Specialist full-service UK-China PR agency 11K Consulting has published its latest China Masterclass webinar on “How to Market Luxury Overseas developments to Chinese & Asian investors”.
The webinar features guest speaker Parikshat Chawla, director and global head of development marketing at Leading Real Estate Companies of the World (LeadingRE), a selective global community of the highest-quality independent real estate companies, with 550 companies and 135,000 sales associates in 70 countries.
Topics covered in the webinar include the following:
What are the key challenges for overseas developers to market to Chinese and Asian potential buyers?
Stand out. Developers should do something special/clever to stand out among the crowd. Special ways of doing this include zoning in on sustainability, wellness, etc.
Language and culture matter. Know your audience, and understand the concept of certain numbers, words, colours and messages.
Physical. Face-to-face meetups with clients (where safe and allowed under current restrictions). Clients can get a deep sense of comfort in meeting a person who is connected to the project.
What are top PR and marketing tactics to raise the brand profile of an overseas development to this very specific audience?
Develop partnerships with local agencies.
Embrace local media/multimedia, and look for different portals.
Be as visible as possible. Work with influencers, and keep your name/brand on social platforms. “Out of sight, out of mind.”
Set up a local office. Show an attitude to your clients/agency that you are serious about the partnership.
Hire some local talents.
Geographically, should developers focus on targeting specific cities when opening a local office or choosing a local agent in China/Asia? Is it the same for PR? Be local vs regional?
Yes. Having a single office cannot really handle regional justice. Beijing/Shanghai are the first two cities to be considered, and they should be enough for most companies to target China.
It’s the same for PR. Go deep to the local market and community. Start with Beijing and Shanghai as two specific cities. However, Beijing would do better with its chaotic atmosphere, and Shanghai is too competitive.
Be local. The key to success is to expand access to the local market.
What do Chinese and Asian buyers look for when they buy an overseas residential property?
Location: location always comes first.
Culture/humanity/distance to other places.
Ability to do business.
Education options.
Price – put the price, and understand the needs of the buyer.
Personal stories. Don’t only talk about property but also tell stories about yourselves. Introduce the person behind the brand/development/project.
Which destinations are hotspots among Chinese and Asian buyers in the next three years? And why?
UK – educational resources and provides gates to EU property.
EU: Portugal, Cyprus, Montenegro,
Australia
Northern America: Canada and USA.
Dubai
The above is part of 11K’s regular China Masterclass Webinar series run by Sally Maier-Yip, founder and managing director of 11K Consulting and her co-host Paul Sutton, founder of LCN Property. All of the previous webinars relating to China and Hong Kong can be found here.
You can find out more about the latest webinar here and watch it in full below.