Whether you’re new to marketing in China or have an existing presence in this exciting, lucrative market, it helps to have a knowledgeable Chinese digital marketing agency to help you reach your goals. With in-depth knowledge about the Chinese marketing landscape, digital platforms, customer insights, cultural know-how… and language skills, the right agency relationship can save you time and money and allow you to leap ahead with your business plan.

In-house versus agency

Oftentimes, Western brands simply don’t have in-house Chinese digital marketing resources that can provide the necessary knowledge, skills and know-how for success in China. This market is hugely sophisticated, evolving fast and extremely fragmented. Chinese culture is also incredibly complex and contextual, and the market itself is vast, meaning that in-depth and segmented knowledge can make all the difference between success and failure.

If you have realised that you don’t have the necessary in-house resources, it makes sense to use a specialist agency that can create the tailored support package that will meet your goals – without having to maintain the cost and training time of a new internal hire. By choosing a right agency you get to benefit from rapidly-deployed, expert services and the measurements to prove where results are being achieved.

So how can you get the maximum value from this most valuable of professional relationships? Here are some tips for success.

1. Know what you want

The more tightly you can define your business objectives, the easier it will be to plan the right Chinese digital marketing campaign with your agency. Share your business plan, share your figures and aspirations. Talk about your long-term vision, your values, and your end goal. Share the experiences that you already have, and don’t be afraid to say where you don’t currently have knowledge or expertise. Remember, your Chinese digital marketing agency are there to act as a trusted, confidential extension of your business, and the more you can be open about your current position and desired end goal, the better they can serve you with the right deliverables.

2. Have a clear budget

As we mentioned before, the China market is hugely enticing to global businesses and competition is already fierce, even within niche markets. So you will need to invest in your marketing activity if you are to have the right level of impact and ROI. Market Me China can work with you to extract maximum value from your budget, but it will need to be realistic to cover the breadth and scope of digital activities you require, from consultancy and bespoke research to content planning, KOL relationships, online marketing, social media platform management and more. This budget is an investment, and with the right amount in place to reach your goals, and expert delivery of the right activities, you can greatly leverage it for excellent returns.

3. Provide as much information as possible

The better you can brief your new Chinese agency partners, the better the outcome. Market Me China can ask the questions that they need to understand your brand, your values and your customers. Provide all information that you can in terms of brand guidelines, existing market research and content, marketing goals and so forth. This background information will then be translated into data and deliverables so that the resulting Chinese digital marketing campaign really expresses your brand and resonates with your target Chinese customers for the best effect.

4. Invest in the relationship

Remember that your Chinese digital marketing agency team are an extension of your own and trusted partners that are there to help your business to grow. Invest in the relationship, ask plenty of questions, and don’t be afraid to clarify things – Chinese marketing is incredibly complex because the technology involved and the scope of platforms in use across this vast country are very different to those in the West! Never be afraid to pick up the phone and chat with your contact to share ideas, information, concerns or simply to ask about something relevant you’ve seen in the press that might have a bearing on your future development in China. These conversations can be hugely powerful!

5. Use your agency resource to the max!

At Market Me China we have a team of highly-skilled digital marketing experts with plenty of expertise in the field. We offer the full depth and breadth of digital marketing services in China, starting with consultancy and research (where needed), KOL relationship building, website localisation and development, Baidu SEO services, PPC advertising, social media development, ePR and more. The more our clients make use of our services – whether that’s to launch a new product, create a campaign for a Chinese festival or analyse results of a recent PPC campaign, the more valuable the relationship becomes. All business and agency relationships are symbiotic and rely on the input and skills of the other to generate quality returns. With Market Me China you can rest assured that we will always work tirelessly and to our best ability to provide you with those results and ROI that you need – evidencing our impact at every stage and supporting your brand to achieve its goals.

Ready to find out more?

Make 2022 the year that you really grow your brand in China and experience success. With the market now evolving so rapidly and Western brands beginning to make the leap, the faster and more effectively you establish your own position, the better chance you have at gaining a loyal and engaged Chinese audience who recognise and appreciate your brand and who are prepared to buy from you. Take action now to plan for the year ahead, with the Chinese calendar year offering far more opportunities for seasonal campaigns and festivals than in the West!

To find out more, please contact us for an informal chat about your needs and let us show you what we can do, to take your business into China, and cement a profitable, healthy and growing business in this rapidly evolving market with plenty of exciting opportunities.