When it comes to marketing to Chinese consumers, understandably much of the focus is directed to those within China. But there is often a substantial Chinese population located within your own country’s borders. In Australia, for example, according to the latest census data, there are over 1.2 million people of Chinese ancestry.

Then there’s of course the thousands of Chinese students that arrive on our shores each year. In 2019, there were over 150,000 Chinese international students.

In a previous post, we discussed how WeChat is a key channel for marketing to Chinese consumers outside China. But there is also a case to be made for using Western channels like Facebook and Google. 

Why Google and Facebook are key channels in marketing to Chinese consumers outside China

Multi-channel marketing is more effective

An integrated marketing campaign across multiple channels works much better than a single-channel approach. 

Around the world, particularly in highly multi cultural countries like the US, the UK and Australia, there is a growing trend of multicultural marketing.

There are several advantages associated with multicultural marketing:

• Allows you to serve previously untapped markets: Multicultural marketing allows you to reach out to these underserved ethnic communities, and potentially expand your sales base and grow your revenue.
• Allows you to stay relevant in a competitive marketplace: As societies continue to grow in diversity, being flexible enough to adapt to a changing market place will stand your brand in good stead.

• Promotes diversity and inclusion: Acknowledging different ethnicities and cultures through your marketing can be a powerful way to promote diversity and inclusion.    
• Appeals to the youth market: Evidence shows that the youth are not only highly receptive to multicultural marketing, but that there are becoming more multicultural themselves.

Due to their ubiquitousness and sophisticated targeting capabilities, Facebook and Google are both key channels for digital multicultural marketing. 

Can have a higher engagement

While many Chinese users outside China still use Chinese platforms such as WeChat and Weibo, there are still significant numbers on Facebook and Google. On Facebook, for example, there are 350,000 Chinese users in Australia. Unlike Chinese platforms, though, much of the content and ads on Facebook and Google are typically geared towards the majority ethnicity. 

Because of this, campaigns that specifically target Chinese consumers can stand out from the crowd and therefore achieve more cut-through. There is evidence that Chinese language ads have a higher click-through rate(CTR), because the use of Mandarin jumps out at users and seems more relevant.

How to use Facebook and Google to target Chinese consumers outside China  

Google and Facebook ads

Facebook display ads and Google PPC ads are excellent tools for spreading awareness, particularly as their sophisticated targeting options (such as by language or by socio-demographic) mean you can easily get them in front of Chinese consumers.

It may be worth experimenting and doing some A/B testing to see what works for your particular target audience. For example, a 2019 study suggests that a younger demographic may be more drawn to an ad with diverse models, written in English, than an ad with only Chinese models, written in simplified Chinese.

Brands also have to be very wary of stereotyping and highly attuned to cultural nuances, as any mis-steps can have a highly negative effect on your brand perception.

Facebook company page

Chinese consumers may use Facebook to get peer reviews and recommendations. It’s a good idea, therefore, to set up a Facebook company page where users can leave product reviews. 

This can also be a great way to attract followers and build a community, so you can continue building a relationship with these prospective customers. A company page also allows users to speak to you directly via the chat function, so you can answer any questions and respond to any comments in a timely way. This type of dedicated customer service is looked on very favourably by Chinese consumers in particular.

For these reasons, a Facebook company page can be a good tool for nurturing leads in the sales funnel.

Google and Facebook remarketing

Once you’ve established a relationship with a prospective customer, Google and Facebook remarketing – placing ads in front of people who have previously interacted with your website – can be a great way to build on that relationship and keep your brand and product front of mind. 

Google SEO and SEM

There is evidence that Chinese search engines like Weibo are gaining in popularity outside of China. That said, many Chinese consumers will also rely on Google as it will likely produce more accurate and locally relevant results. It can therefore be worth including Chinese consumers as a target audience in your search engine optimisation and search engine marketing strategy.

Our advice? Watch this space.