What is Baidu Zhidao

Baidu Zhidao (百度知道) literally means Baidu Knows is a Chinese language collaborative Web-based collective intelligence by question and answer which is built and run by Baidu. Like Baidu itself, it relies on self-censorship in order to keep in line with government regulations. It uses user-generated content and is moderated by platform administrators. Any content related to pornography, commercial advertisements, or direct personal attacks are routinely removed.

The test version was launched on June 21, 2005, and turned into release version on November 8, 2005. In essence, Baidu Zhidao is a question-and-answer-based platform, similar to Quora or it’s ugly cousin – Yahoo answers.

A registered user asks a question in which other members are promoted to give answers using credits as a reward. In the meantime, these answers focus on the search result of the same or relevant questions. That is how knowledge is collected and shared.

Question and answer together with the search engine makes it possible for a member to be a producer and a consumer of knowledge, which is often referred to collective intelligence.

Unlike Baidu Baike, the entries in Baidu Zhidao can be manipulated much easier. Large number of entries are questions and answers often created by the same person using multiple accounts. The platform also often turns to a battleground between brands. It is often too easy to damage competitors’ reputation by posting negative content about their specific brand or product.

Baidu Zhidao Marketing Options

First step in marketing with Baidu Zhidao is to research what type questions, that are relevant to your company, have already been asked or answered on the platform. Then you should try to provide the most objective and informative answer with the goal to get upvoted and ranked higher.

Needless to say, it is never a good idea to disclose the fact that the answerer may be associated with that particular company. Obviously, answers from non-biased participants would enjoy greater degree of trust compared to “corporate” ones.

Just like with Baidu Baike, marketing with Baidu Zhidao can also involve Baidu display ads. While there is no guarantee that your ad will show up for relevant search terms, it is still important to update the setting in Baidu Tuiguang (Baidu Adwords) account and adjust the bidding to maximize those chances.

The post Baidu SERP: How to Take Advantage of Baidu Zhidao Marketing first appeared on Sampi.co.

The post Baidu SERP: How to Take Advantage of Baidu Zhidao Marketing appeared first on Sampi.co.

As China’s largest search engine, Baidu handles approximately 3.3 billion queries per day. In comparison, Google is only slightly ahead with 3.5 billion queries per day globally. Unlike Google, vast majority of Baidu searches come from China.

While Google’s top search results often feature links to Wikipedia, the top results of Baidu searches are very likely to show links to Chinese equivalents of Wikipedia – Baidu Baike along with another high authority site, Baidu Zhidao. Both of them also happen to be Baidu properties.

Considering how the search results on Baidu are structured, it becomes important for brands to have content published on those platforms. If relevant, such content has a good chance of getting some exposure in Baidu top search results.

Let’s have a closer look on those platforms and marketing opportunities with Baidu Baike.

What is Baidu Baike

Baidu Baike (百度百科), which literally means “Baidu Encyclopedia” is a Chinese language, collaboratively-built, web-based encyclopedia that is owned and produced by the Chinese search engine Baidu. The test version was released on April 20, 2006 and within three weeks the encyclopedia had grown to more than 90,000 articles and surpassed the number in Chinese Wikipedia. From January 2018 Baidu Baike has more than 15.1 million articles.

Baidu Baike also contains food recipes, film products, internet programs and video games, as well as their encyclopedic content. However, unlike Chinese Wikipedia, Baidu Baike never gives a strict definition of the difference between an encyclopedia entry and a dictionary entry, which is why there are many explanations about diction and common phrases.

When it comes to locally registered companies, a lot of information is generated by Baidu automatically. There are some data that can be updated manually but the company must first claim the ownership of that page in order to edit it. All updates are subject to approval by platform’s administrators.

All editors need to register an account before editing, and administrators filter all but the simplest edits before they go public. A phone number registered in mainland China is needed to register a new account.

Baidu Baike Marketing Options

There are two main routes for marketing with Baidu Baike. First, the company should claim their page to get editor access to it. This will offer an opportunity to make such page more informative. However, the editor must first register with the real name and local phone number and provide company’s authorization to the platform.

