Category Archives: Business Tips
What Do You Expect from a Reputed Digital Marketing Agency?
Digital Marketing – Don’t Take Too Lightly
Promotional activities have taken a gyration, precisely in tune with the overall rolling of the social situations. Consequently, the typical traditional advertisement methods have become almost obsolete, and now, companies will have to promote their products or services through digital ways to function successfully. Devoid of a functional online presence, companies will not be able to achieve the set organizational goals. Though this has become a standard form for all businesses, it is all the more true as far as small and medium-sized companies. Such businesses will have to use the available resources wisely, and digital marketing has evolved as the best method for them. However, there is a prerequisite; the online promotional activities must match the prevailing norms of the country wherein the company wants to focus its marketing efforts. For instance, if you want to reach a specific customer segment in China, you will have to plan your strategies exactly in line with the existing digital policies of that country. That said, you must hire the professional competence of an experienced online marketing agency China.
Online Marketing in China
Digital marketing in China is quite different from the methods that you apply in other parts of the globe. Here, the global giant Google is only secondary, and the first place goes to the local search engines like Sogou, Baidu, etc. Hence, the digital marketer will have to give due considerations to the algorithms of these search engines for enjoying successful marketing results. Similarly, the major social networking channels in China are Weibo, WeChat, etc. Hence, the digital marketing agency in China that you hire for your promotional activities must be aware of these pragmatic facts. Moreover, the company must have sufficient experience in doing such works in China.
What Do You expect from a Reputed Digital Marketing Agency?
You can expect all the possible and practically relevant help and support from an experienced digital marketing agency in China. Such a company will have thorough, comprehensive knowledge about the functioning methods of the local search engines. Hence, they will be able to promote your website effectively so that it reaches the targeted audience easily. Connecting with potential customers is vital for the survival of your company.
Consultation: An expert SEO manager will be able to show you the present marketing scenario that prevails in China and the importance of adhering to the stipulated online promotional methods. Such an agency will be able to guide you in conducting factual consumer research and plan your marketing strategies in line with that.
SEM: Search engine marketing is highly essential for marketing your products or services in China, as elsewhere in the Globe. However, in China, you will have to go in line with the norms set down by the major local search engines like the Sogou, Baidu, Qihoo 360, etc. A talented and experienced SEO company will be able to do these tasks for you efficiently and winningly.
Social Media: You can also enjoy the benefits of social media marketing if you hire the professional competence of an expert and capable digital marketing agency in China to make your brand popular among the targeted audience. Apart from the practical knowledge of making use of the leading social media sites in China like WeChat, Weibo, etc., such an agency will be capable of using the KOL (Key Opinion Leader) facility as and when required.
Localization: This is another vital service that you can expect from a leading digital marketing agency. Localization of the website is vital as far as the online marketing efforts are concerned. Chinese population gives high importance to Mandarin, their local language.
Companies will also get the highly crucial digital services such as website designing, domain hosting, cross border e-commerce platform functions like creating the e-commerce platform, import logistics, cross border payments, etc. That said, companies must make sure to hire the expertise of an experienced digital marketing agency in China to have successful online marketing campaigns.
Points to be Kept in Mind While Selecting SEO Firm
According to KPMG, 55% of people will search online for reviews and recommendations before buying a product or service. However, there are so many sites that consumers are spoilt for choices. You need to be visible and also hold their interest. A Houston SEO firm can make that happen.
A great SEO agency will know what is right for you and put you in the exact path that will boost revenues. An ordinary one will affect your business negatively. But out of the scores of SEO agencies, how to zero in on the right option?
A simple, unbiased approach can work wonders for your company. Before you choose a suitable SEO agency, you need to find answers to the following questions.
What actions will the SEO agency take to improve search engine rankings?
You need to have sound strategies to achieve desired results. The plan of action should reflect the strategies of the agency.
Everybody understands the importance of keywords and link building to attain higher rankings, but is your agency doing anything different?
Some agencies offer an on-site free technical audit. However, calling up an SEO agency and asking for a SWOT analysis of your site is the least you can do. Talking will also help develop a sense of camaraderie between people who may decide to work together.
How will you know what changes are being made to your website?
The agency should be trustworthy as you need to give it access to your website. After conducting due diligence, the agency may make changes to your site. You should be able to track these changes and know if something goes wrong so that you are quite clear about it. Ask the ‘would be’ SEO agency if it sends regular reports.
Can the SEO agency share the results that they have achieved with their past clients?
To decide whether to hire a certain SEO agency, look at their portfolio. Most SEO agencies give their clients’ names on their websites, but you need to know how they have benefitted from hiring this agency. Ask them for stats that show growth over a period of time.
Consider hiring SEO services like shopping for an expensive product. You would want to check reviews, go through testimonials, and then make your decision.
Does the agency follow Google guidelines and adhere to best practices?
Google applies regular updates to its algorithm with the sole aim of improving search results.
Digital marketers wrack their brains to get the better of them, and sometimes they go too far. Beware of SEO agencies that flout search engine guidelines.
