Using Facebook and YouTube to reach Chinese-speaking consumers in North America

While WeChat may be the most appealing option for brands to reach potential Chinese consumers in North America, don’t forget about other platforms. 

YouTube and Facebook posts have proven to be a very effective strategy for many brands and businesses. By posting Chinese-specific content on these platforms, it adds another element in capturing the attention of the Chinese audience and gives a different outlet for them to identify with brands. 

Many Chinese citizens in North America spend a majority of their time online using Facebook, YouTube, or Instagram. According to a new study about Chinese Canadian’s media habits, Facebook usage is most popular overall (31%), and their use of social media varies by age and length of residency in Canada. Hong Kong and Taiwan immigrants are also very active on these platforms.

In 2019, the number of Facebook users in Hong Kong amounted to around 6.5 million and was forecasted to grow up to 7.2 million by 2025. 

It’s becoming increasingly worthwhile and cost-effective for brands to utilize these general marketing channels — resulting in opportunities to boost leads and sales.

Rich, creative, and authentic content is always the key. But what are these ads and posts doing differently to reach the Chinese community effectively?

1. Brands will need to create Chinese-language content, more so in Mandarin if the target audience is from Mainland China. For example, Listerine Green Tea Zero recently advertised its 15 second commercial on YouTube in Mandarin. Since most consumers tend to pay more attention to messages in their language, these ads are more likely to break through the clutter in the users’ news feed. 

2. Culture is another element to be considered for ad creatives. By integrating Chinese cultural elements into communication materials or by presenting a China-related theme, brands can draw a closer connection through its storytelling.

Posted last year, two popular characters of Warner Brothers, Tom and Jerry, used Chinese Spring Festival couplets related to the Year of Rat to promote its first-ever live-action movie.

3. The protagonist or feature characters should be of Chinese descent — allowing the audience to see their culture represented in the story.

A Starbucks’ commercial in 2018 featured a Chinese coffee roaster who travels to Seattle to learn the craft of coffee while taking a photo every day for his wife in China. Their love for each other and coffee highlights the brand’s value and draws a connection to its cultural audience.

Marketing and communication strategies developed for these social platforms help to manage the cultural gap between companies and consumers. 

By being mindful of these Chinese-related elements, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram can work as powerful messaging tools to promote products and drive brand awareness within the Chinese audience.

Chinese consumers represent a growing market in North America. Do you need to build marketing campaigns by leveraging these social networks for your company and reach this cultural community? Connect with us, and our team can help you get the communication results you are looking for.

For every business, you can contact us at info@spotlightwest.ca, or follow our social media accounts (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter).

How to reach Chinese consumers effectively in North America?

By now, it’s no surprise that Chinese consumers offer a major marketing opportunity for brands and businesses in North America. Research shows that almost 1.2 million Chinese residents in Canada account for $61 billion in consumer spending. 

The question is — what is the most effective way to capture the Chinese audience? It is important to understand their purchase behaviours and media usage. A deep understanding of the nuances of Chinese culture, the language, and the media platforms is key to the success of your marketing strategy. 

Here are some tips for your brands to target Chinese consumers in North America:

1. Social media is an extremely powerful tool 

Image via Ecommerce China

Our most recommended channels include WeChat, Sina Weibo, Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book), TikTok, and online forums. These platforms hold most of the opportunities for your business to raise awareness and create leads with engaging marketing strategies.

WeChat is king for the Chinese audience, not Facebook or Instagram. Your brand should have a WeChat official account, acting almost similar to a traditional website. It offers a place for your business to post content, receive messages, build your brand, and create loyalty.

Weibo is often called the “Chinese Twitter”, and is a good mix of Facebook and Instagram. Xiaohongshu combines features of Amazon, Pinterest, and Instagram that allows its users not only to share lifestyle or product experience, but to purchase branded products. TikTok is a video-sharing platform with genres like dance, comedy, and education. 

Image via Walk the Chat

2. Offer information in Chinese and adapt your messaging 

Image via Hypebeast

This group prefers to consume content in their ethnic language. Chinese-language informational materials, such as printed messages, signs, and videos are more likely to be noticed and appreciated. 

Reaching this demographic requires more than just translation. They identify themselves mostly with Chinese culture. One of the most effective ways to promote your brand is to integrate Chinese traditional cultural elements into your marketing content.  

3. Work together with the local community

Image via JingDaily

Another effective marketing method is to create a group chat for gathering information and generating discussions on WeChat. 

Brands can also consider working with local Chinese KOLs (Key Opinion Leaders). They are influencers who are able to demonstrate and highlight products, giving more confidence to future buyers.

4. Understand tastes and preferences

Image via Barron’s

China's luxury market has proved unstoppable. They have shown to be high purchasing, especially in luxury retail. Reports show that the majority of Chinese, about 70 per cent, prefer their luxury spending overseas.

Doing adequate research into the styles, trends, and interests in the target demographic will help in tailoring the message (and products) to the Chinese audience. As well, understanding the mentality behind status and exclusivity can help drive marketing efforts.