The second method of Baidu Baike marketing involves using Baidu display advertising to increase chances that the company ad would be shown with the relevant search entry. This route requires a company to register Baidu advertiser’s account.

The post Understanding Baidu SERP: Increase Exposure with Baidu Baike Marketing first appeared on Sampi.co.

The post Understanding Baidu SERP: Increase Exposure with Baidu Baike Marketing appeared first on Sampi.co.

Here are some of the examples of the most common questions:

• When it comes to China B2B marketing, what tools are the most effective?
• Is it critical to establish B2B company’s presence on Chinese social media and if so, which platforms are the must have?
• How can companies re-purpose their existing campaigns on traditional Western platforms for Chinese market?

In this post we have attempted to consolidate our answers to those questions in an easily digestible Q&A format.

China B2B Marketing Q&A

Q1: What is the significance of digital marketing in the China B2B (Business-to-Business) market?

Chinese workforce is very well connected digitally, hence reaching it via those channels is an effective way to engage with the decision makers at all company levels. A lot of communication is taking place within WeChat, both on one-to-one basis as well as in the groups. Taping into that space can prove extremely beneficial for brands selling products to other companies.

Q2: Are there any differences between B2B and B2C?

Yes, some digital platforms are less suitable for B2B, however that would also depend on the type of business you are in. B2B sales process is generally longer and involves more than a single decision maker while this is usually not the case for B2C. Since there is practically no impulse buying in B2B, the marketing should focus on stressing product’s benefits and establish trust rather than relying on the emotional appeal.

Q3: Should companies manufacturing and distributing industrial goods invest in digital marketing activities – in general and especially in the Chinese market?

Yes but, perhaps, not to the same extend as B2C companies. Depending on the niche, B2B companies should invest in quality content that can be distributed to the target audience via WeChat or company blog.

On the other hand, digital marketing helps to establish brand reputation which goes a long way in developing trust, a critical component in B2B sales.

Q4: What are the most important instruments of digital marketing in China in relation to industrial goods?

In our experience, the most effective tools for such companies are WeChat official accounts, search engine marketing and email marketing. They can target potential buyers at different levels of the sales funnel and, if done correctly, will complement and leverage each other.

Q5: Should all these instruments be used in parallel or does their use depend on product group and target group?

Depending on the niche, some channels can be more of less effective. It also depends on where the potential customer is in the sales funnel: SEM is best for finding new business while WeChat and EDM are best for getting repeated business and strengthening brand image and reputation.

Q6: What hurdles do B2B companies have to overcome if they want to start digital marketing activities in China to reach their target group?

It is unrealistic to only rely on digital tools to grow business in China B2B marketing context. Direct marketing and trade shows should be used in the combination with online platforms.

Both digital and offline methods should ideally complement each other and be a part of coordinated strategy. For example, a sales person meeting with a client should have that client’s email recorded in the email database that will be later used for targeted email marketing campaign (with their permission of course). At the same time, that same sales person should also encourage a client to follow company’s official WeChat account, so he or she will be included in a more extensive long term WeChat based marketing effort in the future.

Q7: What is your opinion on data protection with regard to the collection of personal data using digital marketing tools?

Chinese are generally less concerned with privacy compared to Westerners but there are relevant laws and regulations that must be followed. Cybersecurity law that was adopted about 1.5 years ago is very detailed and fairly complex. Companies who collect and store personal data must make sure to stay in compliance with the law or face heavy penalties.

Q8: Which digital marketing instruments should be part of a strategy for the Chinese market and why?

The big ones are WeChat, Weibo and search engines like Baidu and 360Search. WeChat presence is a must for most brands, but Weibo is more suitable for brands that have a social element in their marketing approach. Baidu and 360Search are used to target potential customers early on in their search or discovery stages.

Q9: Is there a need for a different digital marketing strategy for the Chinese market than, for example, for the European or American market?

There is no direct equivalent to WeChat in the Western markets, and there are no direct parallels with Twitter or Facebook in China. Each Chinese platform is a combination of some of those features. Therefore, copy and paste of Facebook/Twitter marketing to those channels would probably not work.

