Selecting the Right Platform for Lead Generation in China

Lead Generation in China

Understanding the dynamic online world of lead generation in China can prove to be an effective strategy in taking your business and services to one of the largest markets in the world. 

Utilizing the power of digital marketing techniques, companies can reach more businesses and consumers without the hassle of traditional marketing avenues.

Learn about the unique ways lead generation is capturing the attention of the Chinese market and how to narrow down the right platforms for lead generation in China to get your products and services noticed quickly and effectively with this week’s China Gravy article. 

With a smart focus, search engines and social media bring in high-quality digital marketing results for businesses. Let’s find out how.

What’s the Big Deal with the Market in China?

The digital market in China has rapidly expanded over the last few years and shows no signs of slowing down, which translates to optimal lead generation in China for Western companies. In 2020, 989 million Chinese consumers had access to the internet and accounted for a fifth of global internet users and 15 billion USD in market value.

Baidu claimed 75.54% of the market shares last year, generating 107 billion Yuan (16.6 billion USD) in revenue, for both its desktop and mobile capabilities effective for B2B marketing. Sogou followed second with 15.29% of the market share.

Yet, search engine and internet usage were not the only spikes. The mobile app market also emerged and now more than 768 million online users take to their mobile devices to search online or engage on social media platforms, with Baidu (71% preferred) and Shenma (40% preferred) being the top-performing mobile search engines on the market.

Lead Generation in China

For business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) digital marketing strategies, lead generation in China means greater opportunities to tap into the rising popularity and sale conversions that Chinese search engines and social media platforms offer. 

As the online digital market continues to develop, more tools will be available to target a company’s ideal Chinese consumer and engage with them in more personalized and localized ways. 

Already many Western businesses are finding success at generating leads through inbound marketing. Adopting these tactics means securing consumers interested in buying your products and thriving as an international brand.

Digital Marketing and Chinese Lead Generation

Digital marketing is changing the way the world attracts consumers and generates sales. Rather than traditional forms of marketing such as print ads and commercials, in which businesses need to identify and target select groups of people in the hopes of achieving a sale, digital marketing can reach out to a wider and yet more focused range of people.

Moreover, traditional methods of advertising relied on pushing products and services in front of viewers whereas digital marketing focuses on inbound marketing, which pulls or encourages potential customers to engage with your brand and then leads to greater interaction such as sales and partnerships.

Lead generation in China is not much different than lead generation anywhere else in the world. In fact, search engines and social media platforms operate in similar ways to the Western platforms that businesses should already be familiar with.

Five key areas of lead generation in China assist with the conversion of online and mobile users into regular consumers of your business:

1. Branding for Chinese Lead Generation

High-quality content that is useful and beneficial to your ideal potential Chinese customers provides more reasons for the consumer to engage and grow trust with your business. 

Consistent content also provides opportunities for the return of the consumer and the possibility they convert into your loyal customer.

2. Localized Content and Website

Western businesses shouldn’t just apply the same content to all their advertising markets. Adapting to the localized language and culture of the target audience ensures that lead generation in China is more successful.

Besides, it is maximizing its potential to get your business noticed. This also applies to having a localized website, and luckily this doesn’t have to be hosted in mainland China to avoid being blocked.

3. Chinese SEO, or Search Engine Optimization

Landing pages and content that rank highly on popular Chinese search engines such as Baidu, Sogou, Qihoo’s 360 Search, and Shenma tap into one of the biggest marketing tools for reaching the Chinese audience. SERPs account for a large portion of lead generation in China.

4. Chinese Social Media

No Western social media platforms are accessible in mainland China. However, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn are used by Chinese consumers in jurisdictions such as Singapore, Hong Kong, and Taiwan as well as the many Chinese abroad. 

However, if you want to reach the most Chinese internet users, engaging on WeChat, Weibo, and Douyin maximizes your digital marketing effectiveness.

5. Paid Advertising

Banner ads and PPC (pay-per-click) ads are also useful marketing tools for high-quality lead generation in China if you have the budget to expand your efforts beyond organic measures. These can enhance your ability to generate actual leads for your brand not only with consumers but also other businesses without having lengthier organic lead generation wait times. 

