It’s hard to deny that the way in which UK businesses are trading with the rest of the world is changing. The challenges of Brexit could make European trade more difficult, while a shortage of skilled workers and the threat of automation are already causing problems.
As a small or medium-sized business owner, it’s essential that you are prepared for the future of international trade and position your business strategically to embrace new global opportunities.
One country that is proving to be a particularly attractive option for British businesses is China. At Zudu, we’re proud to be launching our brand new digital marketing service, designed to help UK businesses tap into the Chinese market – and gain access to more than 1.4 billion potential customers. Read on to find out how you could benefit from breaking into China.
China may not be the first country that your business considers when looking to expand overseas, but the numbers speak for themselves. China is currently the UK’s fifth largest trading partner, and second-largest non-EU partner, behind the United States. In 2016, UK-China trade was worth an incredible £59.1 billion, with British exports to China increasing 64% since 2010.
And for Scottish businesses, China is even more attractive; Scotland’s exports to China’s consumer-oriented economy have more than doubled in ten years, now worth £530 million.
While the UK-China market is beginning to grow, we still lag behind our European neighbours such as France, Italy and Germany in terms of exports. Because of this, the Government recently launched a five-year campaign to increase the demand for UK products in China.
One of the biggest challenges faced by UK businesses trying to tap into the Chinese market isn’t necessarily demand, but getting to grips with the cultural and commercial differences between the two nations. These differences aren’t only centred around tastes, but the behaviour of customers – how they buy their products, where they buy them from, and how they use them.
We believe that China provides one of the most exciting growth opportunities for UK businesses, but the digital landscape in China is very different to that of the UK. The “great firewall” means that sites such as Google, Facebook and Twitter and inaccessible for people in China. Instead, they have WeChat, Weibo, Tmall , JD.com and Baidu.
Zudu is proud to be the first Scottish company to offer digital marketing services designed to help businesses tap into the Chinese market. Our solution is simple; with specialist in-house resources and partnerships with some of China’s leading businesses, we’ve created a service that will strategically place your business in one of the world’s most exciting economies.
Our marketing service includes account management, helping you set up identities on Chinese social networks such as WeChat, which has more than one billion monthly users and serves as the country’s “app for everything”.
Weibo is another popular social network that UK businesses can tap into, a service often described as the “Chinese Twitter”. With more than half a billion users, the network helps businesses grow their brand awareness, share content and build strong, targeted communities.
Once our marketing experts have established your brand’s presence on these networks, we build loyalty through engagement with potential customers and create relevant, targeted content designed to catapult your campaign and build momentum. And thanks to constant monitoring and optimisation, your strategy will be regularly tweaked to maximise engagement.
China is an incredibly lucrative market for UK businesses, but finding the right digital marketing strategists for the job can be challenging. You can depend on Zudu to help you make waves in China thanks to our in-house expertise and our well-developed partnerships with Chinese businesses, influencers and key decision makers. What’s more, our cultural knowledge and expertise allows us to create and amplify marketing messages to quickly develop your brand in a brand new market, and our client satisfaction and case studies cement us as a top choice.
If you’d like to find out more about our Chinese digital marketing services, head on over to the brand new Zudu China microsite. If you have any questions or you’re ready to get started on a campaign, get in touch today on 01382 690 080. We look forward to hearing from you soon.