Tweaking existing systems to your advantage may be acceptable to you, but manipulating sites are penalized by Google.
Is the agency offering more than they are taking?
Since there are so many aspects to SEO, many agencies will charge by the project. Find out what will work in your favor, monthly or project-based payment. It should fit within your budget and give you value for money. However, ascertain the psychological costs of dealing with the people in that agency.
Are the people in the agency flexible? Each business has some unique requirements. And what is applicable for Company A may not work for Company B, both companies being in the same industry. For the money that you are paying, will they be able to come up with customized solutions?
Settle for an agency that is willing to go out of its way to ensure your satisfaction.
Have you done your research on the agency?
Don’t go by what is apparent. Take a close look at the information that you can collect about the Houston SEO firm. Ask them questions. Find out if their promises match your expectations.
It is better to be safe than sorry. In your interactions with them, be alert to anything amiss.
If you can find references, then nothing like it, but even if you don’t, follow the social profiles of these agencies. If they have any discrepancies, somewhere or the other, it will be revealed.
Don’t fall into any trap and end up spending more than you had intended to.
Making a note of the questions discussed here and the replies thereto will help you in making the right decisions.
Social Media Marketing – How It Can Benefit Your Business
Chinese social media platforms are very different from the rest of the world. In the west, social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook take over the social media marketing world, but when it comes to China, these platforms have been blocked out solid. So, when you have experience using social media marketing techniques in the west with your brand, you are guaranteed trying the same in China would be a waste of time.
Social media marketing in China is a lot more sophisticated because the social media platforms that they use are a lot more sophisticated. They use WeChat, Youku, Weibo, Douyin, and Little Red Book- all great social media platforms to promote your brand and reach your target audience, by the way. Each platform has a unique set of functions: whether it’s offering reviews or sharing short videos to keep up the relatability factor, social media marketing in China (adstochina.westwin.com/Social-Media-Marketing-in-China) has a lot to offer, as long as you use the right tools to go about it.
Social Media Marketing in China: All About Increasing Visibility
Whatever brand you’re promoting with the desired product or service, you need to ensure your brand is visible on the right platform and reaches the right customer. For this, you must get yourself accustomed to the social media marketing scene in China and become known to the right circles (for the right reasons).
Pro Tip: If you’re a foreign company looking for a way into the gigantic Chinese marketplace, keep in mind that hiring a digital marketing agency as a third party would be your best shot at tapping into the market effortlessly. This has nothing to do with your level of expertise with digital marketing, always remember that social media marketing in China is a whole other scene in itself and arrogance will get you nowhere!
What Would a Social Media Marketing Agency in China Do?
For starters, they would come up with strategies to help improve your visibility to the Chinese customers. By providing you with the right tools your brand needs to mingle with the Chinese audience, the digital agency would take care of your brand’s needs while being sensitive to their culture, technical, and socio-economic clauses. This is especially important in China because you cannot afford to offend them or their culture.
They will further help you create social media marketing campaigns that puts your brand in the right place while building opportunities for continuous engagement, and in the end, returns (which is what every business wants). Once you’re at the right place, you will become a known figure to the public eye and you’ll have bagged the respect of your target audience, making you a sure win. This leads to referral marketing gains!
Pro Tip: Always keep in mind that the Chinese marketplace is a unique one. This country values recommendations and personal networks on a great level that further leads to seamless market penetration and sales!
Benefits of Social Media Marketing in China
If you use the right tools and leverage Chinese social media the right way to increase brand visibility, you will see the following results in the end:
• Building a favorable reputation for your brand in the public eye and promoting brand awareness, something that usually takes years of hustling and trying to gain the respect and trust of your target audience. With the power of social media, you can now do this a lot faster.
• Creating trust, engagement, and a proper relationship with the Chinese customer by grabbing their attention with captivating content, things they can relate to, perhaps some discounts they cannot refuse and the involvement of pictures, videos, gifs, etc. to improve relatability.
• Drive traffic to your Chinese website, which was the goal all along! Now that they have heard a lot about your brand, they’re finally clicking on your website and checking it out to find out more about the services or products you sell!
• Generating conversions and sales, which ultimately translates into “you found your way into the Chinese marketplace successfully”!
• Building brand loyalty and improving customer service! Now that you’ve found your way into the hearts of the Chinese customer, you have to find a way to set camp- for good! Keep coming up with updated content on your website, drive up the relatability factor, keep it interesting at all times, and make sure they treat your brand with loyalty in return!
Why Hiring an SEO Firm is Important?
In today’s day and age, practically every transaction can be done online. For the sake of convenience, it is often preferred to deal with one another online. So it comes as no surprise that businesses have taken their propositions and services to the world wide web as well.
Search Engine Optimization is what SEO stands for. We are all familiar with search engines and everyone from a child as young as 5 years old to someone in their late 70’s has at some point tried to find answers on the most popular search engine today, Google Search.
While a company can put up a website and advertise through old school avenues, with new advances, it is crucial to stay with the game, lest you get to cut out completely.
Search Engine Optimization is the tactical placement of your company website to allow increased visibility when certain terms are typed into the search. This increases your website traffic and gradually, your company’s success.
