Egypt first, Libya most likely next...and China after that? Chinese leaders have long feared the power and reach of the internet first and now social media. They would have taken note of how Twitter and Facebook have been successfully used to galvanize thousands of protesters, and they are probably doing everything in their power to make the great firewall of China even greater.
However, in doing so they are also doing an injustice to the engine that drives the remarkable China growth story...their exporters. Think about it, social media has emerged as the most powerful marketing concept since Google dished out adwords. Every business worth its bottom line, either already has a social media strategy or is desperately scrambling to get one. Just look at how print and television campaigns are being reworked around a Facebook fan page, or a Twitter handle. Online, every campaign and website has an FB or a Twitter reference. Linkedin has become the defacto meeting platform for businesses and the Chinese are missing out on this action (actually Linkedin is not blocked there, but it is not popular in mainland China).
Here are the main reasons why I feel the Chinese are missing out:
* Social Media is about engagement: Unlike traditional marketing channels, social media marketing is about engaging with your customer. It is a platform that allows you to pitch your product/service, get feedback and interact with your customers/potentials. Apart from your own social media properties, you also have a great opportunity to interact on general forums. This two-way engagement is an excellent opportunity to grow your own business, learn about new opportunities and make useful contacts. However, if you are not there you do not exist.
* Cost effective marketing: The best social media campaigns actually cost little or nothing. They are the ones that are liked by the community and go viral. Given that a majority of mainland China exporters are low-cost warriors this is a marketing solution that would have worked very well for them.
* Small biz's best friend: While all of us know about the big guns like Lenovo and Huawei the export engines of China and India are driven by small to medium-sized companies that are extremely price competitive. These firms invest every dime on their core activity and have little left over for marketing. A social media campaign would have helped them register a global presence at a fraction of the cost they have to otherwise incur.
Anyway, the point is they are missing out, but then so are companies in India that should be taking advantage of this opportunity. While the Chinese can at least blame their firewall, you have no reason not to take full advantage of this opportunity. So here are the five things you need to do to leverage this opportunity:
1) Create a Linkedin profile: Linkedin is a great place to start. This is quietly emerging as the platform to do business and you need to create either a personal profile or one for your company there.
2) Join communities and forums: Check out the most popular communities and forums for your line of business and join. Remember to contribute to the discussions and not just plug your business. Contributing to discussion and being seen as a thought leader is a good way to build up solid connections. These are everywhere, but the most ones for business seem to have migrated to Linkedin.
3) Facebook Fanpage: Set it up. Takes less than 10 minutes. Ensure your friends like it. Post regularly on it and use it to get feedback on your products/services, ideas whatever. If you get an audience going, they will be a great ally for your business.
4) Blog; It does not take time. Set it up within your own website or do it on a blogging site like this one. Again, don't just plug your products here, share your thoughts, problems, issues, success, doubts...let your audience into your business.
5) Google Places: If you have a retail front to your business, dont forget to put it up on Google places. List it there, and give as much details as you can. Also encourage your customers to rate your service.
There are lots of other stuff you can do, but doing these five should help you get started. When your effort starts paying off, you can do more.
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