Category Archives: Marketing Tips
Steps for Advertising on Baidu in English
Foreign businesses wishing to expand their operations in China and take advantage of the immense potential of the domestic market often come up against the twin stumbling blocks of language and culture. They may not have business executives and other personnel who are fluent in the language or knowledgeable about the culture, and may not have the time or the funds to provide them with the necessary training.
Doing business in China might seem unthinkable in such a scenario. After all, how are you going to promote your brand with PPC and SEM campaigns? How are you going to advertise to and engage with Chinese consumers?
There are options, however, fortunately. While the Chinese prefer using their own language online, an increasing number of them are fluent in English. And Baidu, which is the top-ranking and most used search engine in the country, now offers businesses an English version. After making the launch announcement in 2013, Baidu has worked hard to improve its English search engine with the use of sophisticated automation, artificial intelligence, and machine learning. You can pair it with Google Translate, Chrome browser, and other translation enabling services, and you are all set to reach out to even the non-English speakers in China.
Here are some steps to help you advertising on Baidu in English:
- Research the Market
While it can be tempting to just apply for a Baidu business account and take the plunge, it might be a good idea to do some ground research first. Review your business model and check how it would potentially work in the Chinese market. Is there a demand for your products and services? Can you create a market demand? Are there any local products and services that already have the market cornered and could give you a stiff competition? If you venture forth without adequate research, you could find yourself making an unfortunate exit soon like Home Depot, whose DIY offerings failed to resonate with the Chinese consumers.
- Get Chinese domain and hosting
Business websites with local hosting and Chinese domain extensions get preferential treatment on the Chinese internet. Your website will get a higher ranking on Baidu for your targeted keywords in their search engine results. Aside from the .cn ending, you will also do well to optimize the website speed. That will also ensure a higher ranking on Baidu.
- Select and Use the Right Keywords
Along with text inputs and visual search, Baidu’s search engine services make use of voice search with artificial intelligence and augmented reality search. That means, when you are researching keywords, you need to think of more than just text inputs. You should also think in terms of the spoken word and the right pronunciation. It might be a good idea to go with keywords that are not difficult to pronounce.
Additionally, look for keywords that people generally use when they search on Baidu for similar products and services. However, don’t translate directly into English from Chinese keywords and use those. English-speakers in China are not likely to input such keywords and they might be far different too from what the non-speakers type in. So, instead of directing everyone to your website, you might just end up achieving the opposite.
- Create Attention-Grabbing Content
The English-speaking Chinese will generally fall in the well-educated bracket and will typically be high-income earners with sophisticated lifestyles. If you want your products and services to appeal to such a milieu, you need to up the ante. You must come up with memorable advertising content—banners, images, videos, texts, and so on—that is suitably refined, creative, and infused with personality. If you can manage that, the language issues might even take a back seat and your advertising could attract the attention of even the non-English speakers.
- Work with Native Speakers
While the automated language translators generally do a good job, you want to be extra careful that embarrassing errors don’t mar your advertising copy. Automated translators, after all, won’t correct things like context and nuances. So, work with a professional digital agency and have knowledgeable native speakers to review your copy.
With these steps, get a competitive advantage in advertising on Baidu in English.
Top Four Reasons to Hire SEO Expert for Your Business Growth
Search engine optimization (SEO) increases your business’s visibility by improving the search engine ranking of your website. Greater visibility leads to more website traffic; increasing your chances of converting them into your paying customers. These things then help increase the bottom line of business. But SEO only works when done well. So, it is important to hire SEO experts for the job.
Here are the top four reasons to hire SEO experts for your business growth.
1. SEO is technical work
SEO is more than merely using keywords in the content. SEO experts begin the work by performing an audit of their clients’ business websites. It helps them to identify shortcomings in terms of SEO and the scope of the work required for the best results.
SEO tasks involve removing duplicate content, making navigation easy, researching keywords, creating content, setting up local search accounts, creating title tags, building backlinks, using analysis tools, and more. Each SEO task requires proper knowledge and expertise for the best results.
