or by the project (a set fee/retainer) – granted there will be instances when an agency will do extra work above and beyond the contract, which would result in additional hourly charges. Most businesses have a set marketing budget for the year, so ask the tough questions before hiring a lifecycle marketing agency. Ideally, you can find a lifecycle marketing agency that can work within your budget and also deliver results.

How Often Will You Send Us Progress Reports?

A lifecycle marketing agency should be able to provide you with performance updates. This shows that agency’s willingness to be transparent, and it is another indicator of process management. A good marketer keeps you informed about campaign progress and performance on the key performance indicators (KPIs) you agreed on at the outset. Thus, reports should be focused on those KPIs, and they should provide enough detail for you to tell that the marketer did some actual work, but not so much detail that you can’t make heads or tails out of it.

Whether you are a small or large foreign business, social media marketing in China is your best bet to reach the growing number of upwardly mobile Chinese consumers. However, since China has banned many of the leading Western social media platforms, you will need to sign up with their Chinese counterparts. Weibo, Baidu, and other social media companies dominate the online space in China and get nearly a billion daily views. By promoting your products or services on these social media platforms, you can increase your sales potential and derive great business benefits.

However, establishing your business brand in China and promoting it on Chinese social media requires a knowledge of the Chinese language and culture. You’re not going to make a dent in the Chinese market if you don’t know either. While you should certainly strive for language fluency, a quicker way is to hire a reputable social media marketing service for your business promotion. You should check their marketing experience and ask for references before you hire them.

Here are five facts you need to know about social media marketing services in China:

1. They will help you with official registration

Foreign businesses need the Chinese government’s permission before they can market their products or services on social media in China. The government will also keep tabs on what you promote in your social media posts. After you register for a social media account, you must submit a verification application and your business registration documents to a government authority. You must then pay the requisite verification fee. The process is tricky without Chinese fluency, so hiring a social media marketing service in China will help. They will assist you with creating and registering the social media account for your business.

2. They will assist you with language matters

You need to know the Chinese language to market your products or services in China. While there are many English speakers in China, the majority of social media users communicate with each other in local languages and dialects. It is not easy for foreign business personnel to pick up the language, although they ought to certainly make an effort to learn it for long-term gain. So, it makes sense to hire a social media marketing service to help them navigate their way around the Chinese market.

3. They will inform you about social media trends

You need to keep tabs on local social media trends and leverage those to promote your products and services. A China-focused social media service will know about local celebrities, fashions, music, films, dramas, books, and other popular cultural trends, and how to incorporate the top search terms about these in your social media marketing campaigns. By using these search keywords and phrases in your social marketing campaigns, you can increase your website traffic.

4. They will guide you on cultural issues

You need to be sensitive to cultural sentiments when promoting your products and services. Otherwise, you might end up offending and alienating your potential customer base. You could also find yourself in legal trouble with the Chinese authorities. A China-focused social media marketing service will advise you on the issues you can use for your business promotion and the things you ought to avoid.

5. They will channel your business to your target audience

You need to research the target audience for your products or services and segment them according to age, gender, likes, dislikes, and buying habits. The social media marketing service will gather and analyze the market data, and help you to incorporate the information in your business advertising campaigns. Furthermore, they will help you monitor your traffic trends and note which marketing methods are working and which aren’t. You can then alter your social media marketing campaigns to get better results.

By partnering with the right social media marketing service and engaging in consistent social media marketing, you can attract the right target audience for your products or services. Regular and professional interactions with this audience will assist you in building up a loyal brand following. And gaining access to one of the most vibrant economies in the world in this manner will, in turn, boost your sales and bring you business profits.

If you own and operate an eCommerce business; you need SEO to get more customers. You also need SEO to stay ahead of your competitors. But finding a spot on page one of a search result is not easy. It is even more difficult to get the number one spot on a search page. For a business to maintain its top ranking on a search page can be challenging by astronomical proportions.

If you are nowhere near the top ranking or the first page of a relevant search page then you need to improve it without delay. Not doing so can translate into huge losses for your eCommerce business.

Here are some ways to improve the SEO ranking of an eCommerce website.

