Up-to-date products, services and business information

Many businesses have publications ranging from internet content to traditional paper business cards and brochures. For example;

• Your Website & e-Commerce
• Business platforms: e.g. LinkedIn
• Video and Social media: e.g. YouTube, Facebook
• Messaging services; e.g. Whatsapp
• Email platforms, e.g. Gmail, AWS, etc
• Third-party e-Commerce. e.g. Amazon, eBay
• Supporting media: brochures, business cards, etc.

Keeping your business content up-to-date with your products, services and business information is stating the obvious. Many companies are increasingly finding this challenging, given the number of platforms and channels that need to keep updated with company information and data.

When considering a new market like China, it is essential to review your public information, both online and paper-based. This is especially true in China, given that international social media and messaging platforms are unavailable there.

Do you need to set up a new platform for the Chinese market besides your existing public business information? WeChat would be our recommendation. This can range from a personal account for messaging (WhatsApp is the nearest comparison we have to a personal account on WeChat) to a business account linking to your website, i.e., one that looks and works like a web app inside WeChat.

The problem with any new platform and channel is that it creates more information that needs updating.

What information do you want to take to the Chinese market?

Chinese businesses will often check your company's internet content to better understand your business before and after meetings.

Overseas business is often conducted in a second language, leading to misunderstandings when ideas and products are new to an overseas company. Your company's internet content is the key to understanding what your company is offering.

In the Chinese market, your company's internet content is often used for;

• As a reference point to check your business existence
• Business look and feel
• To share information with bosses and colleagues
• Where Chinese government funding is involved, both the Chinese and UK governments will check your business details.

Most large companies in China are government-owned or have government agreements to deliver critical components of the Chinese 5-year plan. In these cases, different Chinese authorities will check your business, and references can be made to your county embassy before opening into business agreements. Having your website up to date is critical in these monuments.

Please remember that the best people to update your public information content are the business, which is the business management, not the IT staff. You may need assistance from IT staff with the design and coding. Good internet content is the responsibility of the business.

Note: - Dating your internet pages will help the search engines. If your company's internet content is kept updated, the Search Engines will prefer your content.

Access to China recommendations

• Determine what platform and channels you will use for public business information in the Chinese market: at minimum, set up a WeChat account.
• Determine responsibility for maintaining this information.
• Ensure the Chinese plans contain the time to update any information needed for the Chinese market.