Digital marketing is unquestionably spreading like wildfire, but that only
means that it is the newest method of reaching your target audience of high
net-worth Chinese investors. Your objective is to reach the largest possible
number of potential clients. Doing this will require investment in other more
traditional strategies as well.
Print Advertising
“China is the world’s largest newspaper market, with 1,937 newspapers
printing 43.9 billion copies in 2009, says a China.org.cn report, accounting for
one in five newspapers printed worldwide.”1 Not impressed yet? Try this on
for size. Twenty-five of the world’s newspapers with the greatest circulation
are in mainland China.1 Daily circulation of newspapers in China in 2010 was
at least three times the total distributed in the United States. This estimate
is very conservative, as there is no reporting service in China to collect and
compile accurate figures. In fact, attempting to calculate readership
generates mind-boggling numbers.1
While we see the newspaper market declining worldwide, China is an enigma as
usual, because of the geographical, economic, and cultural divisions within the
country. Virtually all the media is concentrated in the eastern urban areas of the
country. Considering the strong attraction of digital media among young people,
it is reasonable that the majority of newspaper readers will be adult business
people. They are your target market.
You are offering a professional service. According to Nielson Media Research
at the middle of the last decade, advertising by the professional services
sector increased by a phenomenal 83%, and this sector outspent all others.
No other sector experienced a similar growth rate. Oral hygiene products
came in second at 68%.
While newspapers provide the widest print distribution, you must consider
whether a newspaper will deliver the image that you want to project. You
may want to consider placing advertisements in Chinese magazines.
Although their market penetration is less broad, magazines tend to target
well-defined groups, especially the wealthy, who, by the way, are more likely
to subscribe to or purchase magazines.
Now, let us move from the broad penetration of newspapers, to the more targetdefined
magazines, to a very narrowly focused print advertising medium that is
read thousands of times daily and is almost ideal for advertising your EB-5
opportunities and services: airline magazines. Far and away, the Chinese who
are flying around the globe, and especially to and from the United States, are
high net-worth individuals. What more could you ask than to have someone else
gather this target audience together hundreds of times a day? Think of this as a
captive audience of target customers. When you compare the cost to the
effective reach, it beats just about any other print advertising opportunity.
Something to Think About
Although the majority of Chinese speak Mandarin, the number of high networth
Chinese who speak Cantonese is growing. It may be necessary to
advertise in both languages. This may be even more important if you intend
to advertise nationally in China.
If you are targeting customers in a particular province, it’s much better to
advertise using regional newspapers. However, national papers can also do
well because some are more widely circulated than regional papers. Almost
every city has a major newspaper. National papers include the China Daily,
China Economic Times, China Public Security Daily, Economic Information
Daily, The Economic Observer, Global Times, Gongren Ribao, Gunagming
Daily, China News Digest, Legal Daily, Nongmin Ribao, PLA Daily, People’s
Daily and Reference News.
Magazines and other weekly and monthly publications are also popular. You
might consider placing ads in business magazines or others that HNWI are
inclined to read dealing with health, lifestyle, sports, celebrities, love and other
issues because different wealthy people also buy them. Popular magazines in
Mainland China include the Beijing Review, Chinese National Geography, China
Today, Caijing, Duzhe, More Hangzhou, Painkiller, Ray Li, Vogue China, Beijing
This Month Publications, Beijing Scene, Feng Hua Yuan Magazine, Beijinger,Yishu Journal of Contemporary Chinese Art, Outlook Magazine, Shanghai
Business Review, and Xinmin Weekly.
Non-Print Advertising
High net-worth Chinese families are sure to have radio and TV in their homes
and offices. While the downside to radio and TV advertising is always that it is
fleeting, the potential impact of well-conceived ads promoting your EB-5
services and opportunities will be felt in the homes of your target audience.
The keys to radio and TV advertising are placement, timing and frequency. As
in the U.S., you need to be on the right channels, at the right times and often
enough to catch your audience’s attention over and over again.
The Most Credible TV Advertising Is Free
This idea is so special that I may have to charge you for it separately: Market
yourself to the business channels and programs on Chinese TV and radio. No
doubt you are going to need some help with this, but you’re going to need help
with any advertising. Establish your credibility by getting interviewed on camera
or on the radio discussing the EB-5 opportunity. Your on-air presence will give
you credibility that is unavailable through almost any other medium. Sharing
your expertise, whether once or many times, sets you apart from the crowd.
A Word about Advertising Agencies
Again: you will not be able to advertise by yourself. You will need expert guidance
and advice, and this will not be forthcoming from an EB-5 Agency. They will offer
their assistance, but it will come at an extra price and it will not be the substantial
help that you will require. They probably know as little as you do.
There are some bona fide, professional Agencies that understand the Chinese
market and also operate in the United States. These Agencies can work with
you to develop an entire media strategy, monitor and analyze results, and
modify your strategy as necessary to achieve the greatest success.
Other Advertising
We have previously discussed attending trade fairs in the U.S., but don’t
forget that China has its own trade fairs. The Chinese Ministry of Commerce
offers listings of upcoming events. Certainly you will not be interested in all
of them, but you should be interested in some of them, such as theInternational Economic and Trade Fair or the China International Fair for
Investment and Trade, among many others. Plan to attend one of these
events, where you will be surrounded by potential clients.
The opportunities to promote your EB-5-related business or project are
virtually unlimited. The best marketing campaigns are not “either-or”
considerations. The best opportunities are getting the right combination of
marketing media mix. Advertising is not poker. Either you are all in or you are
not in at all.