China's Social Networks Map by ZeroDegrees

What are the key factors to successfully lead a Social Media strategy in China ? How do you measure success?

In a country where 360 millions people surfs on the Internet, it is certainly worth asking these questions. If you are reading this blog, chances are you are at least on the right path for getting some answers. The title is just a hook of course, the real question is :

How to lead a successful strategy on sns in China ? – Part I

It is difficult to talk companies and brands into Social Media, whether they are conservative or not.

Why? Social Media Marketing (SMM) is a relatively newly used medium for marketers especially in China where they face a general lack of transparency and a tremendous growth of the Internet population. Although we all agree there is something “out there”, it is difficult to find the right model, define KPIs, execute and get a good return on investment.

Whether you already started some social campaigns or just thinking about it, you will encounter a lot of obstacles but the reward might be worth it.

Here are 6 big mistakes that keep on ruining social media strategies :

Mistake # 1 : Ignore it

The recent statistics on sns population in China published on nov 11th by CNNIC show the following (full article on web2asia.com) :

By the end of 2009, China will reach 124 million users of online social networks.

The vast majority of users has accounts on multiple networks – on average 2.78

More than half of SNS users (52.6%) are aged 20-29, which is significantly higher than the average 22.8% of Internet users in that age group.

More than half of Chinese users spend around 1 hour on SNSs, 22.6% spend up to 2 hours per day and 12.8% are logged on for more than 2 hours.

So basically, chances are :

1. People are talking about you Instead of letting people talk about you without you, you should go there and talk with them. This will not only help you monitor your branding and message, but this will certainly help you get a better reflection on how people perceive you.

or 2. People are not talking about you. Well they should. This is a unique opportunity to create/position your brand in an effective way. The great thing about having little awareness is that there is plenty of room to say absolutely what you want and brand yourself with more freedom than you are able to once your reputation is built.

Mistake # 2. Underestimate the investment

Costs

Just because opening a profile on a social network is free does not mean there is a cheap way to lead a good social media strategy. Think about it : the power of social media is that it enables you to reach your targeted customers (current and future) very accurately. Even if this is China, good things come at a price.  It is however a cost effective, long term strategy, requiring at the beginning some investment, but in the long term the costs remain the same more or less whereas your influence keep on growing.  It is also an excellent complement for PR, market research and advertising operations.

Resources

Underestimate the power of content : as I wrote in a recent post, quality brings quantity.  The content is the Champagne you bring to a party : original, relevant and entertaining articles, videos, gifts and contests. Anything keeping the people interested in you rather than in your competitor or another distraction.

The Mango case shows that despite their move to social networks Xiaonei, Baidu, Haibao and others, too little effort was made to provide and update content. 

If your company is not big enough to allocate a budget for hiring an in-house social media manager, it is best to have a dedicated staff and contact to monitor campaigns together with the agency in charge of your account.

Mistake # 3. Own the conversation

Most people tend to forget the word “Social” in “Social Media”. Social means living together in organized groups or similar close aggregates, seeking out or enjoying the company of others for convivial activities. The common mistake brands make on social media, be it forums or blogs, is crash in and start a monologue – just like traditional PR sending out press release.

We see it very clearly with the Levis Blog example : a blog talking about Levis and nothing else.  The Cartier case study  is also a good example for the don’ts : no benefit, no conversation, no activity, no technical maintainance.

As I described in the Social Media Love theory, the ideal relationship between a brand and its customer is positive and emotional. Therefore, your circle of influence is meeting another circle (people) and the interaction between the two are creating a new space : your unique relationship.

To be continued …