China is the world’s second-largest economy and has the largest internet population, with over 1.05 billion users. And Chinese consumers are increasingly shopping online, with over 80% of all retail sales expected to take place online by 2025. 

What’s more, Chinese consumers are digital-first. According to Statista, over 90% of Chinese buyers start their research online, even for B2B purchases. Your branding, website, social media presence, and SEO are all essential for generating leads online in China. 

By leveraging digital marketing techniques, businesses can reach more people and with the right lead generation strategies, brands can convert leads into paying customers. Inbound lead generation in China is essential for businesses that want to access this massive market. 

The Chinese Digital Market: A Gold Mine for Global Companies

The Chinese digital market is massive and growing rapidly, offering global companies a huge opportunity to generate leads.

In 2020, nearly 1 billion Chinese people had internet access, accounting for 20% of global internet users and generating $15 billion in market value. With over 95% mobile internet penetration rate, over 768 million online users use their mobile devices to search online or engage on social media platforms.

China is home to the world's largest e-commerce platforms, including Alibaba, JD.com, and Tmall. In 2023, China's e-commerce market is expected to reach $2.2 trillion in sales, more than any other country in the world.

Despite its size and growth, the Chinese digital market can be challenging for global companies to enter. The market is highly competitive and there are a number of regulatory hurdles that they need to navigate. However, the potential rewards are significant and many global companies have been successful in entering the Chinese digital market.

7 Key Strategies To Generate Leads In China

Lead generation in China is similar to lead generation anywhere else in the world. However, there are seven key areas that businesses should focus on to convert online and mobile users into regular customers:

By focusing on these seven key areas, businesses can generate more leads in China and convert them into regular customers.

1. Establish Yourself as a Trusted Thought Leader

High-quality, engaging, and informative content that resonates with your ideal Chinese customers is essential for building trust and encouraging repeat business. By consistently delivering valuable content, you can position your brand as a trusted thought leader and create opportunities to convert prospects into loyal customers.

Follow these tips to get a solid branding for LinkedIn:

• Understand your target audience. What are their needs and pain points? What kind of content do they consume? What are their cultural values?

• Create high-quality content in simplified Chinese. Your content should be well-written, informative, and engaging. It should also be relevant to your target audience and optimised for Chinese search engines.

• Promote your content on the right platforms. Chinese social media platforms like WeChat and Weibo are great for reaching your target audience. You can also use paid advertising platforms like Baidu PPC to reach a wider audience.

• Be consistent. Consistently delivering valuable content is key to building trust and establishing yourself as a thought leader.

2. Localise Your Content and Website

Global businesses must localise their content and website to the unique language, culture, and values of the Chinese market to generate leads effectively.

Localised Content

Chinese consumers are more likely to engage with content that is written in their native language and is relevant to their cultural interests. By localising your content, you can show potential customers that you understand their needs and that you are committed to serving the Chinese market.

Localised Website

Localising your website is another essential step in generating leads from the Chinese market. This includes translating your website into simplified Chinese, optimising your website for Chinese search engines, and using Chinese hosting providers.

Why You Don’t Need to Host Your Website in Mainland China

Contrary to popular belief, you don't need to host your website in mainland China to avoid being blocked. There are other effective ways to localise your website without compromising your security or control.

For example, you can use a content delivery network (CDN) to serve your website content from servers around the world. This can help to improve your website's performance and accessibility for Chinese users.

You can also use a domain name system (DNS) provider that offers global DNS services. This will ensure that your website is accessible to Chinese users even if it is hosted outside of mainland China.

Follow these tips to localise your content and website for Chinese lead generation:

• Use Chinese keywords and phrases throughout your website. This will help your website to rank higher in Chinese search engine results pages (SERPs).

• Create content that is relevant to Chinese culture and interests. This could include blog posts, articles, videos, and infographics on topics such as Chinese business, travel, and entertainment.

• Promote your content on Chinese social media platforms. Weibo and WeChat are two of the most popular social media platforms in China. You can use these platforms to share your content and connect with potential customers.

• Partner with Chinese companies and organisations. This is a great way to reach a wider audience and build trust with potential customers.

3. Master the Art of Chinese SEO

Ranking high on popular Chinese search engines (Baidu, Sogou, Qihoo 360 Search, and Shenma) is essential for generating leads in the Chinese market. Chinese consumers rely heavily on search engines to find information and make purchase decisions. In fact, over 90% of Chinese internet users use search engines to find new products and services.

By optimising your website and content for Chinese search engines, you can reach a massive audience of potential customers and generate more leads for your business.

Here are some of the benefits of Chinese SEO for lead generation:

• Increased visibility and reach: Ranking high on Chinese search engines gives your website and content the power to be seen by millions of potential customers.

• More targeted traffic: Chinese SEO can help you to target your content to the specific needs and interests of your ideal customers.

• Improved website authority: A high ranking in Chinese search engines tells potential customers that your website is a trusted and authoritative source of information.

• More leads and sales: By increasing your website's visibility, reach, and authority, Chinese SEO can help you to generate more leads and sales for your business.

4. Dominate Chinese Social Media for Global Impact

To reach the vast majority of Chinese internet users, engaging on WeChat, Weibo, and Douyin is essential. These social media platforms are incredibly popular in China, with over 98% of internet users using at least one social media platform. In addition, Chinese social media platforms are highly interactive and offer a variety of features that can be used to generate leads, such as:

Groups and communities: You can create or join groups and communities on social media to connect with potential customers and share your content.