Brands should familiarize themselves with pros and cons of each platform and adjust their strategies accordingly. For example, the requirements for content size, style and formatting are different among those services and may be suitable for different purposes.

Q10: What approach do you recommend to newcomers to creating a digital marketing strategy in B2B for the Chinese market?

Newcomers should start off investing in SEM and WeChat marketing in combination with traditional direct marketing which is aimed at building networks of business contacts at traditional offline events such as trade shows.

If a foreign company is at the beginning of their journey in Chinese market, they will be better advised to outsource such efforts to professionals.

Q11: How important are defining the target group, analysis and selection of suitable measures and instruments for the creation of a suitable digital marketing strategy?

B2B companies usually have a good idea of who their customers are and what they are interested in. Therefore, detailed definition of target audience like it is common in B2C (psychographics, behaviors, interests etc.) is often less relevant when applied to China B2B marketing context.

Q12: Where do you see opportunities but also risks here?

Prevalence of digital tools in China presents a unique opportunity to have a direct access to customers and engage them on a constant and intimate basis as long as the company can offer good value with their content.

The risk is mainly over-reliance on digital tools neglecting traditional “offline” methods that are still the most effective in building business networks and develop brand trust in China B2B marketing environment.

The post China B2B Marketing Success: 12 Most Common Questions first appeared on Sampi.co.

The post China B2B Marketing Success: 12 Most Common Questions appeared first on Sampi.co.

In the second part we are going to look at each of the remaining communication channels:

Email

Email communication is one of the preferred ways to communicate with your customers in China, also being the most convenient method to maintain contact with your existing clients. While many Chinese may feel embarrassed of the low level of their oral English communication abilities, they would feel quite comfortable discussing the same issues in the written communication.

In fact, most business people in China today have a very decent level of written English making it preferable to direct phone calls. Email is a great way to follow up on meetings and provide more details after initial contact. Make sure to write your emails in plain language and avoid long sentences to keep it more readable.

Websites

Having a localized website is essential for promoting your business in China, a country with the estimated 400 million email users. Localization of your website requires a well planned effort with the most important aspect of it, translation, discussed in our previous post.

 92% of Chinese internet users use some sort of social media platform making it essential to maintain your presence there as well.

Having professionally designed, modern looking website may also set you apart from most Chinese based competitors that tend to have messy and cluttered sites. Remember, that your website is probably the first place an interested client will go to after meeting your for the first time.

Social Media

92% of Chinese internet users use some sort of social media platform making it essential to maintain your presence there as well. Sina Weibo, Chinese micro blogging platform and WeChat, mobile network, are by far the most popular of those services. The great thing about Weibo and WeChat is the ability to spread your message instantly and directly to your followers’ mobile devices.

Once you’ve setup your Weibo account, make sure to put its URL and QR code on your printed and digital marketing material and encourage your customers to connect (WeChat is different from Weibo in that way).

LinkedIn is currently not as popular in China as the alternative professional networks, we will review those services in subsequent posts.

Face-to-face meetings

Personal connection still rules in Chinese business environment. Taking time to personally visit your customers is one of the best investments you can make.

Insist on accompanying your sales people, your agent or distributor on their visits even if you don’t speak any Chinese. If you make a presentation, make sure that someone from your company, who knows the material, provides proper translation.

Phone calls

While phone calls can be of limited use if your clients have a difficulty understanding your English (or your accent) they still can be an efficient way to keep in touch with those who do speak it well enough. However, with the proliferation of instant messaging, where one can control his/her availability, calling someone’s cell phone directly may seem less considerate.

Great mobile instant messaging services, such as WeChat, could be a great way not only to communicate but also to spread your marketing message as well.

