A sensational social media marketing strategy is the secret to unbelievable growth in China.

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China has near a billon digital consumers, and we know exactly how to reach them.

Here’s the truth…

Expanding your business into Mainland China is a fantastic idea – but to do it correctly, you absolutely NEED a social media presence.

But do you know where most businesses fail with Chinese social media marketing?

They fail because they think they can take what they are already doing in the Western world and just replicate it in Mainland China.

Bluntly put, this is a bad strategy.

While China’s social media platforms might seem similar to its Western counterparts, the truth is that they are completely different ecosystems.

Tiktok is not Douyin. Twitter is not Weibo. Whatsapp is not WeChat.

These platforms are completely independent, entirely unique, and are deeply embedded into modern Chinese culture.

To thrive in the Chinese market, you need to work with an agency with the right team and years of experience taking businesses like yours into Mainland China.

That’s where we come into play…

Premium Chinese social media marketing services from First Page.

To dominate the Chinese market, you need to work with an agency that understands the platforms, knows your audience, and has experience scaling epic campaigns in the Mainland.

Here at First Page Hong Kong, we have spent the last 10 years helping businesses like yours grow quickly in the Mainland. Our Chinese social media marketing services are designed to help you reach a completely new audience and generate high levels of engagement and growth.

We take the time to understand your business, research your competitors, and develop a game-changing strategy that will take you to the top of your industry.

We will also use every tactic we have learned to help continually optimize your campaign to ensure it runs at maximum efficiency.

Our team of digital strategists, copywriters, & graphic designers are experts in Chinese marketing. And we are ready to start working with you now.

Click the button below to speak with a digital strategist and take your business to the top in China.

A brief overview of Chinese social media marketing.

What is Chinese social media marketing?

Chinese social media marketing is the process of marketing your products or services on different social media platforms across the Mainland. This typically refers to China’s biggest social platforms such as Weibo, Douyin, and WeChat, extending to other platforms such as Tencent QQ, Tencent Video, Douban, Zhihu, Toutiao, and more.

What makes Chinese social media marketing so interesting is that it’s its own ecosystem. China’s great firewall prohibits the population from accessing Western social media sites such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Reddit, and more. Instead, they have their own unique platforms that are only used within the Mainland. These platforms may look similar to their Western counterparts, but in reality, they are completely different and have developed into their own unique experiences.

What is Weibo?

The 2nd largest social media platform in China, Weibo is a microblogging platform that is fairly similar to Twitter and Facebook. Users log in, and post text posts or photo posts about their lives. There are over 516 million active monthly users on Weibo, and because of this, there are over 400 million business pages as well. Like Twitter in the US, Weibo is completely ingrained into Chinese culture and is one of the top places to find interesting and/or trending content.

To market your business on Weibo, you will first need to set up an account and have it verified. Once your account is approved, it’s time to decide your strategy. Will you go with a system campaign or a creative campaign? The type of campaign you choose will be crucial – be sure to consider your goals before deciding. Another popular marketing strategy on Weibo is influencer advertising which has helped catapult many brands inside China.

What is Douyin?

One of the fastest-growing social media platforms in the Mainland, Douyin, is the Chinese equivalent to Tik Tok and is especially popular with the younger generations. Like Tik Tok, Douyin users post short videos, most of which are accompanied by music (the defining characteristic of the app). Douyin currently has over 400 million daily active users – 98% of whom are under 40.

Douyin marketing is great for brands who want to advertise with video ads. It’s also one of the apps with the most growth potential, as the algorithm serves its users’ content based on what they might like – not only on who they have chosen to follow. You can market organically on Douyin or engage in a paid advertising campaign – both of which have their unique sets of pros and cons.

What is WeChat?

While Douyin and Weibo are titans in Chinese social media, WeChat is, without a doubt, the largest platform of them all. Boasting a mind-blowing 1.26 BILLION monthly active users, WeChat is more than a social media platform – it is an app that is completely ingrained into every facet of Chinese life. You can send messages, play games, publish posts, and even pay for your daily purchases. WeChat is one of China’s rare apps that has also grown outside of the Mainland, as it has over 500 million users in India and 120 million users in the US. An estimated 23% of Hong Kongers also actively use WeChat.