In order to hire the best SEO experts for your business, you can conduct an online search to find local agencies. Such agencies also have knowledge of the local business landscape in addition to SEO experts. You can use search keywords such as Miami SEO expert or something on these lines to find the right agency for your business.
SEO is not a DIY job if you really want to see good results. Yes, you can learn to do it but without the right experience and expertise; you may end up wasting precious time and resources. Local SEO requires many tasks that differ from those required for global SEO. Only experienced SEO specialists can perform such work that will guarantee the desired results for their clients.
2. SEO evolves rapidly
Search engine algorithms change rapidly. So, SEO techniques also need to be evolved to keep pace with these changes. You can’t expect optimum results with outdated SEO strategies. If you are not in the business of SEO then it is difficult to keep updated with constant algorithm changes.
SEO experts, however, keep updating their knowledge as needed and tweak their strategies accordingly. It is also not easy for someone without SEO knowledge to understand these changes at one go. So, it is best to hire experts to handle SEO tasks for your business.
3. SEO work requires time and dedication
SEO works but it futile to expect instant results from it. SEO is all about organic ways to market a business. So, it can take some time for you to see the desired results. But when SEO is done well, you can expect good results for sure. It may not be possible for business owners to spend the considerable time required for SEO work.
It is simply easier to hire experts for SEO work. They can focus on increasing the visibility of your business on search engines while you concentrate on other aspects of it.
You can’t take shortcuts with SEO by using unethical tactics termed as black hat SEO. Search engines can track such measures and blacklist the websites using unethical means to increase their page rankings. Reliable SEO experts will dedicate time to your SEO work and use only ethical or white hat techniques to help your business.
4. SEO work requires the use of many resources and tools
SEO work is not possible without the use of many tools especially designed for the purpose. You also need to know to use these tools in order to utilize their benefits. SEO tools are also ever-evolving keeping up with the requirements of the tasks and constant algorithm changes.
Even the simplest of tools can cost you a significant amount for year-long use. You can’t expect the best results by using only the free SEO tools. But professional SEO experts invest in these tools for their business. It turns out to be cost-effective for them as they can utilize these for their various clients. When you hire SEO experts for your business, you can offset the cost of such marketing and still enjoy better results from the work.
Why Do You Consider Advertising on Baidu in English?
Why Baidu?
If your intention is entering the Chinese market successfully, then there is no other better way than marketing through Baidu. Baidu is China’s widely accepted search engine, and the approximate market share is almost 80%. The statistics establish that the majority of the Chinese population is using Baidu constantly. Hence, to make a winning entry into the Chinese market, promotional campaigns through Baidu is unavoidable, and advertising on Baidu in English is the best practical way for the same. Businesses are sure to get a greater response from the customers. Nevertheless, it is always prudent to select a technically perfect and experienced SEO agency for this purpose. Practical knowledge and relevant marketing tactics are imperative to make Baidu advertising a success. This type of planned promotional campaign will be immensely beneficial to small and medium-sized companies, which will have limited financial and human resources. Big corporate firms will not have any dearth of financial or human resources. That will not be the case with small businesses, and hence, they will have to function prudently by making use of all the available possibilities that will not be a burden and will yield sure results. Search engine advertising is a sure opportunity to bring about heavy traffic to the website, which will result in the enhancement of sales revenue.
Why Do You Consider Advertising on Baidu in English?
Baidu is the favorite ad placing spot for almost all the companies that wish to bring success to their Chinese market entry. This wide acceptance, even among the advertisers, gives a clue as regards the market value of this search engine. Baidu is the widely held search engine in China and by advertising on Baidu in English, companies can easily reach the desired customer segment. As the Chinese population considers Baidu as a personal search engine, they know that the advertisements that pop up through this search engine are genuine. Customers also know that Baidu is reliable to the core. Hence, the promotional activities through Baidu are sure to gain new customers for the advertisers.