Post (Regular Mail)

Mailing printed material is one of the least efficient ways to communicate in modern times and China is no exception. In B2B marketing settings, mailing information by post is quickly losing its value and I’d advise to avoid it;

Relationship and Networking

Chinese guanxi remains important in Chinese business environment, although the whole concept can be alien to many foreigners. Guanxi refers to one’s network of personal relationships in a business context. The concept of guanxi also implies that business relationships can often transform into personal friendships, and indeed many Chinese business people consciously spend a great deal of time and energy nurturing such relationships. This can take the form of banqueting, evening entertainment or gift-giving – activities that can seem onerous and unnecessary to many Westerners.

As Matthew Harrison and Mark Hedley of B2B International write in their white paper: “Although such networking and relationship-building is clearly important to the sales process in China, there is a tendency among some commentators to overemphasize its importance when trying to penetrate the Chinese market.

As in any market, building strong relationships is extremely important to achieving market success, although guanxi is no substitute for a strong product offering or a trustworthy supplier. What Western companies sometimes have difficulty coming to terms with is the way in which this trust is gained, and the time it often takes to convince the customer that yours is the product or service that meets their needs. The overriding piece of advice for Western companies would be to understand the importance of establishing relationships when targeting Chinese companies, and to be prepared for the patience required for this.”

The post Targeting Chinese Companies: Part 2: Communication Channels first appeared on Sampi.co.

The post Targeting Chinese Companies: Part 2: Communication Channels appeared first on Sampi.co.

The following conclusions are primarily based on our B2B marketing experience in China as well as the research by Matthew Harrison and Mark Hedley of B2B International.

Exhibitions and Conferences

Exhibitions and Conferences are one of the most efficient ways to establish the first contact and help maintaining brand awareness in the market. Largely seen as a waste of time and money by Westerners, trade shows enjoy huge popularity in China with their number growing every year.

Obviously, setting up a trade show presence is one of the most expensive marketing promotion events but it is essential at the introductory stage and is great to establish the first contact. Cost can also be kept lower if you decide to partner up with another company, your agent or distributor. You don’t need to have a grand booth with lots of square footage to make an impression but an attractive and memorable design is very important.

Your spending time and money on trade show presence also would help to convince potential buyers that you are committed to the local market and are here to stay.

Well designed posters, strategically positioned video monitors and nice gifts to your visitors can go a long way in bringing traffic to your booth which is, ultimately, what you want at a trade show.

As Matthew Harrison and Mark Hedley of B2B International noted in their white paper:

“Chinese visitors would feel much more comfortable dealing with a company that they have seen at the exhibition, even if it was just a first introduction. Your spending time and money on trade show presence also would help to convince potential buyers that you are committed to the local market and are here to stay.

It is also worthwhile remembering that exhibitions are an indirect form of marketing and seldom result in immediate sales leads in the short term. The benefits of attending such exhibitions can seem frustratingly intangible to Western companies, since there is no way to assess their true impact on sales. It may be the case that Chinese business people are culturally disposed to over-emphasize the importance of trade shows and exhibitions, although it is also the case that companies that fail to attend key exhibitions can create a negative impression with customers just by virtue of being absent.”

Vast majority of the trade shows take place in 1st tier cities: Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen and Guangzhou but recently, more and more of them are getting organized in 2nd and 3rd tier cities as well.

Here is a great resource listing nearly all exhibitions, trade shows and conferences in China: http://www.eventseye.com/

If you are contemplating your first trade show in China, this is what I suggest to consider in advance:

1. Always go for the largest and the most attended show in the primary location of your customers;
2. Make a booking as early as possible as good spots are gone very quickly. Some organizers sell the spots by bidding which you, or someone from your staff, has to attend;
3. Visit the show a year earlier to get the feel of it. Look for the most interestingly looking booths and inquire about their building contractor who you contact later;
4. Quality of the booth building could be a major problem, so look for a reputable contractor in advance and monitor their progress during the actual construction by being on site all the time;
5. Make sure to have enough souvenirs for your visitors – some cheaper ones, like pens, as well as more expensive ones for selected customers who take their time to ask your questions and seem genuinely interested.
6. There is nothing more frustrating that running out of souvenirs and handouts before the show is over, on the other hand, if you still have a surplus – you can always use them next year or at another show;
7. Prepare your marketing material (brochures, datasheets etc.) in Chinese with smaller quantities in English for international visitors;
8. Choose a “featured product” and build the entire theme around it. Focus on one message you want to convey and avoid confusing your visitors (especially those who don’t know you yet) by being all over the place;
9. Instruct your staff to keep an eye on the competitors by not offering them your material and handouts. Eventually, they will probably get what they want anyway but why make it easy?