For all these reasons, many businesses choosing to start a social media campaign in China do so on WeChat. You will have to set up a verified business account to do so. Once your account is approved, you will have a ton of different marketing options for your company. You can engage with users, display QR codes, publish content, and run advertising campaigns (Moment Ads, Banner Ads, and KOL Ads).

What businesses should invest in Chinese social media marketing?

If your business is looking to expand into China, then investing in Chinese social media marketing isn’t an option – it’s a necessity! Social apps like WeChat, Weibo, and others are a huge part of daily life in China, and for that reason, it is one of the most effective ways to grow your brand and generate revenue in the Mainland. Chinese social media apps offer businesses like yours lots of targeting options, meaning you can easily niche down and quickly find your ideal audience.

It doesn’t matter if your company is a small local startup looking to grow into new markets or if you work for an enterprise that is ready for international domination – Chinese social media marketing is the way to go. Just be sure that whoever is running your campaign has plenty of experience not only with the apps themselves but also with the Chinese language and Mainland culture as a whole.

Which is the best Chinese social media platform to start advertising on?

Truth be told, there is no ‘best’ Chinese social media platform. Each app has its unique set of pros and cons – it just depends on the needs, goals, and KPIs of your business. Douyin can be a great option for brands who want to invest in video content and are interested in increasing brand awareness through organic growth. Weibo is one of the world’s largest social media platforms and allows you to create highly-targeted campaigns.

But having said that, we usually think that WeChat is the best way to start penetrating into the Chinese market. This is for a few reasons. Firstly, WeChat has the largest user base – over 1.24 billion monthly users! Secondly, WeChat offers a wide variety of marketing options – both organic and paid, meaning you can easily find a strategy that works for your company. We have helped numerous brands of all sizes strategize and execute WeChat campaigns.

How do I get started with Chinese social media?

We recommend taking a few steps to get started with Chinese social media marketing. First, make sure you define what the goals of your business currently are. Are you looking to improve brand awareness? Do you think you can start generating sales? By evaluating your goals, you can create a clear list of KPIs that will help you decide which platform will be best to execute on.

Once your goals are clearly in place, it’s time to pick a platform. While it might be tempting to start a marketing campaign on multiple apps, the truth is it’s usually best to stick with one or two, to begin with. We think that WeChat is the perfect way to start generating interest in the Mainland. It offers a variety of marketing options (both organic and paid) and is one of the most-used apps on the planet.

Does my business need to be based in the Mainland?

While the top Chinese social media apps are typically only used within China, you can market your business on these platforms no matter where you are in the world! We have seen businesses from all over the planet run a Chinese social media campaign – from Hong Kong to Australia to the US – it’s truly a global platform!

But while anyone can start marketing in China, it’s best to do so cautiously. The Chinese market is not like the Hong Kong market – nor is it like any other market in the world. The nature of China’s great firewall has created a very unique culture within the Mainland. If you create a campaign without knowing this culture, your marketing efforts will look out of place, and your campaign will not generate any traction. This is why it’s crucial to make sure you work with professionals who have experience with Chinese social media, are fluent in Mandarin, and have an understanding of Mainland culture.

How social media marketing in China can help your business.

Why is Chinese social media so important?

Running a Chinese social media campaign is hands down the best way for brands located outside of the Mainland to grow their brand within China. In fact – it’s really the only option. Chinese social media allows your company to penetrate the Chinese market in ways that were never possible before. You can create brand awareness, generate sales, and increase your revenue within China without ever stepping foot in the country.

It’s also worth noting that Chinese social media platforms aggregate tons of data – many of which is available for your advertising needs. This means that you can create campaigns that are highly targeted based on age, sex, demographics, income, interests, and so much more. This means that you can work smarter (not harder) as you can reach your audience quicker and optimize your campaign until it is generating a solid return on your investment.

Can I handle Chinese social media in-house?

Running a Chinese social media campaign in-house is certainly doable! You just need to make sure that you have the right talent in place to give your campaign the best chance of success. First up, you will need a digital strategist – someone who speaks the language, understands the culture and can do the important research needed to create a high-powered marketing strategy.

From there, you will need copywriters. It’s crucial that these copywriters are not only fluent in Mandarin, but that they also have a detailed understanding of how Chinese culture works. We cannot emphasize enough how important this is. Finally, you will likely need a graphic designer who also has the same knowledge. Once you have this team in place, you can absolutely start executing an in-house marketing campaign.

