Not having enough online presence
Social media marketing requires a brand needs to have social presence, however more so presence spread across different platforms. All too often, brands place all their eggs in one basket and this is a mistake.
- Having presence on just a single platform leads the brand to be hampered significantly.
- For instance, Weibo boasts around 600 million registered users while WeChat has easily over 700 million. A brand that only uses WeChat for their social media marketing has instantly lost a noticeable portion of Weibo’s 600 million user base.
On the other hand, not only will being present on all of the available networks allow you to market using a variety of different types of content, but it will also be more effective in keeping your brand top-of-mind with your target audience and in turn, greater reach and exposure leads to increased chances of conversion.
Not engaging enough
What sets Chinese consumers apart from their Western counterparts is the value they place on customer experience. In China, emphasis is often placed heavily on involvement via employee to buyer interaction.
- 89% of Chinese consumers feel that it’s important that any interaction with a retailer is tailored to them and their individual needs and requirements.
- Furthermore, 83% will spend more when interacting with a retail assistant.
By not properly addressing the “high touch” nature of the Chinese consumer, brands can quickly end up losing those said consumers. As such, Social media provides the ideal opportunity to make those connections and nurture those leads.
Failing to optimise content
Many brands don’t seem to understand this but, by targeting an entirely different audience and using completely different social platforms doing so, content and strategies used will need to be adjusted accordingly.
- Brands need to understand the need to be flexible, and should be put some effort in beforehand to get a feel of what will work and what won’t.
- What appeals to Western consumers may not with the Chinese.
Despite it being difficult for some brands to optimise certain aspects, it will be crucial in order to ensure that Chinese consumers are not put off by a lack of effort on the brand’s part.This is why content localisation is so important.
Not incentivising users to connect
In order to gain traction on Chinese social media, it isn’t enough to take it slow and simply wait for followers. With the immense competition among brands for the attention of consumers, brands must play an active role in giving them (consumers) a reason to make that connection.
- Consumers in China prefer brands that offer a certain degree of exclusivity — brands that have a feel of prestige and are a symbol of status, have an inherent advantage.
- Companies that are most successful on Chinese social networks are those that offer exclusive deals, promotion and discounts to subscribers.
In other words, don’t just assume people will want to connect with you. Give them a real reason to do so.
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