You probably attend a lot of online meetings and trade events in China if you’re thinking about starting or expanding a B2B business there. All of this is excellent, especially in a nation like China where establishing strong commercial links depends heavily on relationships and trust. You may even already have a specialized sales team in place.
But sending your sales staff or you personally to China without the backing of a strong online presence is like sending firefighters to a fire without a fire truck and hose. Without the right equipment, you and them will only be able to make it so far.
Things To Consider When Going Online
Consider what you would do as one of the first steps if you were approached by a foreign visitor who wanted to collaborate with you. To learn more about a company, you seek at its website and social media accounts.
This is especially true since that B2B networking relies heavily on digital channels in the post-COVID-19 environment. China also experiences this. 90% of industrial buyers use the Internet to discover suppliers, and about 80% of buyers conduct research online before making a purchase.
Consequently, you need a knowledgeable and polished online presence to support you to operate in the international B2B marketplace. This will provide you and your team with the greatest chance possible to make a positive impression.
The benefits of creating a strong internet presence for B2B marketing in China are listed below.
You’ll Be Able To Fully Manage Your Brand As A Result
When business transactions are handled solely on a person-to-person basis, they are influenced by the personal histories and experiences of the parties involved, and some subtleties may inevitably be lost in translation.
However, if your business has a strong online presence, decision-makers will be able to form their own opinions about you and your business because you have complete control over your messaging and branding.
It’s Quite Simple To Update
It’s crucial to have current materials with the most recent information about your accomplishments and products when dealing with businesses to demonstrate your cutting-edge status to potential customers and business partners.
Of course, you could update your printed materials and brochures each time you have something to share, but doing so would be expensive, time-consuming, and wasteful.
However, it’s simple to keep your clients and partners informed of all of your activities in the Chinese B2B platform with a website and a social media presence, ensuring that they always have the most recent information available to them.
With Chinese Buyers, It Fosters Trust
Would you conduct business with someone whose website and/or social media presence lacked a professional appearance? I’m assuming that the response is no since you would (very logically) have skepticism regarding their veracity and seriousness.
You’re showing clients that you have a stake in the outcome and that you take your work seriously just by making the effort to build a solid online presence.
Additionally, if the website is in Chinese, as it should be, you’ll demonstrate your dedication to the Chinese market and ensure that Baidu, China’s most prominent search engine, indexes your website.
It Works Well For Generating Web Leads
Social media and your website are more than just tools for raising awareness. If done properly, they can be effective lead-generation tools.
You may collect highly relevant leads and save your sales team time on the ground by developing downloadable content that targets your client’s pain points, such as e-books, whitepapers, or how-to manuals, then gating this content behind landing pages.
Another strategy to produce highly relevant leads is to get your SEO optimized. This will help you rise in the rankings of China’s top search engines and further build your trustworthiness.
Conclusion
Additionally, maintaining a social media presence is crucial for connecting with others and forming connections in China. Communicating on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter is not typically accepted business practice in the West.
Doing so in China is acceptable and, in addition, too many people preferred. To build lasting relationships, it’s crucial to meet customers and partners where they are. Email isn’t as popular in China as it is in the West.
It’s crucial to support your B2B marketing efforts in China with a strong online presence that presents your business in the best possible light.
Invest in a visible, regionally-focused, and optimized website. As well as, a polished and interesting WeChat presence to start your business partnerships off on the right foot.
