Training courses and seminars on China topics such as tax law, compliance, or intercultural management have been offered more and more frequently by training institutes and universities for some time now. However, a full-day workshop that deals exclusively with social networks and online marketing in China is unique in Germany.

WeChat instead of WhatsApp. Taobao instead of eBay. Chinese people use different platforms for digital marketing and sales than Germans or Americans. In my seminar on behalf of the ChinAcademy, I explained the differences between online marketing in Germany and China. I covered everything from social networks such as WeChat, Weibo, and YouKu to Baidu and Alibaba. I spent nine hours answering questions from participants in the five-star Le Meridien hotel in Munich.

Social media strategy for B2B companies

When it comes to social networks and social media in China, B2C and B2B companies face very different requirements. Companies that work with a large number of end customers often need elaborately designed online shops and a way to pay for goods over the Internet.

The WeChat wallet and the ability to connect the e-commerce store with the business account via external APIs are therefore of great interest to B2C companies. B2B companies, on the other hand, are either concerned with brand awareness or lead generation. Using case studies, I showed the online marketing managers of the B2B company Voxeljet AG what opportunities there are for medium-sized companies to bring their brand closer to Internet users.

“Due to the small group size, very individual and intensive training was possible,” says Johanna Heinzmann. “Company-specific issues were discussed in great detail and there was the opportunity to provide participants with individual tips and suggestions for improvement about online marketing topics. The participants were very interested and actively participated in the seminar.” As project manager of the ChinAcademy, Heinzmann gained a lot of knowledge from the seminar: For example, that different social media monitoring tools are needed in Germany and China, or that the topic of strategic planning is still underestimated by many companies.

Further seminars on the topic of online marketing in China planned

What is particularly pleasing for me is that ChinAcademy wants to continue its cooperation with me and is already planning further events. The need for training in the area of ​​online marketing and social media with a China focus is immense. Further seminars and webinars are therefore planned for spring and summer. Given the increasing number of companies investing in the Middle Kingdom, the demand for social media topics with a China focus will increase shortly, believes Johanna Heinzmann, project manager of the ChinAcademy