When you’re thinking of marketing your brand in China, the question of whether or not you need professional help, aka, a digital marketing agency is one you need to answer. Sadly the answer is very subjective and varies from brand to brand. But at the end of the day, you can tell with ease whether or not you need one, and more importantly, if hiring one is a judicious decision for your brand. 

The best China digital marketing agency: To Hire Or Not To Hire

Before getting into digital marketing agencies, consider this. The digital marketing landscape in China is ever-changing at a fast pace and happens to be quite different from the West. Social media platforms such as Weibo and WeChat have dominated the scenario, with over 1.3 billion people using it on a daily basis. That is twice the population of the United States. So, when you’re thinking of exposing the Chinese population to your brand, you have much to consider. It is not a small deal, and since you won’t get multiple shots at it, you have to ensure your first shot sticks. This is one of the main reasons why foreign companies do not mind spending some big bucks on digital marketing agencies in China. That said, many also prefer doing it themselves, saving money and time. But is it just as effective as hiring a third-party agency? Is it as simple as it sounds? More importantly, is it judicious to hire a digital marketing agency in China? 

… in case you were wondering, yes, these are all questions one would ask themselves before diving into the digital marketing scene in China! 

Judicious: Cost-Effective Or Not?

When we talk about a judicious decision, more often than not, we are talking about the cost. Now, there’s no way around the cost of a digital marketing agency in China: they are quite pricey. In fact, this is one of the main (if not only) drawbacks of an external digital marketing agency: it is quite an investment. The initial costs alone, like the start-up fees, could be quite daunting. The agency fees can vary greatly depending on the size and capability of your company as well, between $2,000 to $20,000 per month! Needless to say, that is quite expensive, and may not be affordable by many small-to-medium businesses. 

The pricing packages and particularly the marketing campaigns are marked up, given the competition in the Chinese marketplace. Further, many of China’s digital marketing agencies have fixed, inflexible contracts that can just as easily rack up a thick bill. This is why many people give it ample thought before making this investment, and that’s usually for decently-established companies. Startups on limited budgets would have a hard time funding digital marketing agencies. 

China’s Digital Marketing Agencies Today: Judicious Work Arounds?

Some of China’s digital marketing agencies have more standardized packages nowadays, making it a lot easier to hire them. All you need to do is consider the range of services your brand would require, the number of channels, and the overall effectiveness of the selected package, and you’re good to go! Besides, this is not a hit-or-miss kind of investment. Everyone is well aware of the positive impact a Chinese digital marketing company could have on your company. The initial cost can easily be compensated when the revenues start pouring in. 

China Marketing: Objective Strategies

Besides the obvious benefits of hiring a digital marketing agency in China, such as pertinent content, extensive knowledge, and experience in the Chinese market, and a better understanding of the laws and regulations in China, one of the main reasons why new-timers in the Chinese market should consider a digital marketing agency is their talent for objective strategies. They can easily make objective assessments of the business, based on their experience. 

You’re almost guaranteed that they will come up with the quickest, and hopefully, the most effective results by using the strategies that work best in the market. Showing you what works in the current scenario, having adapted to the changes, you needn’t worry about keeping up with the market. They’ve got you covered. In the long haul, it saves you not only money but time. Besides, using the same approach you’ve used to enter other markets may not work in China. An external digital marketing agency can work around such novice mistakes!