7 Ways to Advertise Online in China (update 2020)

Advertising online in China is one of the best ways to promote your product and service in the country. There are so many ways to advertise Online but the right thing to do is to know where you can really have good customer engagement.  So in this article, we have found 7 popular Chinese platforms where you can make ads Online.

Baidu Paid Ads

Baidu is very similar to Google and has copied many of its functions. Like Google with Adwords, Baidu has something similar called “推广 – Tuiguang” which literally translates to “Push Wide (To Promote)”, and they’re very similar in how they operate for advertisers. Baidu’s ads and bidding methods are just like Google’s well.  However, there are some differences to be said for Baidu.

When managing keywords in Adwords for Google, you’ll have a choice of Broad Match, Modify Broad Match, Phrase Match, and Exact Match. Tuiguang, however, doesn’t have Modify Broad Match. They have instead a Phrase Synonym Match, which is due to the fact that there are a lot of Synonyms in Chinese compared to that English.

Baidu Tuiguang is a lot more regimented than Adwords. Tuiguang requires you to have a business license, proof of ownership of your website, and a minimum of $7,200 USD, and it takes about 45 days to process the account. However, with Baidu being so popular in China it is definitely a great bet on advertising to a large market in China.

Feel free to ask for a Quote on Baidu SEM, SEA, Retargeting, or Baidu DSP

Lire: A Guide to Baidu PPC Advertising in China

Sogou

Taking the second spot in a search engine is Sogou. The one key difference between Sogou and Baidu is that Sogou has partnerships with a plethora of social media companies in China like WeChat to allow users on Sogou to be able to search for content from these social media platforms. Being a second-tier search engine, the cost of pay-per-click is relatively lower. With social media as a platform, there is a great chance to target niche markets and customers.

Feel free to ask our agency for a quote for Sogou Ads

Sogou ads

  • Sogou SEM or SEA
  • Sogou DSP
  • Sogou Native Ads

Qihoo 360 for So.com

Qihoo 360 expanded into the search business (so.com) in 2016 and currently owns about 10.52% of the market. Qihoo 360’s biggest accomplishment is that owns the second most popular Browser in China right after Internet Explorer by Microsoft. Like Soqou there is low traffic but also a low price-per-click system in place.

  1. So.com is quite expanding in China.
  2. Feel free to ask for a Price for So SEM, SEA, and native Ads.

WeChat Paid Ads

As a foreign business in China doing just about anything is difficult, but operating on Wechat is even trickier.  However, WeChat is used by 1+ Billion users with users chatting and socializing for over 90 minutes a day.

In order for you to do paid advertisement on WeChat, you must have at least one verified official account, this can be a subscription or service. As well as this, another stumbling block is the huge cost of advertising on the platform.

  • Feel free to ask our white Book about WeChat Advertising, send us an email to us, and we will send you back.
  • If you want to see our case studies and have a project, contact us directly.

We have a full report available about WeChat, marketing & Advertising + case studies.

Send us a nice email and we will send it to you.

Lire: Ultimate Guide To WeChat Advertising & Growth

Sina Weibo

Considered to be the Twitter of China, Weibo is owned and operated by 2 different companies. Unlike Twitter, the term “Weibo” literally translates to “micro-blogging” and is not owned by any particular company. The type of Weibo that most Chinese people refer to is actually Sina Weibo, as opposed to the less popular Tencent Weibo

Out of all the online platforms in China, Sina Weibo is actually the easiest to obtain a business account for foreign businesses. You simply register with them and pay 1,000 USD. The ad platform itself is called FenSi Tong. You can target your audience by age, location, interest, gender, and even keywords.

Despite falling behind Wechat’s dominance, people on Weibo are looking for information and are not just chatting. Thus they hold their gaze on the screen longer, as opposed to flicking through moments (think Facebook wall). Thus advertising can be more effective.

We are a Weibo Agency if you want to know Weibo Ads, (Native Ads) same system as Facebook Ads.