The major search engines and social media platforms in China are already set up to facilitate PPC advertising, tailor-made to the ways that their users often search and interact with online content and are affordable for any budget.

The Best Approach for Lead Generation of Chinese Consumers

Deciding which platform to use for lead generation in China depends on what type of audience you intend to target. B2B and B2C can use the same platforms but will have more positive results by displaying relevant information to the right type of users.

1. Generating Leads for B2B

One of the best platforms for B2B lead generation is SERPs on the largest search engine platform on the Chinese market, Baidu. The search engine utilizes keyword-based result pages and has a large display network for forums and blogs. 

Using good SERP strategies for the platform can generate organic leads for businesses eager to connect with other businesses.

Another great option for B2B lead generation in China is paying for advertisements. For example, this can be done either through Baidu PPC ads using keyword-based search or LinkedIn using audience-based social outreach or PPC tactics as well as other platforms.

PPC ads allow for quicker targeting of potential customers and put your products and services in front of those that might be most interested in what your business has to offer with optimized landing pages without the wait on organic lead generation.

Many Western businesses that already utilize PPC ads on Google or other platforms will find the process very familiar. With the help of a digital marketing agency, such as China Gravy, localization of the content and the right language can be effective tools for generating leads and converting online users to paying customers.

A digital marketing agency can also help you with other important tasks, such as establishing the optimal set-up of campaigns and performing keyword research.

2. Generating Leads for B2C

For B2C lead generation in China, Chinese social media platforms offer the most impact on converting leads to sales. WeChat, Weibo, and Douyin ads place your goods and services directly in front of millions of daily users and also always businesses and consumers to engage with each other, building trust and long-term interest.

Social media platforms provide an excellent opportunity to work with KOL or Chinese influencers to create videos and groups that recommend products, services, and solutions to their own followers. Beyond KOLs, social media also offers options for organic posting and paid advertising for lead generations, covering a range of lead generation options for businesses to reach potential consumers.

3. Using Funnel Techniques

Both B2B and B2C lead generation in China can use the funnel digital marketing technique to attract potential consumers, generate leads, and convert sales. With the use of social media and KOL or influencers, the funnel system becomes even more beneficial for B2C marketing in targeting and converting a digital passerby.

The top of the funnel (TOFU) is spent largely building visibility and trust with potential customers, ensuring they recognize and feel comfortable with your brand. This is important in maintaining a potential consumer’s interest in the products and establishing reliability for conversion later. For China, this could mean organic posts on both the website and social media platforms combined with efforts of display ads and PPC ads for brand keywords.

The middle of the funnel (MOFU) is all about building strong, lasting relationships with potential consumers and encouraging them to interact with your content. The goal of MOFU is to become a serious consideration among consumers. KOL and influencer partnerships can make a big impact on this stage of the funnel. Paid ads and other lead generation ads are also useful tools for the consideration stage as they put products and services directly in front of customers who may be searching for particular goods or keywords, adding visibility to your company during the reviewing process. 

The bottom of the funnel (BOFU) is where success in the first two levels converts into sales of your products or services as the consumer has now turned into an actual customer. As this stage requires action, B2B marketing could take the form of communication and new engagement avenues between your business and another, such as on WeChat or DingTalk. 

Businesses might find the assistance of a specialist in the Chinese language and culture beneficial for this stage. For B2C marketing, e commerce sales are the desired action or BOFU. Knowledge and integration of Chinese payment options ensure that the customer finds the sale process easy and convenient. 

Lead Generation in China – The Takeaway

Lead generation in China may use a variety of different platforms from the more easily-known Western ones but the process is very much the same. However, localizing content, using the platforms correctly for their intended use, and selecting the right audience are key factors in successful digital marketing to Chinese consumers.

The digital marketing professionals at China Gravy understand the Chinese market firsthand and are ready to help you develop a strategy for lead generation in China that works! Contact us today to see which platforms are best for your B2B or B2C marketing needs.

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