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After Linkedin is shutting down in China, it is even more true that you need to localize B2B marketing in China.
Western companies should develop further their capabilities to use Chinese digital solutions to succeed in China. Linkedin was used for B2B marketing to generate and nurture leads through content posting, sharing and interactions. B2B marketing can be done using WeChat.
THE IMPORTANCE OF BRAND REPUTATION FOR B2B COMPANIES IN CHINA
When it comes to entering the Chinese market as a B2B company, reputation management must also be a key part of your strategy. As China is a digital market, on-line reputation is the one to develop.
Potential leads want to know they’re getting involved with a trustworthy, reputable company that is going to provide them with an exceptional product and service. One bad review can easily persuade any of those decision-makers to go with your competitor instead.
It’s important to remember that people talk about you online, even if you’re not yet online yourself. That’s why the first step to reputation management is monitoring online activity, so you know what is being said about you and where it’s being said.
Once you know what your brand presence looks like online, you can then communicate your brand message, give news about your company, establish yourself as a thought leader by publishing content on industry portals.
EFFECTIVE LEAD GENERATION AND NURTURING FOR B2B COMPANIES IN CHINA
As there is no Google in China, you need use Baidu for your SEO strategy to generate leads.
Then you need nurture your leads during a certain period of time, B2B purchasing cycle is rather longer than in B2C.
Instead of doing it in LinkedIn, you need doing it on WeChat, the most popular social media in China. It is used for daily life but also for business.
A company doing business in China must be visible on WeChat to exist. The first step is to open a WeChat official account (different from personal WeChat account).
Through a WeChat official account, it is the perfect touch point for your company to connect with Chinese businesses.
While a strong online presence is vital, offline events such as conferences or meetings are still very important if it is possible– nothing beats having a conversation face to face.
It’s easy to keep in touch with clients – we recommend posting once a week about things like industry news, company news and company activities, all of which serve to show that you’re a thought leader in your industry, that you’re highly active and that you have a strong company culture.
You will use also another Chinese platform, Zhihu. It is the largest Q&A platform which aims to provide in depth insights from industry professionals. It is a good place to do content marketing. The audience of this platform is quite educated.
You can develop your brand awareness, demonstrate your authority, and educate your audience.
Zhihu has also great authority on Baidu and Sogou search engines.
LOCALIZE B2B MARKETING IN CHINA: HOW TO DO WECHAT MARKETING?
WeChat is your Website
Do not forget that in China, WeChat is your website
If you are a big company, you can also set up a local Chinese Website, but Chinese people do not check them so much.
Create a comprehensive content to bring you the right audience and encourage sharing
Social media is about content. The right content will bring you the right audience. It has to be appealing, interactive and entertaining.
You need to encourage sharing the content to your audience.
WeChat should not be just company news. It must be also have educational and social features. To educate your audience is an excellent way to get leads in China.
Advanced search function
WeChat users can now search for any content using related keywords. Generally, Chinese people like to research, look at media articles or ask their friends about products or services they are interested in. This means that pushing out high-quality, useful content is essential to successfully market to other businesses. It allows you to showcase your brand
Personalised interactions
WeChat is a great for businesses to leverage if they are looking to build relationships and create stronger business partnerships in China. It is important to note that in with B2B, your target audience is not another business but rather someone who holds a certain position in that business. This means that driving a more personalised interaction is fundamental for WeChat B2B marketing.
Paid campaigns using WeChat Ads
For a new created account, utilizing paid options to give the account an initial boost is very effective, in particular for B to B
Join WeChat groups and Engage with your audience
WeChat groups are where people with the same interests exchange ideas. Find and join WeChat groups related to your industry, and share your best articles, cases studies and create stories to get more leads.
QR codes
Every WeChat official account has a QR code, which works as the “business card” of your WeChat account. The QR code can be used in exhibitions, brochures…
There are just some of the keys to do WeChat marketing for B2B and build-up your business community.
It is really important to localize your B2B marketing in China more than ever to get effective results.
NEED HELP TO LOCALIZE B2B MARKETING IN CHINA?
Emotion Digital has a strong understanding of the Chinese market― we want to help you unleash your business’s potential to one of the largest populations in the world. Schedule your free consultation today.