The post Targeting Chinese Companies: Part 1: Trade Shows, Exhibitions & Conferences first appeared on Sampi.co.

The post Targeting Chinese Companies: Part 1: Trade Shows, Exhibitions & Conferences appeared first on Sampi.co.

First of all, in B2B settings, many stages of this cycle run concurrently rather than sequentially: request for a quote can be issued before all the potential suppliers are contacted and shortlisted or the spec is finalized. Back and forth nature of the buying process means that, in many cases, a customer expects its suppliers to be a part of the requirement definition and even writing a spec.

At times, this apparently hectic process, may simply look like lack of professionalism, which in some cases may just be the case. This often causes Western companies to become frustrated and withdraw too early, much to the delight of local competitors. First implication of this situation would be realization that persistence and patience are crucial in dealing with Chinese businesses.

Western companies are often viewed as very professional when it comes to their product but not flexible enough to be willing to modify their offers to solve a specific business problem.

Second implication can be defined as an expectation of partnership type of relationship with a potential supplier. Chinese companies regard their suppliers as subject matter experts, those who probably understand the technical need better than anyone else and are willing to provide the most suitable solution to their customers.

Western companies are often viewed as very professional when it comes to their product but not flexible enough to be willing to modify their offers to solve a specific business problem. They are often seen as the type of supplier that can’t be a true partner or a long term solution provider that goes much beyond the sale itself.

Chinese competitors are typically much more aware of this aspect of a purchase decision and are willing to adapt their offer to precisely fit the needs of their customers. Most importantly, provided a local competitor has the solution, they are much more patient in their approach, willing to listen and understand precisely what is expected from them.

What would I advise to a Western company? Based on my own experience, I’d simply recommend to act local – adopt local ways of doing things, never get frustrated and always project your willingness to become a partner, not just another supplier. When you meet your customer, don’t just talk about how great your product is – take time to understand what exactly the problem, that they are trying to solve, really is and then adjust your offer accordingly.

Another advice I’d give is always be willing to help to your customer with your expert knowledge. For example, you could offer to come or send an expert to analyze their process that may help them to solve a specific problem. In my company, we sometimes offer free audits that result in a professionally prepared report that summarizes our conclusions regarding process improvement and recommends solutions. Unsurprisingly, besides of obvious benefit of building trust, such approach may give you plenty of opportunities to steer your customers in the direction that benefits you as a supplier as well.

Always remember that choosing a supplier is almost always about minimizing the risk, therefore building trust is the sure way to accomplish that.

The post How to Succeed in B2B Sales in China first appeared on Sampi.co.

The post How to Succeed in B2B Sales in China appeared first on Sampi.co.

The following presentation by Sampi Marketing was presented at Shanghai Entrepreneur organized by Entrepnr this month.

5 features of the most effective China email marketing strategy

Here are the five features to incorporate into your China email marketing strategy:

Instead of a sending out a typical email blast, you should invest in message diversification. It is best achieved through mailing list segmentation:

Here is the message diversification model. Top of the pyramid offers the best conversion rate on your message:

Most effective way to achieve message diversification is through marketing automation:

Here is view of the evolution of email marketing messages by Movable Ink:

Some of the features of dynamic/agile messages can boost campaign’s efficiency. Dedicated designs for mobile is one of them:

Another underutilized feature of dynamic/agile messages – interactive and rich media embedded in the content:

It is important to be able to deliver the message at the right time accross different time zones. This is achieved with the send out time optimization, standard feature of most email marketing platforms such as Mailigen:

Lastly, it is possible to monetize your mailing list. This option is not for everyone but something to be aware of:

Dynamically generated ads can be served with your China email marketing messages:

Here is the full presentation on Slideshare.

