Marketing Advice That Matters
WeChat is not just a social media platform in China, but an everyday necessity for over billion Chinese users. They use it to connect with family, friends, and acquaintances, and also for conducting business, making purchases, paying bills, and getting information. Most WeChat users check their accounts several times a day. That means that if you advertise your products and services on WeChat, you will be able to get them before a maximum number of people and potentially earn an excellent ROI.
Many foreign companies, however, stumble on the twin obstacles of language and culture. Very few have the fluency or the cultural understanding that is necessary for effective marketing on the local and national level. And there have been instances of companies making a faux pas that end up amusing or offending people and hurting their brands. To avoid this, you should consider hiring a WeChat marketing agency and working with them to promote your business on the social media platform.
Here’s why you need to work with a WeChat marketing agency:
You will need their assistance with account registration
Before you can open an account on WeChat and start using the platform for your business promotion, it is mandatory to make an official registration. The Chinese government requires this of all foreign companies that want to operate in the country and use its social media. You can sign up for a WeChat public account either as a foreign company or through a Chinese WeChat marketing agency.
If you choose the second option, the WeChat marketing agency will collect the necessary documents and fees from you and handle the complete registration on your behalf. You will then be able to enjoy all the advantages that are available to businesses with registration in China. These are not available to companies that the Chinese government has not officially sanctioned.
You will be able, for example, to use all the WeChat features and connect with users in China if you have registered on the platform through a WeChat marketing agency. However, if you registered as a foreign company, your outreach will be limited to WeChat users who live outside China. While that has its uses, it wouldn’t help you too much with your goal of making your brand known far and wide within the massive Chinese consumer market.
You will need their help to develop a better understanding of the Chinese market
To successfully market your products and services in China, you need to have a good understanding of the local conditions. Your marketing experience in other parts of the world may not necessarily be as useful here. Along with requiring fluency in the language and an understanding of the culture, you will need to be up-to-date on the consumer behavior and social trends that are unique to China. Without this knowledge, you will stand little chance of making it business-wise in the country. That’s why you need to hire a WeChat marketing agency to help plan a China-specific marketing strategy.
You will need their input for achieving maximum audience outreach
After setting up a WeChat account, the next step is to connect with your target audience and make them aware of your products and services. If you don’t have the language skill and cultural understanding to handle this aspect, it is best to work with a WeChat marketing agency. They will not only research the target audience on your behalf, but they will also help you to chalk out a social media strategy that will garner you more followers. Additionally, they will engage with the audience and answer their questions and concerns about your brand.
You will need them to draw up a mobile-friendly marketing strategy
A large percentage of Chinese users access WeChat via their mobile devices. To reach and engage these people, you need to have a mobile-friendly strategy in place. The WeChat marketing agency you hire will assist you in creating and optimizing mobile-friendly content that will increase your follower count and the web traffic to your account and site. With heightened online visibility, you are likely to see a marked improvement in your business. A WeChat marketing agency is, thus, a necessity for business success in China.
Search Engine Marketing in China
As far as the online marketing methods that prevail in China are concerned, Google is not the leading search engine. Consequently, marketers attach less significance in making the site in sync with the functional nature of this global giant. As Baidu is the most vital search engine, it is highly significant that the web portal must be optimized precisely to the requirements of Baidu. That said, marketers can employ different methods for making the site visible in front of prospective customers. Baidu pay-per-click is one such method, which will place the company’s products or services in front of the searchers. Baidu is one of the principal search engines in China and holds nearly 80% of the market share, and this practically means that Baidu has a final word regarding the success of online marketing in China.
PPC (Pay-per-Click)
PPC (Pay-per-Click) is a typical online marketing method wherein companies can post advertisements on search engine promoted links, and whenever a person clicks, the company will have to pay the already agreed amount to the publisher of the advertisement material; this can be the search engine, a website owner, etc. This method is one best practical ways to make the general public aware of the functions and products of the company and to attract new traffic to the related website.
Why Should You Invest in Baidu PPC?
Baidu is the top search engine in China, and the bulk of the search engine activities are tuned accordingly. In brief, Baidu means marketing authenticity in China. This authority search engine enjoys great acceptance in China and is widely held as a reliable search engine. Accordingly, the bulk of the population goes as per the advice of Baidu. Baidu PPC is just a part of the various tasks that are required to make online marketing in China successful. If the company becomes successful in Baidu marketing, then that means there will be an overall boost in sales.
The PPC ad that you place along with the Baidu search engine results will travel all across the country, and this will make your brand visible to millions of people. As your ad material will pop up in the SERP among the targeted audience, there will be so many people who want to buy your products. Those people who happen to see the ad will pass around the message within their friends’ circles and family members. As a result, Baidu PPC becomes a great practical tool to boost brand awareness, website traffic, and consequently, sales revenue.
