In just 6 years, LinkedIn China’s user base has grown to 48 million people.

And while this might not sound that impressive when compared to the user base of a platform like WeChat — with over 1 billion monthly active users — the advertising value of LinkedIn isn’t in the size of its user base, but in the quality of users it attracts.

49% of LinkedIn users in China hold a position of manager or above, and 58% have been in industry for more than 5 years. Based on these stats, you can safely say that if you’re looking to target B2B decision-makers, then LinkedIn is the place to go.

Add to this the fact that LinkedIn is one of the few US social media platforms accessible in China, and you’re on to a winner. That’s right, the Chinese version of Linkedin is LinkedIn itself.

In this post, we’ll cover:

• Should you be advertising on LinkedIn China?
• How to advertise on Linkedin China: The regulations you need to be aware of (and how these compare to the West)
• How to create an ad — and a tool that will make the advertising process a lot easier.

LinkedIn China: is it the right advertising platform for you?

The first thing you need to consider when you’re thinking about advertising on Linkedin China is whether your product will be well-suited to the audience on the platform. 

And much like in the West, LinkedIn China users are people who either own a business, work in a business, or plan to do so.

That’s why B2B businesses — perform exceptionally well when advertising on LinkedIn. Think software, hardware, SaaS tools, agency services, etc.

But LinkedIn China’s promotional potential isn’t limited to B2B products alone. There are also certain B2C offers — time management apps, life and career coaching, online foreign university courses, etc. — that could potentially cut through.

The bottom line is: as long as the product or service provides business or career benefits, there’s probably a market for it on LinkedIn China.

If you’ve decided that your product is a good fit for the platform’s user base, let’s discuss some advertising guidelines you need to be familiar with. 

How to advertise on LinkedIn China: Advertising guidelines

Advertising in China is very different to what you’re used to in the West.

For one, there are many more restrictions to govern what can be advertised and how campaigns can be promoted.

To keep it brief, you’re going to have to follow three sets of guidelines:

1. LinkedIn’s general advertising policies
2. LinkedIn’s China-specific advertising policies
3. The local laws concerning advertising in China

LinkedIn’s general advertising guidelines are the same across the world — and chances are you already know them by now. So let’s skip those, and move on to LinkedIn’s China-specific guidelines.

LinkedIn’s China-specific advertising guidelines

There are certain types of business models (animal/animal products, credit card cash-out services, debt collection services, etc) that are prohibited on LinkedIn China.

There are also certain ads that, although not prohibited, have some form of restriction —  education and training, infant food products, etc.

If you’ve perused the China-specific rules and regulations, and your business model and advertising type has got the all-clear, you’ll next need to request approval from the platform. 

For any Linkedin China campaign to be approved, you must submit the following:

1.  Contact information including full name, email, and mobile phone number
2.  Website of the products/services to be advertised
3.  ICP filing record number for the website of the advertised products (if any)
4.  A scanned copy of your business license     
5.  Product certificate(s)
6.  A scanned copy of your agency license (if you’re an agency).

You might also need some additional documentation depending on what you want to advertise. 

Now, let’s move on to China’s local advertising laws.

Local advertising laws in China

Compared to the West, these restrictions are tight. While the following isn’t an exhaustive list, you definitely need to avoid using the following words in your ads:

• Superlatives like ‘best’, ‘maximum’, ‘the cheapest’, etc.
• Never use words related to first/top/only like the ‘first in China’, ‘top-selling’, ‘No.1’, ‘exclusive’ etc.
• Avoid words related to level/class like ‘national level’, ‘global level’, ‘the ultimate’, etc.
• Also avoid words related to country/nation like ‘Nation’s first’, ‘national product’, ‘filling in the gap in the country’ etc.
• What’s more, you’re also prohibited from using the national flag or interfering with the “normal use of the internet”.

There are a couple more guidelines which you can read here, but those are the major ones that vastly differ from Western advertising laws.

And now that we’ve covered our bases, it’s time to talk about actually running the ads.

Creating ads on LinkedIn China

Once you understand the advertising guidelines and required documentation, the rest is pretty similar to running LinkedIn ads in any other country. But if you’re new to the process, here’s a quick walk-through:

1: Create a LinkedIn campaign manager account

2: Next, create a campaign group and name

3: Set your ad campaign objectives

4: Designate your ad audience using targeting criteria like company, demographics, job experience, etc.

5: Choose an ad format (keep reading for a few ideas)

6: Select your ad placement

7: Set your budget and ad schedule.

Stuck for ideas on how to promote? Here’s a few examples of LinkedIn China advert types:

Sponsored posts

When you sponsor a post, your ad soars straight to the top of your followers’ feeds. It’s a great way to cut through the rest of the noise, and have your message stand out.

Text ads

Similar to Google ads, these appear on the right hand side of a user’s LinkedIn feed. Make sure you target strategic keywords for your business, to catch your potential buyer’s eye.

Sponsored InMail

Sales is all about making connections, and what better way to do that than to reach out personally and build a relationship? You can send a potential lead a direct message (automatically delivered when they’re online, for utmost impact) with sponsored InMail. In your message, you’ve got a unique chance to explain why your product solves the recipient’s needs, and how. (Don’t worry, AdChina.io can also take care of translations).

Ready to conquer LinkedIn China? AdChina.io can help  

With so many new rules and regulations to navigate, it pays to have a partner who’s been there and done it all before for leading businesses across the globe. AdChina.io can also do that for you — helping you create, approve, and manage ads on 10+ Chinese platforms, including LinkedIn.

You can create ads that are both compliant and captivating using our platform. We help you set up market-specific targeting, monitor analytics and track reporting from an easy-to-use dashboard in English.

Ready to get started? Then let’s chat.