There is no way to go but up for China's trillion-dollar economy. To seize this market, businesses can leverage on digital marketing. However, Chinese social media platforms such as WeChat are not simply "China's Facebook". They have a more complex ecosystem, demanding a strategy that is rooted in the values of the global Chinese consumer.

To be effective in China digital marketing, businesses must think global yet act local.

Why is China an attractive market?
China's rise as a global economic superpower has fueled Chinese consumption. Rising incomes have created greater demand for goods and services, making China a land of business opportunities for both domestic and foreign players. Also, China's Gen Z — the largest Gen Z population in the world — is quickly becoming an important demographic, forecasted to account for over 46% of purchases in the global market by 2025.
How can I do digital marketing in China?
One of the world's largest consumers of technology, China also boasts the highest number of mobile users. It has more than 800 million internet users, which surpasses that of the European Union and the United States combined. With digital largely enmeshed in consumers' lives, market entry in China therefore requires a deep knowledge in navigating its rich and complex digital ecosystem. This includes its unique "superapps," as well as its billion-dollar online influencer industry — a major driver for conversion.

In the past ten years, China's marketing environment has gone through immense change. Along with the digital shift, superapps like WeChat became so intrinsict in China society, that it is now key for brands to build solid customer relationships in the Chinese market.

Is influencer marketing necessary in marketing my business to the Chinese audience?
Online influencers, known as KOLs or Key Opinion Leaders, play a crucial role in China more than anywhere else in the world. More than 60% of Chinese consumers respond to online influencers, compared with 49% in the US and 38% in Japan. In China, where 80% of the world's counterfeits come from, consumers are said to be tired of falling victim to fakes. This is said to be the reason why Chinese consumers have grown reliant on endorsements from KOLs. China's KOL economy is valued at a whopping 58 billion yuan, or US$8.6 billion.
Is WeChat marketing enough to promote my business to Chinese audience?
WeChat is undoubtedly China's most popular messaging app, commanding over one billion users per month. However, China's digital ecosystem goes way beyond WeChat. It is centered on three internet and e-commerce companies: Baidu, Alibaba, and Tencent (which gave birth to WeChat). The big three constantly injects fresh capital to startups, resulting in the rapid growth of its digital ecosystem. Aside from WeChat, there's also Weibo, Douyin, and Zhihu, and other incumbents that could eventually surpass their predecessors.

Our Services

Social Listening

Tracking the popularity of a brand on social media by analysing information on brand sentiment, campaigns, trends, and even crises.

Owned Media Setup and Management

Setting up and managing your account on social media platforms, including content planning, maintenance of the account, and creative development.

Social Media Marketing

Developing activities aimed at influencing your target audience's behavior and perceptions, such branding awareness activities, KOL marketing, or lead generation campaigns.

Search Engine Marketing & Optimisation

Increasing visibility on search engine results pages via organic and paid methods to capture your high-intent audiences.

Social Media Advertising

Creating and implementing clickable ads to reach target audiences across various platforms.

We have delivered

100+

Social Campaigns

Including WeChat marketing campaigns

30+

Social Platforms

Managed, including Weibo, WeChat and Douyin

300+

KOL engagement for clients

Covering multiple social platforms such as Zhihu, Weibo, WeChat and Douyin

1,750,000+

Followers

Across our clients' social channels

500,000,000+

IMPRESSIONS

Delivered across various social media platforms

Why work with us

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We understand your needs

We have extensive experience in helping international clients venture into the China market.

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We know China's marketing ecosystem

As each client's needs are bespoke, we conduct indepth in-market research on your target audience, competitive landscape to inform our strategy.

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We create award-winning work

Because we have created numerous award-winning campaigns for our clients, we understand the world of social and create compelling social content to capture the Chinese audience.

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We deliver results

We work closely with clients in tracking success, from setting reasonable KPIs to diligently measuring results.

Frequently Asked Questions

How different is the consumer decision journey in China?

