What’s the best platform to use if you want to do B2B content marketing in China? China is home to the largest population of internet users globally and tremendous revenue from eCommerce and B2B industries.
If you’re reading this, there is a fair chance that your business has plans for China or maybe is looking for ways to expand its market to the 1.4 billion people who reside within the country’s borders.
So, let’s get to the main point of this article…
The most crucial content marketing platforms in China
1. Baidu
Baidu is often described as China’s Google, but it has a very different focus. Baidu offers business tools, such as lead generation and email marketing, in addition to search.
That’s what makes it a critical platform for your B2B content marketing in China.
Baidu has become the fourth-largest search engine globally, with a market share of 1.5%.
Chinese Internet users spend more time using mobile devices than desktop computers, so Baidu optimizes its tools for smartphones and tablets.
Every day, hundreds of millions of people worldwide search on Baidu, making over five billion queries.
This makes it perfect for having successful content marketing in China.
Baidu is similar to Google in that it has many subsidiaries, including
- Internet services provider Baidu Browser and Baidu Cloud,
- A directory of knowledge products called Baidu Baike (a Chinese version of Wikipedia),
- Baidu Knows, a product that offers information relevant to the user’s location (similar to Google Now),
- and travel and navigation apps Baidu Map and Qunar.
Baidu is definitely worth considering as an option for your next B2B content marketing in China.
However, keep in mind that Baidu prefers to rank its own wiki-like pages (Baidu Zhidao and Baidu Baike) over other website brands.
That’s why B2B companies should post content on these platforms to outrank competitors.
2. Zhihu
Zhihu is a Chinese Quora-like Q&A platform to display your professional knowledge and ask/answer questions.
It’s also one of the largest Q&A websites globally, with more than 101.2 million monthly active users as of 2021.
Also, it has more than 5.5 million monthly active paying users.
Zhihu is also an important platform for your B2B content marketing in China.
While companies can leverage Zhihu to answer questions, they should also consider using the question-and-answer forum to develop their content marketing strategy.
Employees of a company can create their own Zhihu accounts, including their company position and company information.
Readers are more likely to trust the answers if they know an employee has answered the question from that company.
3. Weibo
Social media plays a major role in any marketer’s marketing strategy in today’s modern world.
Even though some of us might be more familiar with Facebook and Twitter, Chinese marketers should take note of Weibo.
In a sense, Weibo is China’s version of Twitter—making it an excellent choice for success in your B2B content marketing in China.
In 2021, it had over 248 million daily active users.
Compared to WeChat or other social media sites, Weibo has much higher engagement rates because most people use it as their main source of information about current events and trending topics.
For small businesses looking for a cheaper alternative that gives them a wider reach, we suggest using promoted posts on Weibo.
This can help you get your brand name out there without paying too much money!
Furthermore, the fact that Weibo allows businesses to verify their accounts has many benefits to B2B content marketing in China.
Once Weibo verifies a brand profile, it will be categorized into relevant categories where they can connect with other companies and their target groups of B2B clients.
4. WeChat
WeChat, which Chinese tech behemoth Tencent owns, has been an exciting prospect for Western brands for a few years now.
With more than 1.26 billion active users worldwide (most of whom are in Asia), it can provide tremendous reach.
When looking at WeChat as a marketing channel, remember that it’s a social media platform just like Facebook and Twitter.
While its viral aspects are tempting, they also mean your posts will be competing against hundreds of millions of other messages.
WeChat provides two kinds of official accounts for businesses to advertise on the platform: Subscription Accounts and Service Accounts.
They are platforms that allow businesses to distribute information and updates on their products and services directly to their clients rather than trying to sell their products or services to the clients themselves.
What else is more perfect for your successful efforts in implementing content marketing in China?
Closing remarks
It can be challenging for B2B brands that are just starting out marketing in China or those that have operated here for years to determine which platforms will help them achieve their business goals.
Knowing where and how to build your brand requires choosing not only a marketing platform but also your goal.
For example, if you’re looking for new customers, you may want to select two platforms that drive search traffic— Baidu.
If you want leads from other companies and professionals interested in your industry, a microblogging service like Weibo could be great.
Either way, if you need help with your content marketing in China, feel free to contact us.
