6 Top Mistakes B2B Marketers Make in China - And How to Avoid Making Them - Brandigo

6 Top
Mistakes B2B
Marketers Make in China
And How to Avoid Making Them

Ni hao, fellow marketers!

Whether you are an experienced hand in China marketing, or looking at
market entry, there are always lessons to be learned. Most industries in
China, both B2B and consumer markets, are giants. Huge scale. Incredible
difficulties. But also huge rewards if done right.

Thanks for downloading this guide from Brandigo. We hope you find it useful
as we take a look at some of the main mistakes marketers make here in the
Middle Kingdom. We’ve learned from over 15 years of experience, both in our
Shanghai home and across this vast country, what works and what doesn’t.

And we’ll carry on learning. Get in touch with any comments, suggestions or
questions. Enjoy the guide.

The Brandigo team

Mistake No.1:
Direct Translation
Problem
Mandarin is a very different language to English or any of the European
languages. Simply translating directly (or worse still, using Google translate!)
will give you some very strange results. Head onto the internet to see the best
translation fails, but then imagine that was your business name or key
message?

Take KFC as an example – when they launched in China, their “Finger-lickin’
good” tagline was translated as “Eat your fingers off”. Not what the Colonel
had in mind when he took his original recipe to Asia.

We’ve also seen poor translations that were done by Chinese living abroad –
friends of the company or even employees. The quality may be wonderful, or
it may be terrible – worth having someone take a second look at the
translations.

Solution
Use a translation company. You’ll find plenty by doing an online search, or
better still, if you know anyone in China who can recommend one, ask them.

Once you’ve had your material translated, give it to somebody else to check
over to make sure your message is getting through and it doesn’t contain any
double-entendres, ambiguities, or just sound downright bizarre.

Translation companies, however, are there to provide a good translation of
the original text. They are probably not writing marketing copy, or thinking
about your target audience. This is when you want to consider hiring a
professional copywriter or agency to ensure the messaging is accurate as
well as tuned to the target audience.

Mistake No.2:
Not Localizing Content
Problem
Your content, whether a brochure, ad, or campaign, worked wonders in
Europe or the US. In China, for some reason, it just falls flat. The only
feedback is: “it’s too foreign.”

Do you really know your target audience? Do you have defined personas for
your market segments? What marketing messages and visuals will appeal to
the audience at the various stages of their customer journey?

Solution
Be prepared to overhaul your content. Find a local agency and share your
plans with them. They will be able to advise you on how best to make your
offer attractive to the Chinese market and to your customers. They should
also have Chinese staff that you can consult to get an authentic point of view.

Make sure you take a look at Chinese content portals too – websites, flyers,
social media posts. What is working in China may seem very foreign to
Western marketers.

China hands also know very well that Chinese versions vary in Mainland China,
Hong Kong and Taiwan. Make sure your local efforts are truly local.

Mistake No.3:
Over-Localization
Problem
Some marketers go too far in their localization efforts and leave everything to
the local office. Before you know it, your brand bears no resemblance to the
global brand. Many times the local marketing team may be trying to make
their own mark, or want to use their own team.

Solution
The trick is to find a perfect blend or happy medium. The Chinese version of
your materials appeals to your target market. But at the same time, one look
and you know it is your global brand. Evaluating all marketing materials or
having someone audit for you, is an important step to ensure global
alignment. Here are some of the elements to consider:

             Logo – Use the global version? Chinese version? Or a combination of both?
Logo         You can see variations of this in every market. Keep in mind, depending on your target market,
             your customers may not be able to read English very well.

    Name – Along the same lines, should you use the original name or have a Chinese name
    developed? Developing a Chinese name is actually a serious endeavor – to do it right you need
    testing, trademark checks, and to find a good version of your name linguistically.

             Colors – Generally we would keep original brand identity colors, although
             in rare cases, they may be adjusted (too much black may be off-putting).

    Website - Chinese generally do not like a lot of white, empty spaces in their layouts, including
    websites. Often, northern European and modern websites may be seen as “too boring” by
    Chinese. For China B2B marketing, this may not be that vital to change.