However, which should be the target customer segment wherein the PPC ad must be posted is a vital point, as far as the winning nature of the search engine marketing is concerned. Appropriate research is necessary for assessing the requirements of the customers and for identifying the exactly needed customer segment. Here, the expert advice and guidance of an experienced SEO company becomes inevitable. As regards China, the leading search engine is Baidu, and hence, opting for Baidu PPC is the best bet to make the search engine marketing in China thriving. However, it is practically advisable to hire an established SEO agency for carrying out related tasks.
Hire an Expert SEO Company
Search engine optimization is a bit tough task; companies will have to devote a good deal of time to sort out the varied entailed tasks by the book. Small and medium-sized companies will find it very difficult to cope with these diverse tasks in the same way as the larger companies do. Such companies will have to spend a lot of time, effort, and of course, money for the same if they are setting up a separate department. There will be a need to hire a separate staff. The best way for small companies is to outsource the task of SEO to a dependable agency. The company must be familiar with the varied tasks that are par for the course of search engine marketing in China.
The sphere of marketing is ever-expanding, and nowadays, there are marketing opportunities in places you would never think to look at. One such place is in esports, which is rapidly increasing in popularity. Esports agency marketing is a veritable landmine for the hard-to-reach demographic of males between the ages of twenty-one to thirty-five who are difficult to reach via traditional marketing methods.
What are Esports?
Esports are essentially virtual sports – although, they are not necessarily video games about sports. Esports typically take the form of organized, multiplayer video game competitions between professional players, in a team or individually. Since around 2010, esports has become a significant player in the video game industry, and many game developers now actively design and fund esports tournaments and other events. As with any popular medium, esports has opened the door for marketing and advertisements, and many professional esports players have even acquired sponsorships. With lots of money moving around the esports arena, it is crucial for esports players to have their interests defended, and to have someone fight for them – this is where esports agencies come in.
Why are Esports Agencies So Important?
Esports agencies provide expertise and guidance. Like agencies for professional athletes, an esports agency works to help their clients to the utmost of their ability and to look after their client’s well-being. Esports agencies represent their clients to ensure they get the best deals and contracts. Esports players who sign up with esports agencies receive the following benefits:
1. Knowledge of marketing.
Any agency that represents a client must market their player. Often, esports agencies supply both roles as a negotiator and a marketer. Professional esports players may not be experienced with matters like marketing, advertisements, or potential sponsorship opportunities, which is why signing up with an esports agency is crucial to the financial success of a professional esports player.
2. Understanding contracts.
Esports agencies ensure that any contract their client signs is exactly what their client desires, with no hidden loopholes or tricky language. Contracts are often heavily worded with legalese language that can be difficult to parse through and understand, which is where your agency comes in. Esports agencies have lots of experience and knowledge when it comes to contracts, so professional esports players can rest easy knowing that their interests are being well looked after.
3. Established connections and reputation.
Networking and connections are vital to most professional fields, and esports are no exception. Esports agencies already have connections in the field and can properly represent their client. Having connections allows esports agencies to more easily negotiate deals with organizations or teams, and the esports player will benefit immensely. In addition to having connections, it is also important to have an established reputation in the esports world. No professional esports player will want to sign up with a fledgling agency, or with an agency that no one has heard about. Being an established esports agency gives you credibility, and esports players will flock to established agencies that have also demonstrated reliability and professionalism.
Esports agencies play an important role in an esports player’s success, and they also provide numerous benefits and advantages for these players. They are in the player’s corner, and they will do everything in their power to help their client succeed.
Close to 3.5 billion Google searches are made every single day: let this sink in for a while. A number that high can only mean one thing; people are becoming more and more reliant on the internet for answers. The chances are that people are already looking up something your company offers online right now. How do you get them to click on the link to your company website? How do you get the traffic up and going while engaging with potential customers and helping them decide that your services are the ideal choice for them? How do you convince them to pick you out of a thousand other options? The answer is simple, really. Get your company to become Search Engine Optimized (SEO)!
What Is SEO?
Let’s run over the basics real quick. SEO is the practice of using worldwide search engines (like Google or Bing) to promote your brand, market your business, and put your company’s website in front of a larger target audience. After all, they are searching away; they might as well find your website while they’re at it! Search engines like Google offer paid ad methods, but the real way to attain new levels of marketing potential for your company is through SEO without paying for ads.
The “SEO Effect”
SEO is an integral part to the ideal digital marketing strategy. There are multiple ways to grow your business (whether small or large) by means of the internet, such as social media, YouTube or video marketing, Facebook & LinkedIn Ads, etc. The list is endless, really. But what sets SEO apart from the other means of digital marketing?
