Global brands are often challenged when it comes to developing a social media presence in China’s market. Every brand wants to reach internet users in China since there are over 700 million internet users in China alone, and half of the world’s internet users are located in Asia (source). To be a player in China’s social media scene, brands have to develop a different strategy because the platforms are different, the regulations are different, and the culture is different. Being successful with social media connections in this market requires expertise and resources. Today, we will be talking about the main social media platforms in China and illustrate 4 ways to expand your social media marketing to reach and engage Chinese consumers.

China’s Social Media Platforms

China’s social media platforms are different from those that are popular in the rest of the world. Facebook and Twitter are largely blocked in China, so you need to know where to go. The platforms that are widely used in China are fragmented and require differing tones. The popular channels are Weibo, Sina Weibo, Tencent Qzone, Tencent QQ, Tencent Wechat, Renren, and Youku & Tudou. Instead of Google, Baidu is used as the main search engine in China. With so many social media options in China, test to see which ones work best for your company and concentrate on the channels that perform best. Expanding your social media marketing does not always have to mean that you have to use every channel.

1. Establish Trust through Social Media Word of Mouth: For the most part, the culture in China is that consumers do not trust official sources. Social media marketing is a great way to involve the social channel community in your marketing efforts. Use reviews and community tactics to create a social environment that lends itself to word of mouth through China’s social channels.

2. Use Storytelling to Create Trust and Engagement: If you can harness the power of storytelling, your brand can experience great success in Chinese markets. When you can weave a story, it is not only engaging to consumers, but you can make them feel a connection with your brand and be more authentic in the eyes of your audiences. Use online chats, video, and other types of media to help tell your story. Utilising different types of media in addition to social channels will help bring your story to life.

3. Take Advantage of the Dominant Mobile Online Market: More people in China access the Internet via mobile than on computers. When you use location based mobile advertising to reach out to consumers, you can take advantage of this large mobile base. As online shopping becomes more and more integrated with social media in China, this will be a big area of growth. If you establish your brand’s mobile shopping and social media connection now, you will be ahead of the game when it comes to your competition.

4. Leverage Media Monitoring Tools Specific to China: Did you know that there are specific tools that can help provide intelligence on consumers in China and across Asia? There are tools and software that specialise on media monitoring in China that can provide insight on social channels, networks your consumers prefer, and even detailed information on sentiment and demographics. Having this knowledge about your audience and consumer base can be vital in developing the right social media campaigns that will speak to your target consumers and get them to engage with your brand, converting online visits and even resulting in offline sales too. Take a look at the media monitoring tools that Isentia offers. These types of highly targeted tools can be your secret weapon to success.

Summary and Action Points for Your Brand

If your target market is China, then you need to have the right tools and strategy for the Chinese consumer. That means testing to see what works for your target audience who are using the social channels specific to China. Any marketing campaign will need testing; however, when you are launching social media in a challenging atmosphere like China, then even more testing is going to be necessary. Be prepared that some ideas may need tweaking and others might need to be scrapped altogether in order to find the right marketing mix. Make sure that your marketing strategy includes our 3 keys for expanding social media marketing for your brand in China: establish trust through word of mouth, use storytelling to enhance that trust and create engagement, take advantage of the dominant mobile usage in China, and leverage media monitoring tools and software that are specifically geared for China. Using media monitoring and competitive analysis tools will help you gain insight on the industry and how to better connect with your audience using the different social channels popular in China.

While Baidu is about one-sixth the size of Amazon, it is growing very quickly. This is why Baidu was one of Motley Fool's major buy recommendations in 2016. Baidu is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Chinese e-commerce but it reflects many changes the region is facing in this area.

Beijing is no Longer the Epicenter

There have long been jokes that the capital or largest city of a nation is the entire nation and that everything of importance happens there. This is how e-commerce rolled out in the United States, primarily in San Francisco or in New York City. This isn't true in the case of China. In fact, e-commerce growth in China is driven by demand in third-tier and lower cities. A similar trend is seen in India, too, as middle-class consumers with less access to physical retailers order goods online.

Online Selling through Social Media Platforms is becoming the Norm

The Facebook Marketplace that rolled out in 2016 can be seen as copying WeChat's e-commerce model. A third of WeChat users were buying items online through WeChat in 2016, a percentage guaranteed to rise as the WeChat ecosystem of service providers continues to grow. Other messenger platforms in China are adding bots, online marketplaces, and information appliances capable of voice recognition to facilitate e-commerce like Amazon's Alexa.

Social Commerce now the Soul of China's e-commerce

In Asia, half of all e-commerce is driven by social media. This is facilitated in part by the online selling that popped up on social media sites like WeChat. It is also driven by Baidu hosting two-thirds of all web searches in China and offering many items for sale online. Tools like The Email Finder remain critical for B2B sales, but reaching consumers requires going onto the platforms where they shop.

Chinese Preferences are Fueling Innovation

Alibaba pioneered the 'pay with your face' feature to let you authenticate payments by taking a picture of yourself. This builds on the technology of the billion-dollar Chinese startup Face++ used by Alipay, a Chinese equivalent to PayPal. It even protects against fraudsters using a photo by requiring people to move during verification. Alipay itself is starting to rival PayPal and other payment options. Not only is it accepted by half a billion businesses in China, but it is being used by Chinese as they travel overseas. Alipay launched in Europe in 2016 and 60% of its users are already outside of mainland China.

Chinese e-commerce is growing the fastest in the third and fourth tier cities that lack the shopping opportunities of big cities like Beijing. Selling through social media sites is the norm in China and the Chinese prefer to use one, large site than shop with smaller sites. The preference is so ingrained that Amazon chose to partner with Baidu rather than try to move into China under its own name. China is far ahead of the United States in using facial recognition for payments and integrated ecosystems built into sites like WeChat to support e-commerce. China's large population at home and abroad is likely to make IT companies like Alipay a global brand.