101 Things About China – #6 – How to Get Noticed Online

With around 520 million internet users now in China, getting noticed online is obviously going to be tough, and it’s even tougher if you don’t understand online PR and content marketing in China. With the “Great Firewall of China” blocking many of the English social media sites, Chinese users are very much restricted in how they can access some of your content; not to mention that the vast majority of searches are done in Mandarin Chinese. It’s therefore vitally important that you get your messages out through as wide a variety of channels as possible, and this includes both traditional and new media.

With this in mind, here are my Top 5 Tips for getting noticed online in China:

1. Optimize Your Website in Mandarin Chinese

If you are serious about getting noticed in China, you should have an optimized Chinese website. One of the main goals of your online PR will be to drive traffic back to your website. You could have a large following on SINA Weibo and issue some really great Chinese content, but ultimately, if interested readers visit your website only to find they need to stumble their way through an English site, you’re going to lose a lot of people that will never return. The main premise of a great website is to give people what they want and to provide truly engaging and useful content. You are not doing this if you provide Chinese stakeholders with an English only site.

The simple fact: Most people only speak Mandarin and if your website is only in English, it’s not usable. It’s a massive oversight if you think an English website is good enough.

2. Remember Online Search Dominates; Create SEO-friendly Content

Search remains a key tool for both consumers and journalists, so ensure content is SEO-friendly, remembering Baidu.com dominates the search engine market and has its own unique search rules – don’t presume Google’s search rules work as well for Baidu. Baidu is the first port-of-call for about 95% of all online searches in China, so it’s impossible to ignore.

The simple fact: The vast majority of searches are in Mandarin Chinese, so Chinese messaging is essential to any success you hope to have here. Local Content is King!

3. Don’t Forget Traditional Media Remain the Most Influential

There has certainly been a convergence of traditional and new media in recent years, but traditional media remain the most important and influential. Of course, this doesn’t mean you need to appear in the printed versions of the China Daily or People’s Daily (though it helps), as many of China’s traditional media have already successfully migrated online, with newspapers and magazines also becoming more actively involved in social media and mobile entertainment platforms as they look for new ways to expand their readership. It’s also important to note that China’s major portals – SINA, SOHU, Tencent and NetEase – have to acquire news from known print media sources and that’s one reason why the online versions of the traditional print media have the upper-hand, as there are still restrictions that prevent websites from producing their own news. It’s therefore important to build relationships with these kinds of media or use services that already have established relationships.

The simple fact: Getting your content picked-up by traditional media provides the opportunity for your content to be aggregated by the major portals and other news sites, so they present the best ROI.

4. Don’t Underestimate the Power of Images and Videos

Not only are journalists more likely to use your press releases if they contain multimedia elements, but your content is much more likely to be shared amongst online communities if you can provide interesting photos and videos. Such content should also be archived on the major Chinese platforms like Youku, Tudou and ImagineChina. It doesn’t matter whether you’re issuing a press release or posting a tweet on SINA Weibo, images and videos should play a key role in your content marketing strategies.

The simple fact: Utilize images and videos to your advantage. You’re much more likely to get noticed and shared if you do.

5. Make Use of Chinese Social Media Platforms and Blogs

There are a number of reasons why social media and blogs are important, and many of these mirror the same reasons they are so influential in the US and other developed markets. It’s no different here in China. If you are serious about communicating and engaging with Chinese stakeholders – be they other professionals, journalists or the general public – a sound social media presence is vital. The major blogs and social media platforms also carry a lot of weight with search engines, and such content can be easily searched, so make sure you are on them. With Baidu.com recently agreeing to provide SINA Weibo tweets in their organic search results, the importance of SINA Weibo has also increased.

The simple fact: With hundreds of millions of social media users in China alone, social media platforms offer exponential exposure. You need to find a way to listen, monitor and engage with your Chinese stakeholders via these platforms.

Overall…

Getting noticed online in China is not all that different to getting noticed online in the US and other developed markets. However, China is unique in its own right and the biggest hurdle is ensuring you provide content for the masses, and this means providing content in Mandarin Chinese. Once you’ve established how to do this, the next step is to get Chinese content out there and in places users can find it. There are many ways to do this, but press releases are perhaps the simplest way to start, especially for those without local staff in China. Press releases can be translated easily and then distributed to traditional and new media, including the big social media sites. They are also easy to share and offer a great way to drive traffic back to your (Chinese) website.

Remember, “Local Content is King!”