Advertising on Baidu in English allows some better ways of advertisement, by which businesses can achieve their organizational objectives precisely and promptly. Moreover, the entailed expenditure will be very less when compared to the other forms of traditional advertisements. PPC Advertising, Pay-for-Placement (P4P), Baidu Brand Zone, and Baidu TV are the most accepted forms of Baidu advertising.
• PPC Advertising: In this specific advertising on Baidu in English mode, businesses can display their promotional matter on Baidu’s search engine result page (SERP). People who search through Baidu for a specific product or service will see the company’s advertisement and are sure to click as they will be searching for similar products.
• Pay-for-Placement (P4P): Here, the advertisers are getting the option to select their preferred ad positioning, and in line with their preference, they can place the bid. Even so, the bidder’s quality score and the value that is attached to that specific keyword will be considered by Baidu for allowing your preferred spot.
• Baidu TV: Many companies go for this advertising on Baidu in English option, as this is a result-oriented advertisement method. This inventive ad placement option gives the union members of Baidu the opportunity of selecting the websites and web pages in which they want to place the advertisement.
• Baidu Brand Zone: By opting for this method, companies can place the advertisement as an above fold ad, which is likely to catch the attention of the onlooker at a single look.
That said, for carrying out a perfect Baidu advertising campaign in English, the professional competence of an experienced SEO company is essential. You can find out such specialized SEO agencies by searching through the internet. However, before selecting a particular agency, you must check the credentials and confirm that they are experienced and are fit for the job. You must make sure that the agency has sufficient experience in all the entailed tasks that are par for the course of Baidu advertising.
The Essential Checklist for Hiring an SEO Agency
The SEO agency you hire decides the fate of your website. If you choose an inexperienced SEO firm, your website would never reach the top of the search engine results page.
Here’s an essential checklist for hiring a Houston SEO agency.
More Than 5 Years of SEO Experience
Several SEO agencies in Houston call themselves expert who is seldom true. The first roll-out of SEO update shook the SEO industry, and many websites that had achieved higher rankings through black hat SEO techniques like inappropriate link building, spamming, and keyword stuffing suffered greatly.
Before you hire an SEO agency, find out their years of SEO experience. You can ask questions like how a company survived the Penguin and Panda search engine updates and how their clients were affected. You can also ask what steps the agency took to help their clients survive the search engine algorithm updates.
If the SEO agency is relatively new in the business, they would not have any satisfactory answers to your questions. The company you plan to work with should know about the latest updates inside Google and also have experience in working through these updates.
The SEO experience helps the SEO agencies to survive within most complicated situations in SEO and ensure they help their clients reach their SEO goals despite the difficulties.
Provide Results to Their Clients
It is quite easy for an SEO agency to draw an attractive SEO plan for their clients. But the big question is can they deliver results. If the SEO firm is not confident about its SEO strategies, there is no point in working with such an SEO agency.
A good Houston SEO agency would provide portfolios and sample work they have done for its clients. They would provide you with a proven track record they have earned over these years. The agency might not have a perfect ten in all their SEO activities, but they should have a decent number of successful SEO initiatives and happy clients.
Understanding of Advanced Level of SEO
SEO has a broad scope. Just creating content with target keywords is not enough. The SEO agency you select should have a deep knowledge of three important elements of SEO.
On-page Optimization – it refers to SEO measures directly performed within the website like smart ways of internal linking, quality content, and HTML and meta-tagging. In simple words, on-page Optimization refers to making your website SEO friendly.
Off-site Optimization – it refers to external SEO practices like link building to optimize your website.
Technical areas– the agency should know technical issues that can affect the website’s search engine rankings. A good SEO agency would be able to identify technical issues with the structure of your website and configure your website in a way that is easy for search engine bots to index pages.
Adheres to Best SEO Practices
No matter how popular or expert an SEO agency is, if it does not follow guidelines of the search engines, your website will go down sooner or later. SEO agencies have no control over SEO guidelines, nor do they have any idea about SEO algorithm updates that might be in the pipeline.