Read: A Guide to Weibo Paid Advertising

Toutiao

Toutiao wouldn’t be known by many foreigners in and out of China, but it translates to ‘headlines’ and is used as a news source for Chinese netizens. However, it is not simply a news-based platform. It uses complex algorithms to provide personalized news. Despite being in its infancy compared to other platforms mentioned beforehand, Toutiao has a robust ad distribution system. It has 11 different ad types that we’ve seen so far and 2 very unique ways of bidding. You can either pay for an entire 24-hour display for everyone or a personalized delivery that is similar to CPM. 

Toutiao is also Douyin. (or tiktok)

Read: A Guide to Toutiao

Douyin

Douyin – TikTok is a fast growing APP in China. With 400 daily active users in 2020, this video app is really popular and takes up 20% of the young generation’s online time.
It is a very effective platform for Ads because it is

  • interactive
  • Inexpensive
  • and targetted (they have native ads)

You can also start a Marketing campaign with influencers

We have a full report available about Douyin. Send us an email and we will send it to you.

Read: Introduction to Douyin Marketing

Youku & Tudou (decrease) 

In 2020, these 2 video networks are less popular.

Both Youku and Tudou are online video streaming sites, very much like Youtube. The two companies merged but you still have to advertise separately through each one. Being a video-based platform, the ads are primarily video-based on banner ads also placed. However, unlike Youtube, Youku Tudou only gives the option to pay for impressions, thus making it best for brand-based adverts. Thus, if you have the budget and a huge brand it’s a great resource. However, a small business that wants a more direct marketing strategy would be best elsewhere.

One thing is to know another thing is how to use all these platforms for more engagement and traffic.

Little Red Book – RED – Xiaohongshu

It is the Instagram of China. This social APP is based on photos and video and allows the user to share lifestyle content in their moment.
This APP has as well an advertising section.

Read: Introduction to Xiaohongshu Paid Ads System

This is becoming more and more expensive in 2020, because of the popularity of the platform, especially among beauty and fashion brands.

How do brands use Chinese platforms for advertising Online?

Rich and Authentic Content is the Key

The quality of the content depends on the right of this advertising strategy. Chinese customers are tired to see the same content every time. All you need to do is to develop attractive content related to your product or service, by creating rich and authentic storytelling. It is very important that the content should be entertaining and engaging otherwise people will not bother to read it. Good content is suitable for small and medium businesses which can’t afford expensive promotion methods. You can publish the content on your social media accounts, official websites, public forums, and blogs. You can also even send the content directly to your potential customers through e-mail. Newsletters are one example of content marketing.

Mini-Video Online: the new trend

One way to lure customers is to show them the product from a new angle. Actually, the mini-Video is a very popular way of advertising because it can be used on different platforms. The length and content of the video are also very important for the success of this form of advertising. There are several companies that provide mini-video advertising services such as Meituan, Dianping, and Meitu…. . For example, Pepsi had more than 100,000 views for its “Bring Happiness Home” mini-movie and Bulgari’s video exceeded 350,000 views. These mini-videos are a creative and good way to attract consumers without distorting a brand’s image

The viral Online video is also one of the most innovative ways of promoting products, services, ideas, and events on the internet. It is a unique way of letting people know about your business. The strange things about this marketing technique are that no one knows how and when content becomes viral on the internet.

Mobile Advertising

China is the largest connected country in the world, with more than 960 million Chinese internet users. At the end of 2014, China had 520 million smartphone users. This number is expected to rise to 700 million by the end of 2018. Chinese smartphone users are very open to being advertised on their mobile and 78% are more likely to click an advert if it contains content relevant to them. The most popular mobile marketing format is video, followed by coupons and banner ads. This is mainly due to the wide use of applications such as WeChat, Weibo, and QQ which allow brands to communicate very precisely with their target.

KOL(Key Opinion Leaders): your best option

Chinese KOL is now the best marketing weapon that you can have. They are very popular and can influence the customer’s decisions. Actually many international and local brands use them to promote their service and products. KOL can help to manage the cultural gap between companies and Chinese consumers. Chinese customers normally like to check the reviews about what they are going to buy. If they read positive reviews, they will be more inclined to buy. So don’t forget this form of Online Advertising when you elaborate your marketing strategy to enter the Chinese market.

Read: Guide to Chinese Kols

Gentlemen Marketing Agency

Do you need Online advertising for your company? We are Advertising Specialists.

For every business, you can contact us.