Social media ads are uncalled for; you may be browsing through your Instagram feed when your paid ad pops up on a customer’s feed: there’s a chance you catch their attention, but there’s an equal probability that you won’t. However, with search engines, they’re expecting to see something related to your website because they’ve searched for it. This is what’s known as the SEO effect: it’s really all about showing up when people have a question that needs an appropriate solution.
The Main Benefits of SEO
Brand Awareness
The biggest challenge for small/medium-sized companies is their brand’s UN-awareness. But with the right SEO tools, your site will appear on the first page of the major Google search engine! This is the biggest advantage of getting a higher ranking on the SERPs! Your potential customer would choose to trust your brand over others when it has a good web presence. Whether you want to expand your brand awareness locally or nationally, you have to take the first step of investing in SEO; and there’s no better way to do this than hiring an SEO expert company to do so!
Better Conversion Rates
Not to mention, once this SEO-optimized website is up, it will be faster, easier for customers to surf, and displayed perfectly on all types of devices (phones, tablets, etc.). This, turns out, is a great way to grab the attention of the customer, which in turn helps generate loyal customers, returning web surfers, and subscribers! For new companies in their embryonic stages, one of the biggest aims is to improve conversion rates.
The SEO Effect?
If you own a small or large business in Plano and are wondering about hiring the services of a Plano SEO agency, you’re not wrong to do. Since the primary concern for most businesses is to retrieve as much traffic to their website as possible (which in turn, helps in increasing revenue), considering an SEO agency in Plano would be beneficial. Note that SEO is not something that can be learned overnight; even if you have the key basics under your belt, the benefits of a Plano SEO agency include ample experience in the field, professionalism, and save time, energy, and (believe it or not) money for you!
The Importance of SEO to your Business
As you may have deduced by now, a poorly maintained or non-existent SEO strategy can have catastrophic repercussions to your business, big or small, considering the role it plays in the world of digital marketing today. The effects of SEO will only grow larger with time, so there’s really no escaping it either.
While expanding your business overseas to tap the vast Chinese market is an attractive proposition, it comes fraught with the difficulties of navigating complex legalities in a language you may not be entirely familiar with. Further, there is also the crucial issue of marketing your brand to your potential customers. Again, without knowing Cantonese, Mandarin, or any of the other languages spoken in China, it is going to be an uphill task to convince people that your products or services will bring them much-needed benefits.
So, what do you do? Put your business on hold until you develop your multilingual skills? Well, a better idea would be to hire a digital marketing company in China to handle your marketing campaigns for you. Let’s consider some of the major activities that a digital marketing company will perform to help boost your business:
They will steer you around bureaucratic roadblocks
Establishing your business in China involves providing the local authorities with your business registration and various other documents, paying a requisite fee, and then waiting for a few months to get the official permission. Depending on what your business is, you may also need to obtain permission from several civic bodies. You will also need to understand and comply with local codes and legalities.
Such matters can be daunting enough in your own language, but doubly so when you can’t make head or tail of the official documents. However, with a reputable and experienced digital marketing company to guide you through the bureaucratic process, the task will be considerably more manageable.
They will vet your marketing concepts
While you may have certain ideas about how you want to market your products and services, it will be best if you review them again with the digital marketing company in China. This is especially essential if you come from a country that is culturally very different from China. What works abroad may not necessarily be as effective or, even, acceptable in China.
To successfully market to the Chinese, you need to understand their social, economic, and political cultures, and the influence these have on their everyday lives. And the quickest way to understand is by having someone from the same culture guide you and advise you about nuances you might have otherwise missed. The digital marketing company will come up with advertising campaigns that will avoid cultural faux pas and resonate better with the target audience.
They will help set up your social media account
Getting a business account on the leading Chinese social media platforms can be almost as complicated as getting permission to do business in the country. Since the Chinese government wants to make sure that only legitimate and law-abiding businesses can gain access to the Chinese market, they are diligent about vetting businesses before they allow them to use social media in China.
The digital marketing company in China will help you to file the paperwork for opening a social media account. And, after the official approval, they will assist you with setting up the account and formulating an effective social media marketing plan.
They will help you identify potential customers
Targeting the right demographics is one of the essential tenets of successful marketing. So, if you want your brand to become a household name in China, you will need to research your ideal customers. What age group is most likely to use your products and services? Will women be more likely to buy them than men? Are your offerings geared more towards a particular socio-economic class? Where are your ideal customers located?
Bear in mind that what might sell in Tier-1 cities in China may not fly off the online shelves in Tier-3 or Tier-4 cities. Also, you won’t have much luck if you advertise super-luxury items to a young audience without much spending power.
They will help you market to the right demographics
That can include connecting with regular people and influencers on social media, setting up PPC advertising, creating advertising banners, writing advertisement copy, making marketing videos, organizing promotional events, and more.
As you see, teaming up with a digital marketing company in China will be distinctly advantageous in establishing a strong business foothold in the country.
