There are several ways to generate more leads from potential Chinese buyers. Here are the five most important ones:
- 1. Create a WeChat account
The first way to generate more leads from Chinese buyers is creating and using WeChat. Wechat is the most popular social media tool in China. It is being used by more than 900 million people on a daily basis. WeChat is an app that can be downloaded on a smartphone, and it is basically Facebook,Twitter and Whatsapp combined into one tool. The Wechat app also other functionalities such as shopping, paying for taxi rides, transferring money, etc. It is a very powerful tool and Chinese simply love it. Many Chinese are not taking their wallet anymore but simply their smart phone and use WeChat to pay for grocery shopping, renting a bike, etc.
Also, you should note that Facebook, Twitter and many other westerns tools are simply not accessible in China. The Chinese government simply has blocked all these western apps or online site. WeChat is an app developed by a local Chinese firm and has full access from anywhere in China, and from other parts in the world for that matter.
As such, it is a great way to start using the tool that all Chinese are using and communicate via WeChat. Real estate agents often post many listings and pictures on their ‘Moments’ (which is similar to posting on your Facebook Wall) so a great way to get more exposure.
- 2. Publish original articles
Chinese buyers love information, especially if it is free. As such, you can consider writing an article around your town or city and post it on your website. A comprehensive overview of your city, the schools in your city (information about schools is very much liked by Chinese buyers!), the community, the average real estate prices, etc. would be a good start that can attract a lot of Chinese readers. Of course, this can help you build your brand as well as Chinese will pick up your name and might even contact you if they are impressed by your article.
Please try to write an article that is interesting to read – as in the US, Chinese buyers love to hear unique stories that nobody else can share with them, so try to be original. This will also have the extra benefit that Chinese love to share good content with each other so your article (and your contact information) can easily get exposure to many more potential Chinese buyers.
Another tip here is that you should consider adjusting the measurements to Chinese metrics. Nobody in China understands how large 1000 square feet is! As such, it is better to convert this into square meters instead. There are several free online converters out there who can help you do an accurate conversion.
Make sure that you conclude every article with your contact information (email address and WeChat account so Chinese buyers can contact you easily.
Of course, besides publishing your article on your website, you should also publish it on your WeChat account.
And yes of course, the articles that you publish should be translated in Chinese. There are a lot of translators (or Chinese students) out there who can easily translate your article in Chinese for 20-30 USD per article.
- 3. Pay per click on Baidu
- Organizations such as Zillow, Realtor.com,… could be great platforms to generate leads in the US. However, this is not the case for Chinese buyers. Chinese use Baidu which is the most popular search engine in China. Google is blocked in China and Baidu is basically a similar tool to perform searches on the internet in China. As such, Agents can consider to promote their listings using Pay Per Click program on Baidu. It is basically the same as the Pay Per Click program on Google. You can put a certain budget per month and your listing will be shown only when Chinese users type certain keywords. You will only be charged when someone clicks on your ad so it might be an effective way of marketing your listings as you pay only as you go.
- 4. Join local China focused organizations
Yes, China is about 12-20 hour flight away from the US (depending on where exactly you are in the US). It surely is hard to find potential buyers based in China. However, some local organizations might be a great way to get exposure (indirectly) to these Chinese buyers all the time. For example, AREAA (Asian Real Estate Association of America) is an organization that is focused on dealing with Asian buyers and a good way to make connections and learn something about China. And you might get some referrals coming in this way!
- 5. Nurture your lead and be patient
Many Agents do receive leads from China but then give up if they are not able to convert those leads in 1 or 2 months. Often, many of these Agents will be very frustrated as the Chinese lead does not seem to be ready to buy yet and as a result, the Agent will move on to other cases and forget about the lead from China. It is then no surprise that the Agent will hear a few months later that the Chinese buyer that he had tried to help initially eventually buys a 3mm USD house in a prestigious neighbourhood in his city, in cash.
Chinese buyers are known to be taking their time before purchasing their dream house in the US. As such, Agents are recommended to be patient and nurture their lead. For example, sending some information to Chinese lead on a regular basis (via WeChat) is a great way to stay in contact and make sure that the Chinese buyer will come back to you when they are ready to put down that hefty $3mm in cash.
