The way we use email for marketing in China is a bit different than how we use it around the Rest of the World (RoW).
The first thing you should know is that email is not used as much in China as it is elsewhere. The typical Chinese professional will use email for work and might have a personal email account too, but they probably don’t check either account very often.
When you submit a form or register on an app/websites in the RoW, you will probably enter an email address, then receive a confirmation email. In China, many apps/websites use email as well, but it is even more common for them to use phone numbers. So Chinese users are accustomed to checking their phone SMS or emails as part of the process.
In fact, Chinese professionals are fine with checking their saudi arabia phone number email when they are asked to do so. They just aren’t likely to be checking their email many times per day. They might not even have an email app on their phone either. This is different from the West, where it is the norm for professionals to check email on their phone many times per day.
For B2B marketing purposes, you can expect your Chinese target audience to open up their email in these cases:
They have just signed up on your website and you have notified them to check their email.
They are at work. They might open their email a few times per day or more.
You have told them via WeChat “Hey, check your email. I sent you something.”
If you send a newsletter or other marketing communications to Chinese subscribers via email, expect the open rate to be lower than you see in other countries.
It would be possible to do marketing in China without the use of email at all. However, that could be a pain in the butt for most of our clients, because they usually prefer to keep things coordinated with one CRM.
Running Chinese marketing isn’t as simple as doing everything the Chinese way, and it also isn’t as simple as doing everything the way of your home country. A balance is required.
So, now that you know the context of email usage in China, how should you use email for B2B marketing in China?
Use it for the following reasons: