Consumers have a short attention span these days. One way to get attention is through powerful videos and creative storytelling. Global brands leverage on video marketing in China and explore different channels.
A good strategy is to combine online and offline experiences in China. Publishing videos can start a snowball effect. You get more exposure as long as you do it right and with a well-equipped team.
READ MORE >>> A Global Company’s Guide: English to Chinese Video Translation Workflow
There are many ways to use video marketing. For instance, if you already have an English promotional video. You can hire video translators to work on the captioning and subtitling in Chinese. You can also add voice-over in Mandarin or Cantonese based on the region of your audience.
You can upload those video on Youku, iQiyi, Tudou, and other local video sharing platforms. Most of the content on these platforms are self-produced. While other brands also upload their videos here or take advantage of paid ad banners.
Behind a great video is a deeper understanding of your market
Other brands tap short video publishing to woo young people who use those apps. Kuaishou and Douyin are popular among students and young people. Embedding a short intro video on a WeChat blog post also attracts users to browse and know more. In short, there are many ways.
So, before you work on that project, you might want to ask these questions first to yourself or with your team. It’s an excellent way to assess how much you’re willing to invest in your China marketing efforts.
1. How much am I willing to spend?
Video marketing can tap both translation and localization work. For example, if you only need the translation of the captions in Chinese, the turnaround time is short. It could even be about 24 hours or less for short 5-10 minute video.
The more requirements for the project, the more you need to set a budget, whether for small or large scale one. Producing a video from scratch and hiring local talent as models is also another option. But the cost is high, too. Some brands publish 5-10 second snippets, with a few punchy captions and that’s it.
2. Does the company work with similar projects or industry?
Don’t settle for less. You must ask the video marketing team or agency if they’ve worked with other similar projects. Chances are, you will also save more money especially for video captioning translation. The group of translators and captionists are already familiar with the workflow.
There might be an exception to the rules especially if you are on a tight budget and deadline. But this will work for light projects such as captions and subtitle translations. For voice-overs, you need to make sure the voice talents also match your requirements. Always ask for producers with specialization of your industry.
3. Am I willing to be creative and flexible on their ideas?
If you’re producing a video in Chinese from scratch with the local team, you need to be flexible. Your brand may have guidelines for marketing and campaigns for consistency. Moreover, Chinese video marketers also consider these guidelines. But it would be best if you also thought of how you can be engaging with your customers with a localization strategy.
The local team likely knows your audience well, so better listen to what they think is best for the campaign. You definitely know the business well. But leave marketing and storytelling with videos to them. The videos should be relevant and culturally engaging.
4. Can I trust this team with my documents and materials?
You can only share so much to them about the project. So the answer to this question can be a “Yes” based on your judgment from the second question above. If Fortune 500 companies have trusted the team on their campaigns, do you think they can handle yours?
It’s a red flag if they’re charging you too high on upfront fees. For video translation, you also need to know the documents they will send with the final format. We have a complete guide for video translation you can review as well.
5. Do they offer other services that can boost my video marketing efforts?
Video marketing includes other online activities like social media marketing, microblogging, and copywriting. One way to maximize the budget is to ask for a custom package. It may include these services, which may help boost your efforts.
It’s also an edge when that same team works with the project. They already know what’s behind the story of the video. Moreover, they can pass on more ideas for copywriting in Chinese. Videos can go viral with the right content on microblogging platforms like Weibo. Followers can comment and share the post with friends and followers, too. Other services related to video marketing can be PPC ads and online advertisements.
There’s so much you can do once you finish localizing that video with the right company or agency in China.
