Online Marketing to China (A Step-by-Step Guide 2022)

“Online marketing”  aims to help every brand /Company to develop their Visibility and promote their product and service in China in 2022…. 

1. Search Engine Marketing 
2. Social media Marketing 
3. Reputation / PR / influenceur Marketing 
4. E-Commerce in China 
5. online Advertising in China 

Which apps should you use to promote your business in China ?

WeChat

In 2022, WeChat video is really popular.

For what type of company ?

WeChat is a must when doing business in China, so to be honest we believe that every company/brand wishing to evolve on the chinese market should have a WeChat account regardless of the company’s size.

Why you should use this app ?

The app started out as an instant messaging app but now has developed an incredible ecosystem where its users can perform a plethora of activities such as ordering food, to booking movie tickets, ordering a taxi and so much more. But the most interesting asset of this app is its huge number of user, indeed the app accounts 1.2 billion monthly active users (2020) !  Which make up for quite a consequent potential consumer base. companies have the choice to : 

• HTML5 campaigns
• Wechat advertising
• Mini-programs

Weibo

Weibo in 2022 has more restriction and has cutted many accounts.

For what type of company ?

For the same reasons as with WeCHat, Weibo is also a must when building and operationg on the chinese market. 

Why you should use this app ?

Weibo is basically an open social media platform much more so than Wechat, where people not only post, share and interact with each other but also get updates on trends and news. This is the place for content to go viral and for KOLs to build their online communities. An interesting feature on Weibo is the huge advertising oportunities it offers companies in order of advertising, indeed companies have the choice to : 

• Post relevant and attractive content
• Videos & Livestreaming
• Embed E-commerce platforms
• Stories

MaFengWo

For what type of company ?

Any comapny operating in the Travel and Tourism and industry !

Why you should use this app ?

MaFengWo is a chinese social-media-travel platform where users gather to share, write and read travel guides, reviews, tips and all kinds of informations regarding destinations, hotels, activities, weather, shopping, places of interest etc…MaFengWo and its rich user-generated contents is an important place to advertise your brand and the services that you provide.

Qyer

For what type of company ?

Any comapny operating in the Travel and Tourism and industry !

Why you should use this app ?

QYER was originally an online travel community for overseas chinese travelers for them to share their experiences and tips about traveling around Europe. However over the years, the online community has evolved, nowadays QYER’s products include everything a traveler needs, from a travel community to a big data-based trip planning tool, to an e-commerce platform. So this platform as well is a great place to advertise your brand and the services that you provide.

Douyin / TikTok

For what type of company ?

Douyin / TikTok is a great way to gain recognition among chinese consumers, and get them to talk about you. This app is particularly useful to launch or start build an online reputation, so this platform would prove useful start-ups or brand new companies.

Why you should use this app ?

In the past years, Douyin / TikTok managed to become one of the favorite social media platform in many countries even outside of China. The key to its success is not only the use of a new format, the super short videos, but also the possibility of editing videos with numerous tools and filters. This element has been able to stimulate the creativity of the users.

Key of Online Marketing in China

In China, the major online giants aren’t Amazon or Facebook, but rather WeChat and Alibaba. Those who want to be successful in the Chinese market have to be successful on the Internet.

With, nearly  800 million Chinese, more than half of the entire population is online, China is the world’s largest Internet community. If brand want to integrate the Chinese market, they have to use the web and social media and understand the country’s usage habits because Chinese love social networks.

KuaiShou

Kuaishou is a short video platform quite popular in Chine in 2022. It reach 2nd and 3rd tierce cities.

BIliBili

It is a long video platform quite similar to youtube. It is very impacting because video are longer.

Branding & Communication

International company coming to the China should have a strong strategy that clearly defines their products and provides the information to their target audience. Company must also study this market to truly understand the expectations of the Chinese regarding new products.

The purchasing power of Chinese costumers is built around WeChat and Weibo because social media take part of daily life of population. With social media development, brands can only engage Chinese consumers through strong marketing strategies on these social media platforms. The best way of reaching out to them is only through online channels via smartphones.

Brands have to develop products online, by creating Chinese websites using the Chinese search engines. Because the Chinese access products online through their smartphones, there is a greater mobile traffic benefit for brands.

The Great firewall is blocked western digital companies such as Amazon, Google… actually makes a brand more present on domestic platforms offering a large infrastructure for reaching Chinese consumers in China. Brands should really consider the Chinese audience, learn how to attract them and choose the best way and language to approach them.

Follow the rules of the Chinese Website

Even though WeChat is important, every company should have its own website for the Chinese market. Company hosting websites need ICP Licenses and registered entity in China, however, it can be done in Hong Kong with transfer hosting to mainland China.  SEO Baidu prefers websites inside China rather than external content from outside. Marketing can be based on pay-per-click [SEM PPC], click-per-mile [CPM], cost-per-click [CPC] and any other process adopted by the search engines.

A brand can choose mobile App, mobile marketing, content marketing, email marketing or any data management marketing for the Chinese internet industry. Social media in China offers large marketing opportunities using accounts to do business with WeChat, JD and Tmall.com.

A brand can buy an e-shop from JD or Tmall and start online marketing either as an individual or in a merchant partnership. Online marketing in China can be in the advertisement sector by blogging or banner display using key opinion leaders to promote brands. There are so many marketing opportunities in China depending on the goal of the brand.

Be Visible and engage Customers

The best way for company to attract target audiences is on social networks.  An agency can help and promote the brand by creating platforms within China or partner with the existing social media platforms like Sena Weibo, Wechat.

Brands can also advertise by paying for pages on Baidu in order that when followers click on these advertisements, they could reach your website. The choice of the relevant keywords will highlight strategic points and show the brand’s skills.

Brands can develop the website’s content, value and structure of SEO keywords to attract Chinese consumers. The website must be interactive, regularly updated with new pages and advertisements to make it engaging as users change very fast.

Pages should carry several key touch points to attract users’ attention. With patience and constant visits, you can then expand to other platforms as users know where to find your branded products.

WeChat or nothing

WeChat is the most populare app in China. it represents WhatsApp, Facebook, Wallet, Webshop, and much more in one. Many Chinese use exclusively wechat pay for all their transactions. WeChat has over 900 million active users in China.

Naturally, the integration of the app shouldn’t be missing in an online marketing strategy. Everything is constantly put online on social networks in China.

Mobile first

The smartphone is a big importance, it takes part of the Chinese daily life. They can do everything just with this device. More than 90 percent of Chinese online uses the internet with their mobile phones. According to state reports, nearly 780 million smartphones were used in China in 2016.

A big part of online shopping also takes place via smartphone. Consequently, the company website should also be optimized for mobile use in China.

TMALL

Tmall is the number one Sale channel in China, and the best way to promote and sell your products in China.

Never forget Tmall in 2022

Read also:

• Chinese Tourists in Malaysia: Guide for Tourism Professional
• Airlines in China : Most Effective Marketing Strategy

Online Marketing to China We Can Help you

Online Marketing Agency in China

*We are specialist of Online marketing in China. Our Services for Brands include:

• Placing brands on paid search engine advertising pages like Baidu
• Developing online marketing strategies
• We design, construct and host websites in China or Hongkong
• Using Chinese social platforms (WeChat and Weibo) to market brands
• We promote and manage digital marketing
• Improving brands visibility in China for over four years.