{"id":38867,"date":"2024-07-06T03:29:00","date_gmt":"2024-07-06T03:29:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/seoagencychina.com\/?p=38867"},"modified":"2024-07-07T21:35:37","modified_gmt":"2024-07-07T21:35:37","slug":"branding-in-china-key-for-success","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/seoagencychina.com\/branding-in-china-key-for-success\/","title":{"rendered":"Why do you need good branding in China to succeed?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Chinese consumers trust good brands, specially what KOL, media, consumers say about them <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Chinese consumers love well-known brands<\/strong>. Although we can see a swift in consumer behavior in the West, with more people buying second-hand clothes or products from small, local brands, in China most consumers will always go for domestic or global brands that already have strong branding in China<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the eyes of consumers, these brands are symbols of reliability, quality, and social prestige<\/strong>.\u00a0For these brands, it means more sales and more success. Therefore, a successful branding strategy is a key marketing move that all foreign companies should focus on<\/strong> in order to win Chinese consumers. Fortunately, there are practices that can help you with branding in China<\/strong><\/a>. In this article, GMA will explain to you why branding is so important in China and what can you do to become a well-known brand in China.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Why should you work hard on your branding in China?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Chinese consumers are looking for reliability when purchasing online.<\/strong> They are well aware of counterfeit and poor-quality products and this leads them to buy in a smarter way. In China, there is something we like to call queuing phenomenon<\/strong>. If you have the chance to visit China you might encounter people queuing for hours even just to buy ice cream. Why is that? If a place is busy, it must be good, and the longer the queue is, the longer are people willing to wait.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Work harder on your branding in China <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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It works in the same way with brands. Sales lead to more sales and this gets more consumers paying attention to your brand. Having people talking about you is key to success, as long as they generate a positive impact. A well-known brand is often associated with quality<\/strong>. As we said, Chinese people are looking for better quality over quantity nowadays. They are more concerned about the health and the environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chinese consumers tend to care about their Mianzi<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Another very important concept associated with branding in China is the social concept of Mianzi<\/strong>. Mianzi, in a highly hierarchical and collectivist society like the Chinese one, is the reputation of each person, as well as the prestige that they possess in the places they frequently visit, like work, school, and home.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This can be achieved by getting good grades, excellent work results, and a prominent economic position, but also by owning a valuable car, designer clothes from a popular brand, or a good-looking wife<\/strong>. In this regard, it is a real humiliation for the Chinese to make a mistake in public. \u201cLosing face<\/strong>\u201d (diu mianzi) is a source of great embarrassment and shame.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This means that a non-Chinese who relates to Chinese culture must always keep in mind the importance of avoiding any word or attitude in your marketing campaigns and branding that could lead to the loss of face<\/strong>. Each brand carries values and a specific identity that Chinese consumers will consider when buying. This is also related to the Mianzi and the way people want to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Stand Out in the Crowd<\/strong>: China’s marketplace is incredibly crowded. Distinctive branding helps you cut through the noise and grab attention, setting you apart from countless competitors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Build Trust, Earn Loyalty<\/strong>: Chinese consumers are particularly brand-conscious; they equate strong brands with quality and reliability. Establishing a robust brand identity is key to winning their trust and fostering loyalty\u2014critical in a market teeming with alternatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Culturally Connect<\/strong>: Adapting your brand to resonate with Chinese cultural nuances can make or break your market entry. Brands that mirror local preferences and values (“\u5165\u4e61\u968f\u4fd7” – R\u00f9xi\u0101ngsu\u00eds\u00fa, “When entering a village, follow its customs”) are more likely to win hearts and open wallets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Master the Digital Game<\/strong>: In China, if you’re not online, you’re invisible. A compelling digital presence on platforms like WeChat, Weibo, and Douyin is non-negotiable. Engaging digital content that taps into trends and user interests can propel your visibility and consumer interaction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leverage Influencer Power<\/strong>: In China, influencers, or KOLs, are not just trendsetters\u2014they’re powerful drivers of consumer behavior. Collaborating with the right KOLs can catapult your brand into the spotlight and magnify your messaging across vast audiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adapt Fast, Stay Relevant<\/strong>: The Chinese market evolves at lightning speed. Brands that continuously innovate their image and adapt to shifting consumer preferences stay relevant and maintain consumer interest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Navigate Regulations with Ease<\/strong>: China\u2019s strict marketing laws demand that brands not only comply but also communicate their adherence through their branding. Clear, compliant branding avoids regulatory pitfalls and smooths your business operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seamless E-commerce Experience<\/strong>: With a sophisticated e-commerce landscape, your brand needs to offer a seamless shopping experience that aligns perfectly across both digital and physical realms to captivate the tech-savvy Chinese shopper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A successful branding strategy comes with benefits<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Not only being a well-known brand will get you huge profits but it will also open some doors for you. You\u2019ll soon discover that to sell in China you need retailers<\/strong>. Retailers won\u2019t be willing to work with a start-up or new brand simply because they know the risk of being a total stranger on the Chinese market. Therefore, the more recognized on the market you are, the more guanxi you will need. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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One of GMA case studies, where we worked on introducing the brand to Chinese consumers and building a good branding strategy<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Guanxi – the art of building relations<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>Having a good reputation increases your mianzi but also helps you build bigger guanxi<\/strong>, which can be understood as a network of business and private relations<\/strong>. Having good relations is at the center of the Chinese business model<\/strong> and will help you to get the best deals and new clients. Unlike the way of conducting business in the West, which is usually very formal and focused on work, in China to have a fruitful business or institutional relationship you must first establish a personal relationship based on mutual knowledge, respect, and trust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well-known successful brands get invited to all kinds of events where they can promote themselves to Chinese consumers in many different ways<\/strong>. And it’s not that easy, as not everyone can organize an event for themselves for good branding in China. If no one knows your brand, no one will come. Indeed, walking into an event organized by another unknown brand among 1000 other brands does not have the prestige of being invited to a Gucci event for instance. Time is a resource that can\u2019t be wasted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Talking about prestige, giant global brands often get discounts on their rents and sweet deals with local businesses. In this way, they are going to have priorities over small brands and get the best spots. All of these are due to good guanxi on the Chinese market<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to build your brand a name in the Chinese market?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Now that we\u2019ve explained to you some of the most important reasons why you need to focus on branding in China, we can introduce you to some of the most efficient methods to do so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is most important is that your marketing efforts should be focused on the digital world if you want Chinese consumers to get to know your brand and your values. They are extremely digitalized and have a habit of checking most brands on social media or in search engines before they make a purchase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Invest in a good Baidu SEO&SEM strategy<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The first thing is to create a website in Chinese<\/strong>. It will have to be hosted in China or Hong Kong. These two details may be taken for granted, but they are extremely important for your SEO ranking. Another important thing for search engine optimization is to do link building<\/strong>: the activity aimed at increasing the number of inbound links to a website, which in this way gains greater authority in the eyes of the search engine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The most used search engine in China is Baidu. It covers more than 70% of the users\u2019 queries. In short, you won\u2019t be able to rank if you have a foreign-language website hosted on a foreign server. To get a China contact, you need to be China-related in any way. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Take advantage of Baidu SEM tools<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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Similar to Google Ads, Baidu also offers its users different advertisement formats to reach Chinese consumers through the search engine ranking pages. There are 4 types of Baidu SEM campaigns that you can use for branding in China<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n