The document provides guidance on how to succeed online in China, including developing an action plan with the following key steps: conduct keyword research and translate the website; set up web tracking and start paid advertising; create local content and start organic and social media efforts; and set up retargeting campaigns. It also covers insights into the Chinese digital landscape, best practices for translation, consumer insights by generation, and how to conduct market research and audience profiling.

1. How to succeed online in
China

2. Agenda
The current digital landscape in China
How to develop an action plan for launching in China
Translation and content creation best practices and pitfalls to avoid
Consumer insights for the Chinese market
Insights into website strategy, market research and audience profiling

3. The current digital
landscape in China

4. The current digital landscape
Total population
>1.3 Billion
Internet users
854 million
Mobile internet users
98%
Economy is growing steadily
So is online buying
New players in the market

5. The current digital landscape
Economy is growing steadily
So is online buying
New players in the market
6.1% GDP
growth in 2019
2nd largest
economy in
the world
802,000,000
Internet
population
61.2% Internet
penetration

6. So, how do we start?

7. Local search engines

8. Local search engines

9. Local search engines

10. Local search engines
80.1% 6.6% 3.3%
*https://www.statista.com/statistics/867151/china-search-engine-market-shares-by-company/
*https://www.chinainternetwatch.com/24311/china-search-engine-market-q1-2018-79-driven-mobile-search/

11. Local social media

12. Local social media

13. Local social media

14. Local social media
46% 33% 31%

15. The size of China

16. 10 megacities
with population
>10m
Think about cities /
regions – not the
whole country!
34 regions in China
More than 100
cities with
population >1m

17. Where to start?
Top 5-10 locations
Conduct market research
Never target the whole country
What if there is no data?
Existing customers locations

18. How to develop an action
plan for launching in China

19. Here is your plan of action!
Set up web tracking
Start your advertising efforts (Paid Media)
Start your organic efforts (SEO & Social Media)
Create local content
Start social media advertising
Conduct keyword research
Translate & localise your website
Set up retargeting campaigns

20. The starting point

21. Here is your plan of action!
Conduct keyword research

22. Are Chinese people currently searching for your
products & services?

23. 23
Baidu Keyword ResearchGoogle Keyword Planner

24. The findings will determine what sort of
actions you should take in terms of
everything that follows.

25. Here is your plan of action!
Conduct keyword research
Translate & localise your website

26. Can Chinese people understand your website?

27. Is your website localised for Chinese users?

28. Here is your plan of action!
Set up web tracking
Conduct keyword research
Translate & localise your website

29. Set up web tracking
Baidu Tongji Yandex Metrica Paid analytics tools

30. It will help you:
Make decisions on which content brings results
Configure your site goals accordingly
Make decisions on which design brings results
Check the performance of your landing pages
Help you understand your audience

31. Here is your plan of action!
Set up web tracking
Start your advertising efforts (Paid Media)
Conduct keyword research
Translate & localise your website

32. Brand / product awareness
Interest
Purchase
Loyalty

33. 33
Baidu SERPGoogle SERP

34. 34
Baidu SEMGoogle Ads

35. The more Chinese users see branded ads, the more it
builds trust which is key for new brand entering the
market.

36. But do not translate your keywords!

37. Here is your plan of action!
Set up web tracking
Start your advertising efforts (Paid Media)
Start your organic efforts (SEO & Social Media)
Conduct keyword research
Translate & localise your website

38. Here is your plan of action!
Set up web tracking
Start your advertising efforts (Paid Media)
Start your organic efforts (SEO & Social Media)
Create local content
Conduct keyword research
Translate & localise your website

39. Creating local content:
Help people understand what is your purpose and your story
Improve your organic rankings (if using keywords)
Show the “human” part of your brand
Helps you targeting specific personas
Provides content for social media

40. Here is your plan of action!
Set up web tracking
Start your advertising efforts (Paid Media)
Start your organic efforts (SEO & Social Media)
Create local content
Start social media advertising
Conduct keyword research
Translate & localise your website

41. WeChat
2018 was synonym of opportunity

42. WeChat
Local vs Overseas account

43. 43
WeChat account types
Local vs Oversea account

44. WeChat
Service account vs Subscription account

45. 45
WeChat account types
Service account vs subscription account

46. Here is your plan of action!
Set up web tracking
Start your advertising efforts (Paid Media)
Start your organic efforts (SEO & Social Media)
Create local content
Start social media advertising
Conduct keyword research
Translate & localise your website
Set up retargeting campaigns