The post 5 Features of Most Effective China Email Marketing Strategy first appeared on Sampi.co.

The post 5 Features of Most Effective China Email Marketing Strategy appeared first on Sampi.co.

First and most recently, Viadeo, the LinkedIn competitor, has decided to pull the plug on their Chinese site called Tianji.com. In its recently released announcement, Viadeo explained that the move was necessary in order to consolidate their resources on more profitable sectors, such as their home French speaking market, both in France and in other francophone countries.

Although, Tianji.com has reached 25 million users, the development resources required to maintain and expand the platform just weren’t available, according to the company.

Then there were significant challenges related to platform adaptability to mobile which would require even more investment.

Finally, following recent economic slowdown in China, Viadeo has failed to secure the local partner or a strategic investor who would help to develop the network further.

Tianji.com’s service has already been stopped leaving millions of registered users out in the cold.

Another one of the major Chinese professional networking sites, Ushi.cn, has also called it quits early this year. Ushi has been designed to resemble LinkedIn in both layout and functionality, although it failed to attract enough users to be able to compete with larger networks. The service has been shut down without any announcement. Estimated 2 million users, many of them foreigners who were looking to build networks in China, have seen their efforts in building profiles and connecting with others wasted as well.

On the other hand, US based LinkedIn has been slowly gaining momentum in China, perhaps also learning from the mistakes of the competitors who tried to build Chinese professional networking sites on top of their existing platforms.

First, LinkedIn has managed to secure significant investments from with Sequoia China and CBC (China Broadband Capital). Second, it was successful in getting support from both Tencent, the company behind WeChat, and Sina Weibo – two largest social networks in China. For example, WeChat and LinkedIn profiles can now be linked which can potentially boost LinkedIn exposure to mobile users.

Finally, unlike Google and Facebook, LinkedIn has agreed to play by local rules. User generated content will have to comply with censorship regulations in the same way it works with other Chinese social networks through combination of automated filters and human censors.

Also, some of the popular LinkedIn tools will not be available to Chinese users. Those will include automated cross postings via Twitter, creating and joining groups, posting long essays and participating in online public discussions. What would LinkedIn look like without those features remains to be seen.

Other Chinese professional networking sites

Other Chinese professional networking sites still seem to be around. Two of the most popular ones, Dajie and Renhe are still live and doing well. Dajie, the largest of them claims to have over 32 million registered users vs. Renhe’s 7 million. Both sites have also expanded their mobile presence with apps for Android and iOS.

The post Chinese Professional Networking Sites: Who is In or Out first appeared on Sampi.co.

The post Chinese Professional Networking Sites: Who is In or Out appeared first on Sampi.co.

In the last 3 years, online advertising revenues in China have been growing at the rate of about 40% on year to year basis and show no signs of slowing down in 2015. According to iResearch, it is projected that this year, the total market will reach 216 billion yuan (almost $40 billion), up from 154 billion yuan in 2014.

Advertising with search engines is still the most popular choice (36.6% of the market), followed by ecommerce ads and brand graphic ads (banner advertising) at 24.1% and 17.2% respectively.

In those two categories, the leading providers are Baidu which holds about 60% of search engine market and Taobao, one of the ecommerce properties of Alibaba.

The infographic also features the results of surveys which were intended to find out what type of improvements users would expect in China digital advertising market in the future. One third of the respondents would like see more correlation between the ads and their interests. This further underscores the need for marketers to learn more about their target audience in order to improve their advertising ROI.

Here is the full infographic:

China Digital Advertising Market

The post China Digital Advertising Market: Infographic first appeared on Sampi.co.

The post China Digital Advertising Market: Infographic appeared first on Sampi.co.

To this end, the understanding of brand building power through digital and mobile communication and knowing how to effectively insert themselves into the ongoing conversations are crucial and major factors; especially for any company aiming at the Chinese consumers.

