China Digital Marketing 101

If you’re learning about Chinese marketing for service businesses and schools, this is the best place to start.

We’ve been writing and updating this content since 2008, and every article is informed by our experience helping over 300 organizations such as Microsoft, SAP, Siemens, and Papa Johns generate more leads.

Our experience is primarily in

• marketing strategy
• advertising, and
• content creation

Our client base is predominantly Western, and two-thirds are SMEs; however, we also have worked with companies in China and elsewhere.

We hope this content is useful for you whether you do the marketing work yourself, consult us, or have us do the work for you.

And, unlike many blogs in 2024, none of this is regurgitated content written by AI.

Baidu and Chinese Search Marketing

Baidu can be a powerful tool to drive targeted traffic for your business through their advertising platform and organic search (SEO). While it’s often called the “Google of China,” there are many differences between Baidu and Google.

1. A Tour of Baidu (2022)
2. Who is Using Baidu (2023)
3. Chinese Search Habits and Search Engines (2024)
4. Baidu search advertising:
   1. Baidu Pay Per Click Search Advertising Guide (2024)
      
   2. Baidu Ad Formats (2024)
   3. Baidu Verifications and Baidu Brand Zone (2023)
5. Baidu SEO:
   1. Baidu SEO Basics – How to Optimize Your Site for Baidu (2020)
   2. Technical On-site SEO (2020)
   3. The Baidu SEO To-do List for Google SEO Pros (2022)
6. Baidu Baike Introduction (2022)

Chinese Social and Content Marketing

The Chinese social media ecosystem is unique. All major Western social media platforms are blocked in China. In their place is a unique homegrown digital ecosystem. For each, we provide a simple tour and advice for setup and marketing.

1. Six Chinese Social Media Platforms You Need to Know (2022)
2. 15 Chinese Social Media Platforms in One Table (2024)
3. WeChat:
   1. A Tour of WeChat (2024 video, 2022 blog)
   2. How to Write Great WeChat Articles (2020)
      
   3. WeChat Advertising (2024)
   4. WeChat Analytics (2020)
   5. WeChat Account Setup Guide (2022)
4. Little Red Book (Xiaohongshu)
   1. Xiaohongshu Introduction (2019)
   2. A Video Tour of Xiaohongshu (2020)
   3. Xiaohongshu Marketing Essentials (2019)
   4. How to Advertise on Xiaohongshu in 2024
5. Douyin
   1. Douyin Marketing (2018)
   2. A Video Tour of Douyin (2020)
   3. A Thorough Guide to Influencing on Douyin (2020)
6. Zhihu
   1. A Tour of Zhihu (2023 blog, 2020 video)
   2. Guide to Advertising on Zhihu (2020)
   3. Zhihu Setup and Verification (2020)
7. Bilibili
   1. A Tour of Bilibili (2022 blog, 2020 video)
   2. A Comprehensive Guide to Bilibili Account Setup and Verification (2024)
   3. 11 Bilibili Marketing Tips (2021)

Websites – Localization, Hosting and Payments

We believe websites should be “transcreated” for the Chinese market, meaning they’re full of high-quality, useful, and interesting Chinese content. Plus, they need to load quickly behind the “Great Firewall of China.”

1. How to Check Your Website’s Speed in China (2022)
2. The Simple Guide to Chinese Website Transcreation (2022)
3. Chinese ICP License Guide (How To Host Your Website in China) (2020)
4. How to Optimize a WordPress Website by 80% (2023)
5. Choosing the Right Chinese Company Name (2014 But Still Relevant)
6. Online Payments in China (2024)
   1. How to Use Stripe to Accept Payments via Alipay and WeChat Pay (2022)
7. How to Host Videos in China (2020)
8. How to Use Google Analytics in China (2023)

Guides by Vertical

In this section, we provide advice to specific types of organizations.

1. Top 9 Chinese B2B Marketing Tactics for 2024
2. Complete List of Ways to Recruit Chinese International Students (2021)