As an emerging global leader in e-commerce, China is increasingly blurring the lines between online and offline. Consultancy company McKinsey identifies the following consumer decision journeys in China:

  • Purely online (8%)
  • Touch-and-feel offline, purchase online (4%)
  • Truly omni-channel (49%)
  • Evaluate online, purchase offline (32%)
  • Purely offline (7%)

As consumers shift towards a more seamless buyer journey across both digital and physical channels, brands will need to define their omnichannel journey and strategise their digital marketing journey accordingly.

Can you livestream on WeChat?

While WeChat Official Accounts can only post image, audio and video formats, brands can broadcast live by way of Mini Programs, an H5 page, or a menu link. As of August 2020, WeChat launched a grayscale test for its group live broadcast function, a feature that might soon be rolled-out.

What is the difference between WeChat and Weibo for enterprise marketing?

WeChat and Weibo are both effective means of promoting an enterprise in China, but they vary in scale. Weibo is a public platform, which means it drives "public domain traffic." It is suitable for media and spreading news, where there is large number of no-follow users to interact with the brand. Meanwhile, WeChat is a one-to-one social platform, suitable for accurate delivery of information, where more information is transmitted to a group of connections. Weibo tends to spread social information, and the speed of information dissemination is extremely fast. WeChat tends to act as a social network, focusing on maintaining the loyalty of users. Therefore, for enterprise marketing, Weibo is more suitable for brand exposure, maintaining public relations and media relations, while WeChat is suitable for enterprise information push, as well as customer relationship maintenance.

What type of WeChat Official Account is best for B2B enterprises?

There are two types of WeChat Official Accounts: Subscription Account and Service Account. For B2B enterprises that want to use WeChat for digital marketing and customer acquisition, WeChat Service Account is the best choice.

B2Bs often rely on online/offline seminars, information dissemination, or quality content sharing (such as white paper, solutions, clients cases, etc.), as well as different marketing activities, etc. These involve a very important function of a WeChat Service Account — channel QR code. The Subscription Account does not support the function of channel QR code.

Contact forms are one of the most important ways for B2Bs to drive WeChat marketing leads. Subscription Accounts do not have a complete data management capability. WeChat followers' visits on the web and their further actions (such as submitting forms, page sharing, etc.) cannot be identified and tracked.

What is the difference between B2B and B2C marketing in China?

Clients of B2B enterprises are marketing personnel, who purchase on behalf of the organisation. Thus, all marketing is committed to meeting their needs, interests and challenges in their professional arena.

Meanwhile, B2C enterprises deal with individual consumers, not professional buyers or marketing personnel. Therefore, B2C digital marketing should target this audience's needs, in in their daily life.

In summary, B2B audiences seek professional knowledge from brands, and, driven by logic and finance, prioritise ROI. This differs from B2C audiences, who are more likely to be emotionally-driven, demanding marketing content that are interesting and relevant to their lives.

What is WeChat Mini Program feature?

WeChat Mini Program is an application that doesn't need to be downloaded and installed on a mobile device, and relies on WeChat's big data. Compared to a regular mobile app, WeChat offers portability as one of its major advantages.

WeChat Mini Programs provide similar services as regular apps, such as hosting online learning classes, product displays, news subscriptions, etc. With the gradual improvement of the live broadcast function into the WeChat Mini Program, enterprises and users alike would undoubtedly be given a deeper brand experience.

How do I increase my followers on social media platforms like WeChat or Weibo?

While advertisements drive traffic to an enterprise account, brands can leverage on different digital marketing channels to launch personalised QR code, through an official website, blogs, forums, or a Mini Program; or even offline through physical store branding, brochures, posters, outdoor advertising, product packaging, and etc. A consistent and rich social conten strategy is essential to continuously engage with followers and thereby expanding follower base.

How to stop losing followers on a social media enterprise account?

It is important to ensure a consistent and engagement content strategy is in place to retain and engage followers. Here are some best practices to ensure follower retention:

  • Understand user behaviour and observe real-time user data on the social platform and identify key metrics and trending topics to inform your social media strategy.
  • Create personalised customer journeys according to followers' interests and reading habits to provide engaging content for followers.

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