At Spotlight West Communications, we help agencies and brands reach the large Chinese consumer market through websites and digital platforms. Experienced in identifying potential customers, trends, and purchasing habits, our team helps in developing online and offline marketing strategies. 

Connect with us at info@spotlightwest.ca or follow our social media accounts (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter) to find out more about Chinese social trends or marketing tips!

Live-streaming: The Multi-Billion Dollar E-Commerce Trend Behind Singles' Day

As expected, the pandemic will change how businesses and consumers approach one of the biggest shopping days of the year, Black Friday. But did you know that China’s Singles’ Day is still the largest online shopping festival in the world? 

Even more impressive this year is that e-commerce live-streaming — a new way to attract consumers — has experienced explosive growth during the pandemic. For retailers, what are some of the best marketing strategies to gain online consumers and boost sales as the public focuses on convenience and health? 

Image via Jeffrey Towson

E-commerce live-streaming is taking China by storm and has affected many people’s consumption habits. For example, Viya — named “the world’s livestream queen” — controls a $60 billion empire of live online shopping. Last year, the 34-year-old Chinese online personality single-handedly sold $6 billion worth of products in her live-streaming room. Global brands, such as Tesla and Procter & Gamble, have recently turned to Viya to introduce them to the Chinese market.

Image via Bloomberg

On China’s Singles Day, a large number of businesses use livestream platforms to sell their product, build trust, and win customer loyalty. The boom in China suggests livestream shopping has the potential to become a deeply embedded habit for consumers and a crucial tool for businesses.

An increasing number of retailers have integrated shoppable live-streaming platforms into their websites and social media.

This engaged shopping strategy has made its way to North America. This June, Clinique hosted a livestream on Clinique.com on both mobile and desktop —  featuring Emilia Clarke, from “Game of Thrones”, as she showcased her everyday skincare and makeup routines.

Each time a product was shown, it would pop up on the screen where shoppers can then click to purchase directly on the website. 

Image via China Daily

 Brands also adopted social media channels, such as Instagram Live, to encourage participation and drive e-commerce.  As well, TikTok has gained popularity during COVID-19, and its growing live-streaming function has been widely utilized by beauty brands to sell products online.

Image via Newstalk ZB

According to a new Statistics Canada report, online shopping has doubled between February and May with sales surging over 99%.

With consumers preferring to shop online rather than in-store, e-commerce live-streaming offers a new route to the market and creates a sense of community. 

Image via CBC

Shoot us a message at info@spotlightwest.ca or follow our social media accounts (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter) to find out more about Chinese social trends or live-streaming marketing tips!

The Complete Guide for your Mid-Autumn Festival marketing

Symbolizing the Chinese celebration of harvest and reunion, the Mid-Autumn Festival appears to be extra special this year — with China’s National Day and Golden Week all aligning at the same time. 

Having previously talked about the various traditions of the festival on our #SpotOn blog — we want to take time in 2020 to look at some intriguing examples of Mid-Autumn marketing ideas, from popular global brands.

Let’s start with Netflix’s collaboration with Pearl Studio and Lady M, the world-renowned luxury dessert brand, on an initiative to promote the upcoming animated musical Over the Moon. Fusing both Eastern and Western elements, the collaboration offers a limited-edition mooncake gift box housed in a lantern-shaped package, with a light-up feature and paper cutting details depicting scenes from the highly anticipated film. 

It’s a perfect balance of creative ideas, while showcasing the initiative and truly reflecting on the festival spirit.

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Netflix’s Mid-Autumn collaboration with Pearl Studio and Lady M

Branded gift boxes are indeed a great approach to secure publicity in a timely manner, while offering customers a memorable experience that’s closely associated with brand identity. 

Last year, mooncake packages from Loewe, Louis Vuitton, Tiffany & Co. and Fendi all made it into Weibo’s trending list, with their exquisitely designed gift boxes.

Loewe

Louis Vuitton

Tiffany & Co.

Fendi

American chocolatier Godiva also recently debuted their immersive pop-up at Fashion Zoo, an annual fashion exhibition in Shanghai. Featuring a golden colour palette that gives off some major autumn vibes, the photogenic space highlights their latest mooncake collections, which are artfully decorated with patterns of full moon and peony.

Godiva's Mid-Autumn Pop-up at Shanghai Fashion Zoo

Apart from branded gift boxes and pop-up activations, content creation also plays an extremely crucial role when it comes to engaging the Chinese market — especially with the younger demographics (mainly the millennials and Gen Z) who are always hungry for unique experiences and ideas. 

Luxury automobile companies such as BMW and Audi have all become skillfully adept at incorporating relevant Chinese trends into their marketing messaging — but no brand has come close so far to the trendsetter reputation that Durex China has established, with the mind-blowing creativity they continue to demonstrate each year.

Mid-Autumn Poster by BMW

Mid-Autumn Poster by Audi

Mid-Autumn Poster by Durex China

Feeling a bit inspired by these ideas? Are you trying to plan out marketing strategies for the rest of the year, to engage with more Chinese customers? Great news — we can help!

Talk to us about Chinese traditions, fun social media trends, or marketing tips to reach your desired Chinese demographics — just drop us a message at info@spotlightwest.ca, or say hello on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn!