Online marketing strategy plays a decisive role in the expansion abroad. After all, different target markets require different online marketing measures. User behavior can vary greatly from country to country. Using the following four examples, we show you how to make your brand and products known outside your local region.
WeChat, More Than Just a Messenger Service in the Asia-Pacific Region
Do you know WeChat? No? No wonder, because while Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp are the most popular ones in Europe, WeChat takes on this role in the Asia-Pacific region. WeChat is owned the billion-dollar company Tencent and comes from China. But WeChat is more than just a messenger service: users can consume all kinds of content linked to the app and even shop online. In China alone, around 600 million people use the integrated payment service WeChat Pay. Also possible via WeChat: shopping offline, paying bills, and with WeChat Enterprise even bundling and simplifying corporate communication.
So if you want to be successful on the Chinese market (whether B2B or B2C) or even if you want to address Chinese tourists, WeChat is a must as part of your online marketing strategy.
Search Engines: Google Is Not Number 1 Everywhere
While in the European and American market most companies focus on the giants Google and Bing when it comes to search engine marketing, there are some countries where you should consider other search engines. In Russia, Yandex ranks first with a market share of almost 50%, in China this is Baidu with 65% and in South Korea Naver is the class leader with a market share of more than 70%.
Professional Networks: LinkedIn vs. Xing
Even in the DACH area, vast differences can already occur. Take the two business networks Xing and LinkedIn, for example. In Germany, Xing has around 15 million users, slightly ahead of LinkedIn with 13 million users. In Switzerland, on the other hand, there are 2.8 million LinkedIn users compared to only 765,000 Xing users. Looking at the international market, LinkedIn is of course the number one professional network.
Targeting High-Income Regions in the USA
If you want to advertise your premium products to a specific target group like such with a high-income, you will have a hard time in the European area due to the data protection guidelines that apply here. However, the situation is different in the USA. Due to less strict laws, you can select target groups based on income in the targeting options of Facebook and Google Ads. This is also possible in Europe, but here almost all users just say “unknown”.
If you advertise in foreign regions, it is important that you know your target group. This is the only way to ensure that your budget is used efficiently! We would be happy to assist you in defining your target group and implementing your online marketing strategy.