According to a report by McKynsey, consumption will account for 43% of total GDP growth by 2020, compared with a forecast contribution from investment of 38%. Chinese consumers are an opportunity and will probably continue to be as they get richer. But there are still some unchanged variables like: Chinese pragmatism. They rely on multiples channels to get information about products and services. And as you can see in the graphic below, most of these channels are online platforms. This trend is still ongoing as the shopping behavior of Chinese people changes, they have lesser time to shop in physical stores so they are embracing new ways of experiencing the products and consumption.

3 Key Points for a Successful Digital Communication in China

Social Media

What is leading to the adoption of social media by Chinese people?

• The separation between families due to the rural exodus
• Young people that were born or grew up without siblings and during the Internet revolution
• Inexpensive access to the Internet

Why commit time and resources in developing your brand on social media platforms?

Here are some numbers to convince you from the Wearesocial report on Digital, Social & Mobile in China in 2015:

• QQ platform has 843 million users, Wechat has 600 million users;
• 714 million people in China are active on least one social media platform.

These platforms are also:

• Effective tools to build a brand by initiating conversations with consumers, creating and posting engaging social objects;
• Marketing tools: Chinese online buyers often post reviews or have their own blog where they discuss their latest acquisitions. This is the KOL phenomenon.

KOL stands for Key Opinion Leader. In China, they can be used to advertise a brand on a large scale as some of these KOL have millions of followers on Weibo. Paid advertisement campaigns on a platform like Weibo are not as efficient as on platforms like Facebook or Google. The rate of people clicking on these ads is usually low because Chinese consumers have distrust in traditional advertisement.
As mentioned above, Chinese consumers have a tendency to trust friends, coworkers when they research a product. They also trust their idols or online friends. That is where the KOL are useful for a digital communication strategy. They allow a company to reach successfully a specific target audience.

E-tailing

Why brands should be present on E-commerce platforms?

For the first half of 2015, E-commerce represent 10% of China’s total retail sales value. In that same period, E-commerce generated 253 billion dollars (1.6 Trillion RMB) of revenue in China. The major online companies Alibaba (which owns Taobao) and 360buy.com have established a national position, ranking among China’s top ten retailers. E-tailing platforms can help foreign companies building clear and consistent brand images and are a cost-effective way to reach consumers in small cities.
Due to the size of the Chinese territory, installation of physical stores takes a lot of time and money. The E-commerce system in China is well organized and can be seen as a replacement allowing companies to fill the gaps from lack of a physical store network.

The competition between E-tailers is growing. It naturally led to a cut of product prices, especially in the three major segments of Chinese E-commerce market: Apparel, Household appliances and recreational products. Transportation and health care product are also growing online markets.
The development of e-tailing is boosting consumption. The scope of opportunities is clearly widening for inside and outside players.

E-mobile

In July 2015, 20% of the population used a mobile phone to buy a product and 29% used a computer, 15% of the population used a mobile phone to research a product and 18% use a computer. It is estimated that, in 2015, half of all Chinese online consumers will be M-commerce consumers.
The price of mobile phones in China is dropping every year. It is a more affordable and convenient way to access the Internet. So much that they have replaced computers to become the main devices for accessing internet in 2012.
Why brands need to invest on mobile?

• Enable direct contact with the target audience: messaging apps (WeChat, QQ, KakaoTalk, Line, etc.) create a 1-to-1 communication with real end customers. For example: a company can create a WeChat official account where consumers can directly make a payment;
• Tailor-made and segmented content for brands;
• Optimize marketing expenses by geographic targeting and customer data analysis.

A successful digital communication will be the result of the integration of these 3 resources. Never forget that the objective is to make the brand concerned recognizable, trustworthy and different from its competitors. The business strategy must be carefully planned and also include: Point of sales, client relationship management and the product. Then, these factors must be coherent with each other and consistent for a good implementation in China.

Article written by Wei Hsu founder and CEO of INS Global Consulting, leader in PEO Services and HR Management in China since 2006.

The post 3 Key Points for a Successful Digital Communication in China first appeared on Sampi.co.

The post 3 Key Points for a Successful Digital Communication in China appeared first on Sampi.co.