Website Audit

Identifying the problems on your website is of great importance as it can help you see the existing problems. Unless you know the reasons for the low ranking of your website, you cannot implement the right strategies to improve it. You can hire a professional SEO company for performing a complete website audit and create the right plan for you. You can even hire the same company to perform all the tasks related to SEO.

For instance, local Frisco SEO companies can help your eCommerce website rank well for localized searches. If they have the team in place for national or global SEO then they can even help you expand the reach of your business further. But it all begins with an audit to check for the SEO work required or left to do.

Keyword Research

Keyword research is extremely important for businesses as these are the words used by potential customers to look online for products or services they need.

Every business needs different types of keywords relevant to their business. One keyword cannot be sufficient for the SEO needs of an eCommerce company. You will need keywords for all your product offerings in all categories. Your prospective customers must be able to find your website when they are looking for products in your business category. Otherwise, you risk losing business.

Keywords help in creating the content for your website as well as for the website’s right architecture.

Content Creation

Content such as blogs helps search engines to find your website as per specific searches. Quality content helps with higher rankings. Quality content is also what makes your customers spend more time on your website.

Relevant and good content also helps with content distribution on social networks. As more and more members of a social network find your business content and deem it worthy of sharing it with their friends and followers; it will help new people to find your business page and ultimately your website.

Website Architecture

The structure of an eCommerce website must be simple and easy to navigate. The pages must be optimized with the help of the relevant keywords to help your target customers to find them easily. Internal linking and good navigation aid website pages to rank higher on search engines.

On-Page and Off-Page SEO

On-page SEO is all about ensuring that the keywords are where they need to be on a page. Off-page SEO is all about external links, which help in providing more authority to a website.

Broken links or poor quality links are bad for a website. So, you need to collaborate with experts in your field and other authority websites for such links.

For on-page SEO for category pages, you will need to use the keywords in the URLs, body copy, images, and metadata. You need to do on-page SEO for your product pages as well by using a mix of keywords and content.

Local SEO

Many businesses own and run physical stores in addition to their eCommerce websites. If your business has a brick-and-mortar presence; then local SEO strategies can help drive traffic to your store. Through it, your website can also get some traction.

You can do so by partnering up with your preferred search engines in order to show up on local searches. You will also need backlinks from local resources.

You will need to tweak SEO strategies as per the unique needs of your eCommerce business.

According to reports, there are 1.112 billion active WeChat users which make this platform a gold mine for marketers. Here we have listed some effective WeChat marketing tips to engage users and get the best out of this popular app.

Get the Right Type of WeChat Account

WeChat offers different types of accounts like Subscription, Service and Enterprise accounts. Marketers should go for a Subscription account which is more like daily news feed.

The WeChat subscription account focuses on information and brand communication. It allows users to publish once a day to subscribers. Also, subscription account holders can publish 1-6 articles at a time.

After you have set up your WeChat subscription account, you need to get your account off the ground to connect with users. Here are 10 effective ways and marketing tips to use WeChat account for promoting your business.

Use QR Codes to Your Advantage

WeChat automatically creates a QR code for every WeChat account on the platform. You can also customize the QR code with your branding. WeChat app comes with an in-built QR Code scanner so users will not face any difficulties to scan your QR code and connect with your brand.

You can post these QR codes on different marketing channels such as social media platforms, brochures, product packaging, and brick and mortar stores.

Use WeChat Location-Based Marketing

WeChat apps can detect the location of users which helps businesses target potential customers nearby. The chat platform offers several features like Shake”, “Look Around” and “Drift Bottle that enables users to find the list of people around them and send them a message.

Use WeChat HTML5 Campaigns

WeChat accounts are capable of hosting pages built with HTML5. Businesses can use this feature to create unique and creative marketing campaigns and increase customer engagement.

Brands can create HTML5 campaigns with creative features like quizzes, games, voting, and more. This can encourage the audience to participate and brands can offer incentives such as gifts and discount coupons to people who connect with the brand.

Leverage Knowledge Opinion Leaders

Knowledge opinion leaders (KOL) are valued by WeChat users and brands need to leverage KOLs to connect with the audience. You can search for KOLs on WeChat and opt for a co-operation model where you create and confirm the content with KOLs who then publish on their official WeChat accounts.

