China Marketing in 2023
Looking towards a brighter 2023
The year 2022 was a challenging one for the China marketing scene, as the COVID-19 pandemic led to significant changes in the way businesses operated and marketed themselves. With trade shows and in-person meetings being largely off the table, companies had to find new ways to reach their target audiences.
One trend that emerged was the increased use of KOLs (key opinion leaders) and other influencers to promote products and services. These individuals have a large following on social media platforms such as WeChat and Douyin (TikTok), and they can help businesses reach a wider audience through their trusted recommendations. For B2B marketers, this took the form of trade publications – typically the WeChat versions.
B2B marketers also stepped out of the WeChat comfort zones and started to experiment with Douyin, Little Red Book and other more consumer-focused social media. One of the reasons being that the “walled garden” that is WeChat is a long, slow slog for new fans and growth – something that has always bedeviled China B2B marketers.
Companies also experimented with video and used the WeChat Channels video platform to supercharge their WeChat content efforts. We saw a rise in B2B clients taking advantage of video in a more systematic way as well – supporting them to take a larger “content zero” piece of content and break it into sizable chunks.
Another trend was the rise of webinars, which allowed businesses to connect with their customers and partners remotely. Some of our most successful clients incorporated webinars into their WeChat official accounts, providing a library of content, sometimes gated and sometimes available to the public.
Hybrid trade shows and digital-only trade shows did not make much headway, although at CIIE (China’s major import-export trade show), we saw many brands use live-streaming to reach their target audiences that could not attend the exhibition.
Looking ahead to 2023, it is difficult to predict exactly how the China marketing scene will evolve. With COVID-19 still a major concern and vaccination efforts ongoing, it is more than likely that digital channels – especially newer channels – will to play a significant role in how businesses reach their target audiences, even as trade shows start to re-surface.
However, as the pandemic hopefully comes under control and restrictions are lifted, it is possible that we will see a return to more traditional marketing methods, such as trade shows and in-person meetings. Only time will tell how the China marketing scene will adapt and change in the coming year.
Chris Pereira joins The Radical Global Marketing Podcast to explore how trust, localization and branding are shaping the next era of Chinese global expansion.
In this episode... Steven and Casey discuss: Why genuine connection can be more powerful than transactional B2B marketing How podcasts can build brand, create demand and strengthen customer relationships Why marketing technology and automation should never replace understanding your customer How AI is increasing content noise – and making human connection even more valuable Why global marketers need to keep challenging what they think they know about their customers Do you really know your customer? Technology gives marketers more opportunities than ever to automate, measure and optimise what they do. Casey experienced that transformation first-hand through marketing automation, gaining the ability to demonstrate how marketing activity contributed to leads, customers and revenue. But more technology doesn't automatically mean better marketing. Casey found that many companies were using only a fraction of the capabilities of the technology they had purchased. Worse, marketers could become so focused on platforms, features and automation that they lost sight of the person they were actually trying to reach. The same problem applies to content. Whether a 17-page report has been painstakingly written by an expensive expert or generated in seconds using AI, the fundamental question remains the same: What question does this answer for your buyer? From go to market to connect to market This becomes particularly important for global marketers. Pain and intent may be universal, but the people experiencing them – and the way they choose to solve their problems – can be very different across markets, cultures and generations. A buyer persona created ten years ago may bear little resemblance to the person making the same purchasing decision today. And a persona developed for one market can't simply be assumed to work everywhere else. Casey's answer is deceptively simple: keep talking to people. For him, this is another reason podcasting has become such a powerful marketing tool. It creates a consistent reason for marketers and business leaders to have meaningful conversations with the people they want to understand. It also sits behind his latest concept, Connect to Market . Rather than simply taking a product to a market, Casey argues that businesses should think more deliberately about how they connect with the people within it – through podcasts, communities, partnerships and other human-first approaches. As AI makes it easier to create more content, more quickly, those genuine human connections may become more important rather than less. Because amid all the automation, algorithms and AI-generated noise, great marketing still begins with understanding another person. Resources mentioned in this episode: Casey Cheshire on LinkedIn Ringmaster Ringmaster on LinkedIn Marketing Automation Unleashed The Hard Corps Marketing Show Sponsor for this episode... This episode is brought to you by Brandigo China . We are an independent marketing and communications agency based in Shanghai, China with 20 years of on-the-ground experience in China. At Brandigo China , we work with multinational clients to support their marketing and business growth efforts in China. We are experts in insight strategy, content marketing, marketing-led business growth campaigns and all things China-based marketing. Go to Brandigo China to learn more and contact us with questions at [email protected] .
Marc Rust of Consequently Creative joins the Radical Global Marketing Podcast to explore brand-led growth, business transformation, creativity and AI.
