A global leader in academic publishing with a 170+ year heritage sought to expand its footprint in the highly competitive Chinese market. With increasing academic output from China, establishing a strong presence was crucial for the publisher to engage with the local research community, drive submissions to its Open Access (OA) journals, and position itself as a thought leader. To achieve these goals, the publisher partnered with Editage to develop a content marketing strategy focused on WeChat, the most widely used platform for academic engagement in China.
Key Goals of the Campaign
The primary objectives of the publisher were:
- Building a strong brand presence in the competitive Chinese academic publishing landscape.
- Increasing awareness and submission to its Open Access (OA) journals.
- Establishing subject matter expertise to position the client as a thought leader.
- Engaging with the academic author community in China to foster long-term relationships.
Crafting a Strategic WeChat Marketing Approach
To address these challenges, Editage implemented a content marketing strategy tailored to the client’s objectives and the target audience’s needs. This involved:
- In-depth audience research and persona development to understand the preferences and behaviors of Chinese authors.
- Content creation across multiple formats, including blog articles, videos, infographics, email newsletters, and promotional posters.
- Leveraging Baidu for journal promotion to increase discoverability.
- Optimization of content for WeChat to maximize reach and engagement.
Results and Increased Engagement
The content marketing campaign yielded impressive results, including:
- Increased brand awareness and visibility in the Chinese market.
- Boosted consumption of OA journals, leading to higher engagement.
- Enhanced subject matter expertise positioning, strengthening credibility.
- Increased engagement with authors through various content formats.
- Significant uplift in WeChat post-performance, with some posts achieving 100-300% higher reads than average.
Client Feedback and Testimonial
Testimonial 1:
“Thanks for your effort on the book promotion, and the post has outstanding reads (almost 2k) on WeChat!”
Testimonial 2:
“Thanks for the great design for our earth sciences journals, and we have collected wonderful feedback from our community!”
Final Takeaway
By adopting a strategic content marketing approach, Editage successfully helped the client achieve its objectives in the challenging academic publishing landscape of China. This case study demonstrates the power of content marketing in driving brand awareness, lead generation, and customer engagement in the academic publishing industry.
Interested in Expanding Your Reach in China?
Our expert team can help you achieve your business goals. From content marketing strategies on WeChat and Baidu to broader market penetration, we offer a comprehensive suite of solutions to help you succeed in China.
📩 Contact us today if you are looking to expand into a new geography. Editage will help you create a tailored content marketing strategy to reach your audience effectively.