How much does a Chinese social media campaign cost?

This depends. Handling the campaign in-house will give you a bit more control over the process, but the costs will be significantly higher. You will need to hire at least 3 key positions – digital strategist, copywriter, and a graphic designer. All three of these people will need to have to be fluent in Mandarin, and have a deep understanding of Mainland culture. It’s also preferable if they have experience running a campaign in China.

The cost of hiring an agency is considerably lower, and you get to work with experienced professionals who know how to run a Chinese marketing campaign.The actual budget will depend based on your company’s needs. We suggest budgeting a minimum of $5000 HKD a month, but with all things in marketing, a bigger budget will mean more data and better results.

What is the best strategy for social media in China?

There are a lot of best practices when it comes to running a Chinese marketing campaign. You’ll want to make sure that you pick a platform that gives your business the best chance for growth, and you’ll also want to make sure that you have set forth a solid enough budget to gather enough data so you can properly optimize your campaign.

But out of all the best practices, this is the most important – be sure that whoever is running your campaign knows what they are doing. Chinese culture is a whole new world within itself. If you have no idea how that culture works, then your campaign is going to come across as foreign and disingenuous. You need to work with people who are fluent in the language, and have a deep understanding of Mainland culture and society as a whole.

Should I work with an agency for Chinese social media?

If you are interested in running a marketing campaign in China, you have a few different options. First, you can hire in-house. This is the most expensive option and takes the longest time, but many businesses prefer to keep everything under one roof. To execute the campaign in-house, you will need to make a few key hires – mainly a digital strategist, content writer, and graphic designer. Alternatively, you could hire freelancers, but while this can be cost-effective, it can also get messy.

This is why we think working with an agency is the best option. You will be working with a team of experienced professionals and will only have to work with one point of contact – your account manager. Agencies run marketing campaigns every day, so they will know how to create a winning strategy, and how to optimize the campaign to its complete potential.

How do I know if my campaign is going well?

There are a variety of metrics available for your Chinese marketing campaign – they can just be difficult to understand. Where you get your information from will depend on your platform. Are you marketing on Weibo? WeChat? Douyin? Something else? The key data will also vary depending on the goals of your campaign. Are you looking for impressions? Conversions? Engagement? Be sure to know your goals. Then you can determine your KPIs.

This is why working with an agency can be so effective. They have experience running campaigns, and most importantly, they know what data to look for. A truly stellar agency will look at the data of your campaign, and be able to quickly interpret it. This means they can continually optimize your campaign to ensure that you are getting the most bang for your buck.

What are some of the key metrics I should be looking for?

Your key metrics will vary depending on the goals of your campaign. If you are trying to create brand awareness, then you should look at metrics like impressions and engagement. In this situation, your CTR (click through rate) is crucial to monitor – the higher the better! Be sure to check what the industry standard is so you can gauge your results against that.

In contrast, what if your campaign is set up to generate sales and revenue? In this case the normal metrics are still important (click through rate, impressions, engagement, etc) but you will also want to measure your costs vs the amount of revenue that you are generating. Then you can easily determine the ROAS (return on ad spend) that your campaign is achieving. There are other important metrics to keep an eye on such as traffic, conversion rates, bounce rates, clicks, and your overall cost per click.

What should I look for in a Chinese social media agency?

First, you need to look for experience. There are many agencies out there who might claim they have run marketing campaigns in China, but the truth can often be quite different. Make sure the agency’s website shows clear expertise in Chinese marketing and, just as importantly, ensure that they have a clear track record of generating amazing results for their clients.

The simplest way to do this? Have a read of the agency’s reviews – preferably from a third-party source. For example, First Page Hong Kong has a perfect 5-star rating from over 150 reviews on Google. This shows that we are committed to getting jaw-dropping results, and delivering exceptional customer service for all of our clients. When you reach out to the agency, also be sure to ask them questions regarding their experience. Have they worked with other companies in your industry? Do they have experience on multiple Chinese media platforms? Their answers will help provide clarity on whether or not they are the agency for you.

A sensational social media marketing strategy is the secret to unbelievable growth in China.

Fei Chen
First Pager

China has near a billon digital consumers, and we know exactly how to reach them.

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