Since KOLs have a large number of followers and trust and confidence of their followers, it can be useful to promote your brand. In recent years, KOLs have become one of the main drivers of WeChat marketing success for businesses.

Use WeChat Advertising

WeChat offers several advertising tools which are only available to official WeChat account holders. Prior to launching an advertising campaign, you need to create a good amount of content to ensure followers keep coming for more content.

WeChat offers three types of ads- KOL Ads, Moment Ads, and Account Ads. Though all types of WeChat ads are useful to marketers, WeChat moment ads are primarily used for marketing brands.

WeChat Moment Ads- These are similar to Facebook Feed ads. The minimum cost of activating WeChat Moment Ads is $7.50. This money can be used to buy ads with different targeting options. The price of moment ads varies and depends on factors like location and target audience group.

Start Loyalty Program on WeChat

Loyalty programs are a comprehensive approach to building long-lasting relationships with customers. These programs allow you to identify consistency and loyalty of individual and corporate customers. Loyalty programs can be supplemented by sending the latest news and exclusive discount offers to followers or granting special coupons, or gifting VIP cards to certain customers. The emphasis on loyalty program should focus on customers who have been purchasing your products and services for one or more reasons.

When you reward your repeat customers through a loyalty program, it motivates them to come back for purchases and also recommend your brand to their relatives, friends, and people they are close to.

The above given WeChat marketing tips enables you to use the WeChat platform to connect to the Chinese audience and increase engagement that first steps to make any marketing campaign successful. Do you have any questions about WeChat marketing?

It’s a good bet that you, or someone you know, is using voice-activated technology for all kinds of reasons. They are certainly very convenient, entertaining and incredibly useful when we don’t have our hands free. Statistics, already over a year old, say that voice activated-devices are already in cars, in the homes, and in the offices, of over 39 million Americans. That means that a voice marketing strategy should be in your future plans.

But if you have never worked with a marketing agency before, let alone voice marketing, how can you be sure that you will find the right marketing agency for your brand?

Before you start, however, be sure that both you and the agency are on the same page. Do you expect the same things from this newest, and still developing form of advertising and brand building? This is not marketing as you know it, and there are many questions and many things to understand about it. Like all marketing strategies, the digital marketing agency that you will be working with to develop your brand should be willing to take risks, but be safe. This means, knowing your character, your brand and your customer, so that you can understand how voice fits in.

Here are four questions that you should ask a voice marketing agency before you hire them.

1) How can a voice marketing agency connect me to my customers?

This question implies understanding and is one that you and the voice marketing agency should discuss together. One answer is that customers are using voice assistants because they want information right now, at a time when they don’t have hands or eyes free to find it themselves. That means that if your brand is the first one that comes up in the answer to the search query, then the customer is yours! They are not likely to look for a second choice if they like what they hear. This is one area where you and your voice marketing agency should be ready to think outside the box.

2) Where is voice marketing the most popular?

If a particular age group uses it more often then consider the types of incentives that would appeal to this demographic. In its way, this is where voice marketing and other forms of digital marketing are similar. The same questions should be asked, but expect the answers to be more focused. Consider what you have in addition to voice and brand that can be used as a hook to keep the customer when you have them. More of digital marketing these days is already moving into the local area and this is one area where a voice marketing agency can really help.

3) What does my brand sound like?

Ask yourself this question, and think it through. Voice is about character, tone, language and purpose. Consider these things when choosing the personality of your voice marketing agency. These four things answer the questions of who, how, what and why, and they will determine how voice marketing will be used to reach your customer.

4) Are you ready for the next step?

It is very likely that the better this technology becomes, the more people will be using it. In the future, your customer will be connecting with you and your brand in ways that we have not yet even considered. The way people search and interact with the internet is set for a big change. Voice marketing is a different form of advertising and it is changing the future of digital advertising.

Once you have discussed these questions with your digital marketing agency and have a good idea about where your voice marketing agency and your brand development strategy are going, you are ready to begin. Make sure that you like the way your brand is developing and it all sounds and feels right to you. After all, you are considering hiring a digital marketing agency because of the advantages that outsourcing marketing in the digital, information world can offer you. Be sure that you consider an agency that is willing and able to move forward into the future with you. It’s an exciting time to be in business!