The only thing SEO agencies can do is adhere to best SEO practices so that new search engine updates do not affect their clients’ websites much. A good SEO agency would be proactive to search engine updates and adapt to the new guidelines whenever introduced.
You should stay away from SEO agencies that promise higher rankings in a short period. Such SEO firms are more likely to use black-hat SEO techniques that provide faster results, but the success is short-lived. Search engines are known to penalize websites that follow black-hat SEO techniques, and the worst can happen to your website as your website is removed from the search engine index.
Send Consistent Reports
Search engine optimization takes time, and you may have to wait for weeks/months to see the results. A good SEO agency would send you consistent reports that mention SEO activities performed for a given period and things that are planned for the near future.
Long story short, choosing the right Houston SEO agency, would effectively promote your business online and generate sales.
How a Voice Marketing Agency Can Help?
Are you wondering how a voice marketing agency can help your business? What exactly do they do, anyway? Voice marketing is absolutely pivotal to any company that wants to expand its marketing and thrive. Here are some things to consider about hiring a voice marketing agency for your business.
Figure Out What Voice You Want
A voice marketing agency can help you figure out what exactly your voice should be. You need to have a good foundation, values, and know what image you want before you start marketing, and voice marketing agencies can help you formulate the best identity for your company. Consistency with consumers is absolutely key, as customers won’t like a business that changes its values and product niche every month, so hiring professionals to help with this is crucial. If you want your company to succeed, make sure you find the right voice marketing agency to help to set your image and goals in stone.
Strategize and Plan
Every business needs a good plan. What tactics will you employ for marketing? How will you reach and capture your audience? What goals are you aiming for, and what steps do you need to achieve them? A voice marketing agency can help you with all of those questions. These experts know what strategies fail and which methods lead to booming successes. You can’t be expected to understand the ins and outs of marketing theory as well as run your business, so it’s vital you let a professional voice marketing agency guide you through which tactics you should use and how to use them. There’s no better way to launch your business towards success than a solid plan of attack.
Insight for Customers and Clients
If you want to market effectively, you’ll need to know about the people you’re marketing to. What are the demographics most interested in your niche? What spending habits do they have? What marketing tools have proven most effective to increase engagement and sales? Are there any cultural sensitivities you should be aware of? All of these are critical if you want any marketing success, however it’s a ton to try and keep track of all on your own. There’s no way to collect all that information on your own, let alone know what it all means. A voice marketing agency will help you to understand your audience, and to direct your marketing to them in the most effective means possible.
Connect with Your Audience Personally
A voice marketing agency can also help you to communicate better with your audience. This can mean sending email campaigns, experiential marketing, and lots more. Content is a key factor in this. Voice marketing agencies connect with the audience through meaningful and well-crafted content such as compelling photo shoots and video promotions, which reach the viewers in an impactful way. If you can’t connect with your consumers, you can’t gain their brand loyalty. Having a strong voice marketing team behind you is the best way to acquire loyal and excited customers for your business.
Analyze and Adjust
A voice marketing agency will also provide you with detailed reports on everything to do with your company’s performance, and guide you through the analysis to ensure you can make any necessary adjustments and decide what’s working for your business goals. They’ll work with you to tweak your campaigns until you have the optimal marketing plans, and they will show you what tactics are best to pursue further. It takes experts to provide such in depth analysis and knowledge about what data means for your marketing methods, so you should always hire a voice marketing team to have your back on your efforts.
Overall, a professional voice marketing agency can go a long way to help your company, and if you want to achieve success you should never try to do without one. A voice marketing agency can help you to identify your brand goals and values, come up with the ideal strategies and plans for marketing success, understand the culture and behaviors of your consumers, create a loyal audience, and continue to adjust your tactics for optimal results. If you’re serious about thriving as a business, you need to hire a voice marketing agency to support you.
