Our China Blog
Competitive Research in China, Part I: Baidu Search
Every proper marketing campaign in any market should first start with market research. Fortunately, it doesn’t always have to be an expensive market study, complete with complex competitive analysis and forecasts. Often times, a simple internet research, such as with Baidu search engine, would do just fine, but, of course, you should first know where and how to look.
This post is the first one in the upcoming three part series covering basic market research in China. read more…
Looking for love in China? The List of 8 Most Popular Chinese Dating Apps
Here is our review of the most popular Chinese dating apps:
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5 Common Misconceptions About WeChat Marketing
In the last couple of years, WeChat marketing has been a hot topic. The app is, by far, the most used one in China and it is estimated to be installed on over 90% of smartphones. The combination of the enormous potential reach and the possibility for brands to connect with their customers in the most intimate way makes WeChat marketing one of the important components of the overall marketing strategy.
On the other hand, many foreign brands, who want to jump in on WeChat, don’t realize that the platform comes with the number of limitations. While in some cases and if done right, WeChat marketing can be incredibly effective, in other cases the results can be quite disappointing. read more…
Chinese Payment Systems Overview: Union Pay
Union Pay is the state run credit and debit card system with the largest reach in China and overseas. Online, it is competing with AliPay and WeChat.
Chinese Payment Systems Overview: WeChat Pay
WeChat Pay is the payment system that grew out of WeChat super app. Nowadays, just like Alipay, it is widely used for both online and offline payments. read more…
Chinese Payment Systems Overview: AliPay
AliPay is the largest Chinese online payment system for both online and offline transactions. It is the primary payment method of China’s ecommerce. read more…
Chinese Payment Systems Overview: AliPay vs. WeChat Pay vs. Union Pay
Understanding the ecosystem of Chinese payment systems is a prerequisite to setting up a successful sales strategy in this market. It is also one of the many aspects of Chinese market that is considerably different from what we are familiar with in other markets.
Relying on traditional payment systems such as credit cards or PayPal is simply not going to work in China. In fact, if you are planning to sell anything to Chinese consumers, there are only three viable options. read more…
How Does Advertising on Youku Work
Watching and sharing videos through social media is one of the most frequent and beloved activities of a typical China’s internet user. Due to YouTube’s inaccessibility from the Mainland, Youku has been the main video hosting service in China for some time. Since Youku‘s merger with Tudou, the second largest video host, back in 2012, Youku-Tudou is estimated to hold about 60% of the total online video market share in China.
Recent statistics show that there were about 430 million online video users in China and this number has been steadily growing at the annual rate of between 12 to 15% since 2007: read more…
Advertising Options with Youku
Advertising on Youku, China’s largest video host, has its similarities as well as significant differences with YouTube in ways ads are displayed and priced. Here is an overview of different advertising options with Youku with the visual description of how each of them works.
Why Do Chinese Websites Seem So Cluttered?
Ever wondered why popular Chinese websites seem so cluttered compared to their Western counterparts? Should you follow this trend in your Chinese website design or stick to the modern look? Let us help you decide.
If you have spent some time looking at Chinese ecommerce websites, you can’t help but notice how incredibly cluttered they look. In fact, most of that apparent clutter is a result of link-heavy nature of Chinese internet in general.
What might strike a Westerner as an overwhelming overload of information is likely to be perceived as a content rich and intuitive site by the Chinese.
Here are just a few examples of the most popular sites in China: read more…
WeChat Marketing Part II: Getting Followers Organically
In this post we are picking up from the last week article on how to grow your WeChat followers base organically.
In an earlier post on WeChat marketing we’ve discussed limitations of WeChat based advertising and its low ROI. Therefore, acquiring subscribers organically remains a much more cost effective way to grow your brand following.
WeChat marketing can be tricky but there are some ways to make it work. In addition to the list from the last week, here are five more tips: read more…
WeChat Marketing Part I: Getting Followers Organically
Continuing from the previous post on WeChat marketing, this time we are going to look into ways of getting WeChat followers organically.
One of the key distinctive characteristics of this platform is its private nature. This feature also makes the discovery difficult.
For example, if one is looking for a particular product on Facebook or Weibo, it is relatively easy to get relevant results quickly. With WeChat, searching for a particular product or event would most likely return nothing unless you know the exact name of the WeChat account, or, at least, the brand name. read more…
International Education in China
In the last few years, international education in China has been an exceptionally fast growing sector. According to the latest numbers from International School Consultancy (ISC) Group, China is currently in the second place (after UAE) by the number of international schools in the country. Globally, international education is a rapidly growing market where demand far outstrips supply. Between 2009 and 2013, international school enrollment grew by 42% to 3.4 million while the number of schools increased by a third to 6,734. read more…
Email Marketing Campaign in China, Part 2: Best Practices for Content Creation
Last week we looked at design rules for effective email marketing campaign in China. This time we are going to look into content.
Obviously, the content of an email marketing campaign in China is just as critical as its graphics and structure. Therefore, it is important to make sure that email’s content complies with the rules and regulations that may be different in China compared to other jurisdictions.
General rules about content for email marketing campaign in China
Headline is, by far, the most important part of an email. There is much better chance for a recipient to continue reading the email if the headline appears interesting or intriguing enough rather than generic and bland. Everything that follows afterwards should be presented in the order of decreasing level of importance. read more…
Chinese EDM Checklist, Part 1: Designing Emails That Work in China
When it comes to designing an email for Chinese EDM campaign, there are few rules to keep in mind. Let’s have a closer look at the main design elements of an email template.
Main design elements to use with Chinese EDM campaign
Images
The best eye catching email designs often include an image at the top. This would be the first and most visible part of the email, therefore it should always have a purpose. In some cases, a logo would do too as long as it reinforces an already familiar brand. read more…
China Cybersecurity Law: 5 Things You Should Know
Chinese internet overseeing authority has completed implementing China cybersecurity law which was first introduced at the end of 2016. The law was aimed at tightening state control over the internet by Chinese government. Although some of the practices that the law describes were not new and have already been implemented informally by many companies operating in China prior to the law taking effect, this act prescribed specific guidelines and punishments for non-compliance.
The latest China cybersecurity law have had broad implications to technology companies operating in the Mainland. It also covers wide range of areas which were not explicitly defined up until the enactment of the law. read more…
Overview of Baidu PPC Advertising, Best Practices
As long as Baidu remains the largest search engine in China, Baidu PPC advertising should always be the first choice among pay-per-click campaigns for businesses looking to reach Chinese audience.
In general, the reason Baidu PPC advertising can be highly effective is the fact that users who are actively searching for something already have a buying intent. It means that they are more likely to convert, in other words to become the actual customers compared to those who are passively looking at ads or are still in the process of discovery of a specific product or service. read more…
Banner Ads in China
Banner ads in China are still a fairly effective channel to advertise and, on average, Chinese are more receptive to this type of advertising compared to internet users in western countries. Ad blocking software and plugins have been, so far, more common in the West than in China where banner advertising is a rapidly growing business.
Also, the type of banners ads that are considered to be more effective in China tend to be flashier and more animated, something that Western users typically find most annoying. read more…
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