With so many different social media platforms available for businesses to use, there’s always the chance of overlooking the most valuable platforms your business actually needs – especially for B2B companies. Whereas B2C companies can target consumers on just about any platform, B2Bs typically have a more difficult time connecting with their audience. China is the third most users of LinkedIn, that’s why we are going to breakdown LinkedIn Marketing for B2B businesses in China.
And for those who are wondering whether or not to invest resources into a LinkedIn B2B strategy, this breakdown will give you some of the insights that you need to know for making the best decision for your business. LinkedIn is a powerhouse when it comes to social platforms for B2B marketers, it just takes a well-thought-out strategy that fully leverages the resources that LinkedIn has to offer.
LinkedIn Marketing in China
LinkedIn is one of the few social media channels where businesses can market without having to rely on the Chinese language to connect with users. China is also one of LinkedIn’s fastest growing markets with over 48 million users on the platform alone. In addition, this platform is very popular with affluent and influential Chinese users. Over 65% of users have a household income of over 100,000 RMB per month and 36% of users have at least a master’s degree with experience of doing business in the West. These high-level executives are the ones that most B2B companies need to be looking for when marketing to China.
Why should B2B Businesses Consider LinkedIn
LinkedIn can be a better alternative for B2B marketers looking to find their next Chinese business partner, introduce their company, or attract locals to join their business. Unlike WeChat, where users have a wide range of reasons for utilizing the platform, users open up LinkedIn to enrich their professional lives and make business decisions. B2B companies have a much better chance of generating leads because Chinese users are mostly looking for business-specific information.
- The majority of the data that LinkedIn uses for segmented ad targeting comes directly from Chinese users and your ad will appear in a news feed that is filled with the highest visitor-to-lead generation rate. When used correctly, this very precise, first-person data will get your ads in front of the people that need to see them most. LinkedIn’s ad platform provides everything your B2B business needs in order to reach the right people at a cost-effective price.
- One of the things that makes LinkedIn so special is the professionalism that comes with it. Users display their entire professional journey on the platform including education, careers, titles, and companies they’ve worked for. LinkedIn’s data management system can segment and narrow down exactly where an ad should be placed based on your exact needs. For example, an IT company looking to sell high-end solutions can target IT managers, directors, CTOs, or MNCs. This also applies to SMEs and startups looking for new B2B connections.
LinkedIn Ad Formats & Types
LinkedIn ads are an effective tool whether you use it to generate leads, build awareness or drive customer registration. There are a number of different LinkedIn ad formats that you can use to attract leads on the platform. You can run different versions of your ads to test which ones perform the best. Text ads, sponsored content, and Sponsored InMail are some of the best ad approaches to take when marketing to B2B Chinese companies.
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- Text Ads: Text ads look quite similar to Google search ads. You have the option to create a variety of ads per campaign, which is an easy way to test out your best ad styles. These ads are beneficial for B2B businesses that want to run a quick campaign due to how simplistic they are.
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- Sponsored Content: With sponsored content ads, you can promote your company updates, share content and drive users to your business website. These ads appear directly in a users’ news feed. You can use more text and larger images to entice users to click on your post.
- Sponsored InMail: Sponsored InMail messages allows you to engage with your target audience by delivering personalized messages to their inboxes. These usually consist of call-to-action messages and custom greetings. These greatly increase the likelihood of a direct response to your ad. The good thing about Sponsored InMail, it will only delivered when users are online to ensure 100% delivered rate.
LinkedIn Ad Pricing Breakdown
There is no set cost for running promotional ads on LinkedIn. Ads are sold on an auction basis where you bid against other companies. You select how much you are willing to spend and the platform takes care of the rest based on your spending budget.
- Cost per Impression (CPM): You pay based on the amount of people that view your ad. This method is good for driving awareness.
- Cost per Click (CPC): You pay whenever someone clicks on your ad. This method works well when your goal is to drive traffic.
- Cost per Send (CPS): This form of pay goes with Sponsored InMail. You only pay for sponsored messages that are successfully delivered, which is good for making direct contact with users and only online targeted users will be getting the InMail.
Tips for Targeting Chinese B2B Businesses
- Optimize your LinkedIn page: Chinese users highly value authenticity when it comes to Western companies, so it’s important to take the time to create a company page that will engage your audience. When optimizing your page, you should draft a compelling overview, incorporate brand visuals, and a call-to-action button.
- Stay creative with content: Video content gets viewed and shared way more than written content on LinkedIn. Incorporate videos along with engaging content. For marketing campaigns, posting time is also vital. You should aim for making consistent short posts at least 3-4 times a week and 2 longer pieces per month for maximum visibility results.
- Keep up with analytics: Monitoring your social metrics will always give you the opportunity to continually improve your LinkedIn strategy. Watch out for your visitors, engagement, and follower demographics. This way you can see which types of posts are the most popular and what steps you need to take to bring more B2B companies to your page.
LinkedIn is definitely one of the most valuable resources for B2B marketing in China. By taking advantage of all the tools that LinkedIn has to offer and consistently publishing posts for relationship-building opportunities, your business will start to see measurable results that lead to Chinese companies having an increased interest in what you have to say.
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