As with all things in life, if you want the best outcome, you must input the best resources. This is where Houston’s number one SEO specialists come into play. Investing in a good SEO firm in Houston will help your company reach the financial success you want.
SEO Firm in Houston: What do they do?
As mentioned earlier, if the visibility of your company can improve, this allows a lot more potential clients to find out what you have to offer and thereby, helping your company.
Some of the main areas of concern with good Houston SEO firms are as follows:
1. Your website:
Is it merely enough to have an up and running website? No. What you need is an interactive, user-friendly website that both catches the fancy of your potential clients as well as gives out the most amount of information, all in an aesthetically pleasing manner. An apt SEO firm in Houston executives studies your potential demographic, the current state of your website and the amount of traffic it gets. They then make informed notes on how to improve the current state of affairs and even help you re-design and rebuild your website from scratch if needed. The more comfortable the customers, the more likely they are to return.
2. Keywords:
When someone types something into Google Search, there are keywords that help bring back your search results. These results are of all the content on the internet that are linked through ‘keywords’ to the words typed out in the search bar. It is crucial to opt for choice keywords that can link a potential consumer to your webpage. The right SEO firm in Houston will do extensive research to help pick the perfect keywords to optimize your presence on the internet.
3. Backlinks Earnings:
While SEOs govern over the principle that backlinks alone will not get you far in today’s online business field, they are still important. A good SEO firm in Houston will help you earn high-quality backlinks that will get you access to long term, healthy standings with the Google Search console guidelines. With advanced knowledge in the field, they can ensure you are going by the book and help make a handsome profit in the long run, by optimizing within the lines.
Weibo Marketing: Vital Steps to Start Social Media Marketing
With more than 500 million registered users, Weibo is one of the popular local Chinese social media platforms offering huge marketing opportunities. If your social media marketing strategy does not include Weibo marketing, you are losing golden business opportunities.
To make things easy for you, we have listed vital steps to start social media marketing on the Weibo platform.
1. Account Registration and Verification
To start with Weibo marketing you need to register an official account for your business. Go to the Weibo website and input the following information in the designated fields on the registration page.
· Email or phone number
· Create a username and password
· Location
· Verification code
After your account is successfully verified, you will see a blue ”V” displayed beside your profile picture which indicates your account is verified. There are several advantages to verified accounts. Some of them are:
· Additional space for business information
· Advanced page customization options
· Own campaign management platform
· Additional services like mass messaging
Documents required for Weibo Verification
Companies need to provide business registration documents like the Chinese Business Registration Certificate. The verification process generally takes 5-7 days and costs 300 RMB.
For overseas companies, the required documents include company registration documents with a certified Chinese translation, a 3rd party authorization letter, and an application letter. The verification process is completed with 10-15 days and costs 1000 RMB.
2. Account Customization
After successful verification of your Weibo account, you have the liberty to customize your profile page as per your marketing needs. You can use a wide variety of images to customize your account which includes profile picture, banner picture, cover picture, background picture and adds brand-related information on your profile page.
3. Create a Solid Content Strategy
Weibo is a popular social media platform where several brands post marketing content almost every day. The best Weibo marketing strategy should focus on creating solid content that attracts the attention of Weibo users and also conveys your brand message simultaneously.
You can post four different types of content on Weibo platform which includes
· Product or brand-related information
· Interactive content
· Soft content( information related to your business niche)
· KOL content
4. Acquiring Initial Followers
Acquiring initial followers should be your next step. You will need a large follower base to increase brand awareness on the Weibo platform. Don’t expect the users to find your company account on their own. You need to use your pre-established connections to get followers in the initial stage.
You can ask your colleagues, family, friends, and relatives to follow your Weibo account and spread the news about your brand to their Weibo followers. Another way to get followers is by providing a Weibo account link on your website. You can also add your Weibo account information on your business card.
5. Rolling out Ads, Campaigns and KOLs
After acquiring a certain number of followers, you can move ahead to a higher level of Weibo marketing. The Weibo platform allows you to launch a wide variety of marketing campaigns. Weibo users are known to actively participate in marketing campaigns for the prizes offered by advertisers, as a form of social interaction, or just for fun.
Some popular types of marketing campaigns on Weibo are UGC collection campaigns and lucky draws. These marketing campaigns increase account exposure, encourage user-interaction, help add new followers, and also act a good word-of-mouth marketing.
Short video ads are quite popular on the Weibo platform and you can produce short video ads and do live streaming. You can create distinctive and creative ads that tell intriguing stories and invoke interest in users. You can invite celebrities and KOLs(key opinion leaders) during live shows and special events to attract a larger audience and get more exposure for your brand.
Online influencers like KOLs play an important role in affecting the buying behavior of their followers. KOLs are known to have millions of followers and leading brands involve KOLs in a variety of promotion activities like product launches, product trials, sponsored lick draws, promotional code distribution, and short video creation to name a few.
The involvement of KOLs helps brands attract more potential customers and create a buzz about the brand on social media.
Do you’ve any questions about Weibo marketing?