Advertising: You can use social media advertising to target your ads to specific demographics and interests, and to track the results of your campaigns.

Here are some tips for generating leads on Chinese social media:

• Create high-quality content that is informative and engaging for Chinese users. Your content should be written in simplified Chinese and should be relevant to Chinese culture and interests.

• Share your content on the right social media platforms. WeChat, Weibo, and Douyin are the most popular social media platforms in China. However, you may also want to consider using other platforms, such as Kuaishou and Xiaohongshu, depending on your target audience.

• Use social media advertising to target your ads to specific demographics and interests. This will help you to reach the potential customers who are most likely to be interested in your products or services.

• Track the results of your social media campaigns. Keep track of what is working and what is not. This will help you to improve your campaigns over time.

5. Turbocharge Your Business with Paid Ads

Paid advertising, such as banner ads and PPC ads, can be a powerful tool for boosting your lead generation efforts in China. These effective marketing tools can help you to reach a wider audience, generate more leads, and shorten the organic lead generation cycle.

PPC advertising on major Chinese search engines and social media platforms is particularly effective, as it is affordable and tailored to the unique search and interaction habits of Chinese users.

Here are some of the benefits of paid advertising for lead generation in China:

• Targeted reach: You can target your paid ads to specific demographics, interests, and even keywords. This helps you to reach the potential customers who are most likely to be interested in your products or services.

• Quick results: Paid advertising can generate results quickly, unlike organic SEO and content marketing, which can take months or even years to produce results.

• Measurable metrics: Paid advertising platforms provide detailed metrics so that you can track the performance of your campaigns and make adjustments as needed.

6. Use Funnel Techniques to Nurture Leads

China’s funnel digital marketing technique is a powerful tool for B2B and B2C lead generation, attracting potential consumers, generating leads, and converting sales. B2C marketing can benefit even more from the funnel system by using social media and KOLs or influencers to target and convert digital passersby.

Here is a more detailed explanation of how the funnel digital marketing technique works:

• Top of the funnel (TOFU): Raise awareness of your brand and products or services through content marketing, social media marketing, and paid advertising.

• Middle of the funnel (MOFU): Nurture your leads and build relationships with them by offering valuable content, such as white papers, webinars, and case studies.

• Bottom of the funnel (BOFU): Convert your leads into customers by offering free trials, demos, or discounts.

7. Harness the Power of KOL Marketing to Amplify Your Reach

Social media platforms offer an excellent opportunity to collaborate with Chinese key opinion leaders (KOLs) or influencers to create videos and groups that recommend your products, services, and solutions to their followers.

KOL marketing is incredibly popular in China, and it can be a very effective way to reach a large audience and generate leads. KOLs have built a strong following and trust with their audience, so their recommendations can be very persuasive.

Here are some of the benefits of KOL marketing for lead generation in China:

• Target Your Ideal Customer: KOLs typically have a very specific niche audience, so you can target your marketing to the people who are most likely to be interested in your products or services.

• Build Authentic Relationships: KOLs are trusted by their followers because they are seen as authentic and genuine. When they recommend a product or service, their followers are more likely to trust that recommendation.

• Create Social Proof to Boost Sales: When people see their favourite KOLs recommending a product or service, they are more likely to believe that it is a good product or service. This is known as social proof.

The Best Approach for Lead Generation of Chinese Consumers

Choose the right lead generation platform for your target audience in China. B2B and B2C businesses can use the same platforms, but they will achieve better results by tailoring their content and messaging to the specific needs of their audience.

Generating Leads for B2B

SERPs: Baidu is the dominant search engine in China, with over 70% market share. This means that Baidu SERPs are a must-target for any business that wants to reach Chinese B2B customers. With its keyword-based result pages and expansive display network, businesses can attract organic leads eager to connect with them.

Paid Ads: Paid advertising on Baidu is another excellent way to generate B2B leads in China. Baidu PPC ads, for instance, can be used to target potential customers based on keywords or demographics. Similarly, LinkedIn PPC ads can be used to reach Chinese businesses through audience-based social outreach. Baidu PPC is a highly effective way to generate B2B leads in China, as it allows you to target potential customers based on their specific needs and interests.

PPC Ads: PPC ads offer a powerful advantage over organic lead generation: they allow you to target and position your products and services in front of highly interested potential customers quickly and efficiently. With PPC ads, you get a significant advantage over organic lead generation, which can take time to produce results.

Generating Leads for B2C

Chinese social media: Chinese social media platforms are the most effective way to generate B2C leads and convert them into sales. WeChat, Weibo, and Douyin ads put your products and services directly in front of millions of daily users, while also fostering engagement between businesses and consumers, building trust and long-term interest.

KOL marketing: Social media platforms offer an excellent opportunity to collaborate with Chinese key opinion leaders (KOLs) or influencers to create videos and groups that recommend your products, services, and solutions to their followers.

Organic and paid lead generation: Beyond KOL marketing, social media also offers organic posting and paid advertising options for lead generation, giving businesses a range of ways to reach potential consumers.

While the platforms used may be different, the process is essentially the same. Localising content, using platforms correctly, and targeting the right audience are essential for success.

At Comms8, we specialise in helping businesses leverage the power of lead generation in China to attract customers and investors worldwide through integrated marketing solutions. With our expertise, we can assist you in harnessing lead-generation tricks to boost your brand’s credibility and awareness. Contact us today to learn more about empowering your brand in the dynamic Asian market.