China has the largest population on earth, with over 1.4 billion people – that’s 18.47% of the whole population of the world! It’s clear then that making your business accessible to this huge market and economic force is a wise choice. But how do you go about breaking into this gigantic marketplace? Well, it all starts with communicating your brand to them in their language. Read on to find out how to expand into the Chinese market successfully and safely.
Top Things To Think About Before Targeting The Chinese Marketplace
- Your website needs to be localised to the country in both Chinese Simplified and Chinese Traditional. Not only the language, but your entire content such as video and images, as well as the colour theme to merge well with the Chinese culture and establish yourself.
- Create bespoke marketing material for example brochures and flyers. Don’t forget about Desktop Publishing and typesetting so you can have files translated with ease, such as AI, PSD and CDR type files.
- Consider the social media you’re going to use in the country, where Facebook and Twitter are banned, but instead communication tools like WeChat, Weibo, Douyin (also known as Chinese TikTok) and Xiaohongshu which are popular platforms used in China.
- Think about how you are going to find reliable business partners in China that can give you that strategic partnership for business meetings.
- How will you go about preparing ads with effective SEO in some of China’s biggest search engines such as Baidu and Sougo? Keywords can change according to the region, so you will need to know how to navigate this important part of China’s digital marketing.
Do’s And Don’ts Of Marketing In China
It can be hard to know the rules, regulations and customs of another country without someone there to guide you, so let’s take a look at some of the things you should and should not do when launching your digital marketing campaign in China:
- For websites to keep peace and order, never risk your site or social media account being taken down by making political statements or anything taboo. Remain neutral and always keep the focus on your business product or service.
- Choose positive colour associations like lucky red or prosperous gold when marketing your business. Avoid white as it is associated with death and sadness.
- Tailor your campaigns in line with national holidays such as the Chinese New Year, Lantern Festivals, the Mid-Autumn Festival and Double Seventh Day (Chinese Valentine’s Day).
- Who doesn’t love free marketing? By maintaining a good relationship with your customers they will be more likely to promote your business to their friends and families, especially during big holiday celebrations like Chinese New Year.
When you are attempting to conquer a new and exciting market like China, it’s always best to have a strategic translation partner like Elite Asia. We can boost your business presence by creating localised marketing content that is sure to appeal to your target audience in a way they understand. Get in touch today to kickstart your China digital marketing!
