China Digital Marketing 101

If you’re new to Chinese digital marketing, this is the best place to begin.

Here, you’ll find guidance on the major Chinese digital platforms and how to use them effectively for marketing. We’ll also walk you through website transcreation and the steps to building a high-level Chinese marketing strategy.

We’ve been writing and updating this content since 2008, and it remains human-written. Each article draws on our experience running a Chinese marketing agency that has helped more than 300 Western organizations succeed in the Chinese market.

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. Chinese Search Habits and Search Engines (2024)
3. Baidu User Demographics (2026)
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 / GEO:
   1. Baidu SEO Basics (2020)
   2. Technical On-site SEO (2020)
   3. Baidu SEO To-do List (2022)
   4. Chinese Parasite SEO (2025)
   5. 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. Chinese Video-sharing Apps (2025)
4. WeChat
   1. A Tour of WeChat (2024 video, 2022 blog)
   2. WeChat Demographics (2025)
   3. How to Write Great WeChat Articles (2020)
   4. How to Create Great WeChat Articles (2024)
   5. How to Get WeChat Followers (2024)
   6. WeChat Advertising Guide (2024)
   7. WeChat Analytics (2025)
   8. WeChat Account Setup Guide (2025)
5. Rednote (Xiaohongshu)
   1. A Tour of Rednote (2020 video, 2022 blog)
   2. Rednote Demographics (2024)
   3. Rednote Marketing Guide (2025)
   4. How to Advertise on Rednote (2024)
   5. How to Setup and Verify an Account (2025)
6. Douyin
   1. Douyin Marketing (2018)
   2. Douyin Demographics (2025)
   3. A Tour of Douyin (2025)
   4. How to Advertise on Douyin (2024)
   5. How to Setup a Douyin Account (2025)
   6. Influencing on Douyin (2020)
7. Zhihu
   1. Zhihu Demographics (2026)
   2. A Tour of Zhihu (2023 blog, 2020 video)
   3. Guide to Advertising on Zhihu (2020)
   4. Zhihu Setup and Verification (2020)
8. Bilibili
   1. A Tour of Bilibili (2022 blog, 2020 video)
   2. Bilibili Demographics (2025)
   3. Account Setup and Verification (2024)
   4. 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. Choosing the Right Chinese Company Name (2014 But Still Relevant)
5. Online Payments in China (2024)
   1. How to Use Stripe to Accept Payments via Alipay and WeChat Pay (2022)
6. How to Host Videos in China (2020)
7. How to Use Google Analytics in China (2023)
8. Customer Support in China (2025)
9. Baidu Aifanfan Website Chat Tool (2025)

Guides by Vertical

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

1. Top 9 Chinese B2B Marketing Tactics for 2024
   1. How to Use WeChat for B2B Marketing (2022)
2. Complete List of Ways to Recruit Chinese International Students (2021)
   1. Education Marketing on Rednote (2024)
   2. WeChat for Student Recruitment (2024)
3. Private Schools
   1. The Market for Foreign Private Schools for Chinese International Students (2025)
   2. The Ultimate Guide to Marketing Private Schools in China (2025)
4. Guide to Marketing PC Games in China (2024)
5. How to Promote Tourist Attractions via WeChat (2024)
6. Tips for Marketing Logistics Services in China (2025)