47. Retargeting campaigns:
Target those that previously visited the website
Or completed a specific action on your website
Available on Baidu

48. Good luck! 
Set up web tracking
Start your advertising efforts (Paid Media)
Start your organic efforts (SEO & Social Media)
Create local content
Start social media advertising
Conduct keyword research
Translate & localise your website
Set up retargeting campaigns

49. Translation and content creation
best practices and pitfalls to avoid

50. The languages
56 ethnic groups Over 80 languages Chinese language

51. Mandarin – Simplified Chinese
Written in Simplified Chinese
Reduces communication barriers between regions
Differentiates from Mandarin spoken in Taiwan
Official language in Mainland China

52. Building a
quality assurance tool-kit

53. Quality assurance:
Team of approved resources
Use of translation memory software
Approved glossary
Approved style guidelines
Optimized translation workflow

54. Consumer Insights for the
Chinese market

55. General Characteristics of Chinese Culture
Group is above the individual
Success oriented and driven
Not afraid of uncertainty
Pragmatic
Restrained
Inequalities are accepted

56. The Chinese consumer: generational
differences & behaviours

57. Why you need to consider
generational segmentation
Different life experiences shape attitudes & behaviours
Allows effective targeting
Different ways of engaging with technology
Helps you add value

58. The generations
The Lost Generation (born before 1960)
Post-Cultural Revolutions (1965-1980)
Millennials (1985-1994)
Generation Z (1995-2002)

59. Key Takeaways
Use Social Media if you want to reach a younger audience
Investment in Education is highly important
Demonstrate value
Target each generation individually, but…

60. Modern Chinese consumer

61. Key features
Omnichannel Shoppers
Increasing female power
Brand trust is vital, and very hard to get
Saving Face
Tradition is still important

62. Website Strategy

63. You should:
Use a local domain
Host your website on a Chinese server
Optimise for Chinese search engines
Use trust signals

64. Market Research

65. Market Research is essential for:
Entering a new market
Identifying and reacting to new opportunities
Gathering information on trends, competitors and consumer
behaviour

66. How to approach Market Research
BRIEF
Understand what you want
to achieve with the report
SCOPE
Map conversations and
identify relevant sources
RESEARCH
Qualitative and
quantitative discovery in
the target market.
ANALYSIS
Interpret data and
information and how it can
benefit your market
intelligence.

67. How to structure your Market
Research
1. Top Challenges
2. Research Elements
3. Market Overview
4. SWOT Analysis

68. How to structure your Market
Research
5. Industry Specific Overview
6. Competitor Analysis
7. E-Listening
8. Audience Profiling

69. Audience Profiling

70. What you want from Audience
Profiling
Insights that allow you to define, segment and profile
your audience
Understanding of their behaviour and interests
Different sets of personas, to maximise reach and impact

71. |
Persona 1 - Education
Prospective Student
She is a young woman in her early 20s who
already speaks some English, after being enrolled
in a language school by her parents.
Active online, and with a big social media
presence. Looking to increase future job
prospects by studying at a prestigious school
abroad, and experience Western culture.
She looks for information on studying abroad
online, reading first-hand accounts from other
students. However she is frustrated by the lack of
content available from universities themselves.

72. |
Persona 2 - Education
Parent of prospective student
In his late 40s, this is a highly determined and
hard-working individual who has built a
successful career following the country’s
economic growth and development.
He only speaks Mandarin and is very patriotic
and proud of Chinese traditions, but believes his
child will benefit from better job prospects if she
studies in an international school.
He has a large amount of savings dedicated to
funding her education, but will only support a
move to a university that that can prove its
educational value with stats and figures.

73. |
Persona 1 - Manufacturing
Business Development Manager
This individual detail-oriented individual is in
his early 50s, and possesses a very strong
sense of business etiquette.
He earned a degree from a top Chinese
university, and has worked in the
manufacturing industry for over 20 years.
He speaks limited English and prefers to read
all business related material in his native
Mandarin, to ensure no detail is missed.
His reputation and external perception is very
important to him, and he extends that to the
companies he elects to do business with.

74. Takeaways

75. Final takeaways:
Conduct initial research on market and audiences
Get help from native search specialists
Localise your website into Simplified Chinese
Consider Paid Media and Paid Social. But be careful! Don’t
copy & translate your campaigns!