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50 comments

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    • YAKSTECH ENGINEERING NIG. LTD

      I am a poultry processing plant equipment installer base in Nigeria, I want to be advertise in China, so that I can be a taking installation directly from the manufacturer in China to install in the whole of Africa.

  • Hi , I want to promote my company in China. I’m founder of online English learning company “Muke Learners”. I want to get students from China. Can I advertise on wechat ? I don’t know which Chinese social media to choose. Kindly give me some suggestions.
    Thanks a lot.

  • Hi. I own a website where I teach youth and kids and I want to advertise in China. I would like to know how much I need to pay. Thanks.

  • Hi, We are a new company in the US and want to promote our business in China. We are a consulting service setting up china factories in the US, with a US business. We are new and have no capitol yet. We wanted to know if there are any ways to promote our website in China for free until we build up capitol. It works on a desktop and mobil and is translated in Chinese. looking forward to hearing your answer,

    thanks

  • Hello
    I am interested to advertise in China, but offline. Can you give me an estimate evaluation of a metro campaign?
    An estimation of taxi ads? TV campaign in CCTV?

    Can you compare them with online ads campaign?
    Which media you prefer for a governement affiliate agency?

    KOONY
    Marketing Director

  • Magdalena Horn

    I would like to sell my engineering company My target aer China people can you give me suggestion please

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  • Hi there, we are in education industry, providing language programs to local and international students & adults.
    How can we advertise ourselves into China online platforms? Thank you.

  • Dwhyte Cudjoe

    I’m a tradeshow Stand/Booth/Display builder in the United States. I will like to market my company in China to companies that are coming to the United States to exhibit at the trade shows. How could I market this business in China?

  • Do you have a media plan with cost per channel?
    HOw these plateform charge?
    CPM? CPC ? CPA?

  • Jeff lee

    Hi am interested in advertising in China for my antique business. Please fill up me with more details on advertising in Baidu, Sogou, WeChat and Toutiao.

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  • someone that really knows what they’re discussing over the internet in China.
    You actually understand how to bring an issue of the sens of Advertising in China

  • Nicholas

    Hi, I would like to promote Malaysia property to China market by using their social network.
    Can you let know how can I do it

  • Daychen

    I want to sell a restaurant which is in Woodstock NY,please let me how to advertise in China market

    • Olivier

      Contact us by email , you have more chance to speak to us. 😉

  • Hi! Loved your site. It provides me a lot of information and good insight for marketing to China. I am a licensed automobile dealer and exporter in Atlanta Georgia and my target markets have been United States and Nigeria (have sold several Toyotas, Hondas, etc.). After visiting Shanghai last year, I would like to expand my operations to China especially bringing certified used Teslas to the market. Not only am I looking for buyers but I’m also looking for partners who would like to join me in filling orders and sourcing. How would I go about marketing this service?

  • Hi, I would like some advise about advertise and promote services in China for software and agile services.

    Thank you

  • Hi
    I’d like to get some help about online ads in china.
    It’d be great to have a call with you!

    • Olivier

      Hi Coinh,
      Of course we can Help you, best way is to send an email , not a comment.
      Explain your project or website and your target, and we will find out the best solution. 😉

  • k.waenga

    hello to whom it may concern, i would like to advertise my energy device in china, can u help me, my website is originalbesslerwheel com …k.waenga

    • Olivier

      Hello K Waenga,
      Email please, it is faster to reach us than Comment. 😉

  • I would add: localize localize localize your content and your Ads . No one cares about your wonderful global strategy or branding in China.

    • Olivier

      Hello Lionel,
      Thank you for this Great Insight, we will add this. 😉
      localize your Ads content for Chinese Audience

  • Hello,

    I would like to promote/advertise my artworks in China.
    I work with HiHEY, a Chinese art platform where the sales are made in China.

    thank you,

    Jc

  • If you want to Advertise in China, bet on online advertising of course.
    Good article Bro

  • Christian

    I would like to advertise my greyhound racing syndicates to Chinese market can you help please thanks

  • Hum chy

    Hi

    I wanted to promote my online English course in china. Please can you advise if this is possible
    Thank you
    Hum chy

    • bula…m from Fiji..
      as a real estate agent….willing to sell properties and land to china market…please help

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