The power of the internet is such that it has replaced the television set at home with more Chinese spending more time on the internet. And the average Chinese user goes online mainly to gain more information.



If you wish to promote your product online, you should be able to adopt a strategy that is responsive to the internet habits and culture of the Chinese netizen.

* Don't underestimate the power of the word of mouth. News travels faster via the Internet with the aid of the 80 million active blogs in China. It is said that an advertiser pulled Sharon Stone out of its ad campaign after her remarks about China generated a loud negative buzz in the blogging world. Conversely, positive product reviews and anecdotes involving your product will definitely create trust in the minds of readers. This is because Chinese internet users tend to believe most of what they read on the internet. The internet's influence on its users is the primary reason why government authorities have kept a tight reign and watch over the net.

* Begin to join social networks. Chinese internet users turn to social networks to create virtual friendships. They hang out at any of these websites regularly to catch up with friends or to find more friends. You may position yourself in these sites but take care not to do this by online advertising. Your product may still gain some exposure if it appears by mere reference in an informative guide. Social network subscribers are quick to detect advertising pitches, and once detected, will block or ignore your posts.

* Monitor the effectiveness of your site. You should be able to go beyond measuring the number of clicks your site generates. You will be able to measure your site's "stickiness" by counting the number of visitors it receives daily and the amount of time each visitor spends online. Your visitor count is irrelevant if these users only spend a few seconds on your site. You should aim at having a good number of visitors who stay for several minutes. If your site is not "sticky" enough, you should be quick to make the appropriate changes before your site becomes stagnant.

* Internet is about content. Much of your website's success will depend on the quality, creativity and relevance of its content. Don't presume that the standards of Chinese internet users are low. You'll be surprised at how picky they can be.

Indeed, internet promotion, just like online sales, is not a walk in the park. And while you may succeed in calling the attention of Chinese netizens, you need to keep those creative juices flowing or your viewers will get bored.