             Video - Keep original video and add subtitles or voiceover? Or develop all-new videos for the
             target market? Also remember video hosting on YouTube and Vimeo is blocked, while local
             options such as Youku always have an advertisement pre-roll – not a great solution. Develop-
             ing or using a hosting solution for your own site, locally hosted, is usually the best option.

    Imagery – Do your photos and images only feature Western people and employees? A local
    photoshoot or selection of new stock images may help balance this out.

Mistake No.4:
 Weak Trade Show Effort
 Problem
 You went to the trade show, and everyone just walked past your booth to the
 shinier stand further down the hall, offering drinks, big smiles and friendly
 promotion staff handing out branded pens.

 It can be difficult just getting all your collaterals for the booth into China, or
 sourcing those extra touches that will persuade your potential customers to
 stop and engage with you rather than just walk on by.

 Solution
 Find someone in China who can help you organize a strong trade show effort.
 This will mean spending money on setup, booth location and marketing
 materials. Don’t try to do a last-minute organization effort to join a trade
 show. Plan it out.

 12+         How to use as
months      part of strategy,
before      budget. exhibit

 9-12                           Goals and Obj,
months                          Register, Mkt
before                              Plan

 6-9                                               Message,
months                                           Booth Design,
before                                             Materials

 3-6
                                                                    Staffing,
months
                                                                 Display, Launch
before

 1-3
                                                                                   Finalize, Booth,
months
                                                                                   Travel, Clients
before

 1 week                                                                                               Staff, Shipping,
 before                                                                                                  Materials

Follow-up                                                                                                                  Leads, ROI,
                                                                                                                         Success criteria

 Trade shows are important in China. People like to see who is actually there.
 And then they can make “guanxi” or connections, essential for greasing the
 wheels of business. Remember to have your business cards printed with your
 English and Chinese name, and study the etiquette of handing these over.
 Don’t run out of business cards!

Mistake No.5:
Your Digital Plan Isn't
Working
Problem
China is surrounded by the Great Firewall. Unlike its ancient stone namesake,
this isn’t a top tourist attraction. Basically, it means certain websites are
blocked in China. Websites that marketers of any discipline rely on, such as
Google, Twitter and Facebook. Even savvy marketers in China will not use
these services.

Solution
Get to know the Chinese social media landscape. WeChat, the world’s largest
social network with 1.2 billion monthly active users, is primarily a free
messaging service but users can also follow corporate official accounts, and
receive updates and news from their favorite companies. China’s version of
Twitter, called Weibo, is the most popular micro-blogging platform in China
with 516 million monthly active users. Douyin (TikTok) is the largest and the
most popular video-sharing platform in China, attracting over 600 million
users every day.

Mistake No.6:
Running Into Advertising
Regulations
Problem
China’s advertising laws are strict, and becoming even stricter. The easy
option (though not really seen in B2B) is the celebrity endorsement, but the
rules on these are now tightening up and said star has to have used the
product first hand. Likewise, any claims have to be backed up by research,
and if you can’t back them up, you’ll find yourself in court. Finally, dissing your
competitors isn’t allowed in China, so you can’t point out how good your price
is compared to theirs.

Solution
While the strict laws may seem off-putting, it’s actually making things fairer.
The cowboys making spurious claims about a vitamin supplement curing
cancer have been driven out of town. Thanks to this, consumers are better
protected and more willing to listen to the well-researched claims
surrounding your brand. Where control isn’t as tight is online, where Key
Opinion Leaders (KOLs), people with large social media followings seen as
experts in certain topics, can be used to successfully market your brand to
your target consumers. Take the time to research how you can spread your
message on the web in China, and how to stay on the right side of the law for
anything you say!

Brandigo has been at the forefront of strategic marketing in China for
  the last 17 years. Based in Shanghai with a network of contacts across
     the globe, the agency has had a ringside seat to witness China’s
    economic boom. Brandigo works with B2B businesses to develop
 content across digital, print and video, as well as to plan and implement
          clear, effective and value-driven marketing campaigns.

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