What You Need to Comprehend about Social Media Marketing in China
Posted by Daniel Tong on December 15th, 2020
Social media plays an integral part in every marketing strategy in China as it is among the most unique and vibrant landscape in the world. With the eminence of Wechat and Weibo, the two most popular social media platforms, foreign business brands can easily penetrate into the vast maze of the Chinese market space. China, being one of the technologically advanced countries in the world has its own unique digital landscape, consumer behavior, and marketing strategies.
How different is the social media landscape in China
Social media marketing is a challenging affair in China as it censors most of the popular social media platforms used globally such as FaceBook, Twitter, and Instagram. Instead, the country has developed its own social media platforms for its users in the Chinese language. The foreign entrepreneur can seldom access most of these platforms, rendering it impossible to conduct a successful business campaign in the country. China has specific and stringent rules pertaining to online content and therefore tapping into the lucrative Chinese market space is more than a challenge.
China has created the Great Firewall to control and censor online content that can detrimentally affect the image of the country. This stringent censorship has affected the marketing strategies of foreign entrepreneurs who relied on traditional platforms for social media marketing. Almost all the popular social media platforms are blocked in China, which includes Twitter, FaceBook, YouTube, Instagram, and Snapchat.
Understanding the Social Media Platforms in China
For a successful social media marketing in China, foreign entrepreneurs need to access the local social media platforms such as Weibo, Wechat, Youku Tudou, and so forth. The majority of the social media platforms in China are replications of popular global platforms. Weibo is considered an amalgamation of Twitter and FaceBook. However, in due course, it has integrated several other interesting features, which explains its immense popularity among Chinese internet users.
Wechat was developed as a simple messaging app similar to Whatsapp but later developed into one of the most popular messaging apps in the country with innumerable features. Youku Tudou is the Chinese version of YouTube and it continues to be used by millions across the country.
Social media platforms are an indispensable part of the Chinese marketing strategies and it has become essential to jump into the bandwagon to attain success while venturing into the Chinese business world. Social media marketing must seem like a challenge to foreign entrepreneurs but it is the only channel to penetrate into the ever-evolving and lucrative field of the Chinese business arena. It is essential to use these platforms as an advantage to build your own unique brand in the country. All you need to do is pivot your marketing strategy so that it aligns with the requirements of the Chinese consumers.
Westwin offers digital marketing services such as market strategy, search engine marketing, WeChat, and Weibo social media marketing, PPC advertising, mobile marketing, website localization, and more in China. To know more, visit https://adstochina.westwin.com/who_we_are/index.shtml.
