Chinese investors have been lining up to buy properties in Canada, the US, New Zealand, Thailand, and Australia, majorly because these five countries have been hot markets for them. The top, second, and third spots have been taken by Thailand, the US, and New Zealand.
Right now, Juwai lists Canada as its fourth favourite investment destination. In fact, among Canadian cities, Toronto was found to be their number one city of interest.
Not too long ago, China set up new regulations whose intentions were to curb Chinese investment in foreign property markets. But the restrictions haven’t been able to slow down the millions of determined Chinese investors keen to secure properties in healthy overseas real estate markets like Toronto’s.
Now, this article takes a detailed look at how to find Chinese investors for your real estate projects.
First, Understand China’s Online Space
If your current reputation can’t be accessed anywhere in Mainland China, then you are missing out on a lot of opportunities. Remember, China has somehow managed to ring-fence its online ecosystem.
Most of the platforms you use to share marketing and property information, news, and general online visibility are absolutely invisible to nearly all online users in China. But if you can find a way to squeeze all this information on their media, you will have made it easier for your target property investor to find you.
China has an equivalent of Google, YouTube, Twitter, and WhatsApp/Facebook, basically all the leading online platforms that you probably use to reach your audience. Knowing them would be a great way to start your journey into their online space. They include Baidu, WeChat, Youku, and Weibo, just to name a few.
How to Find and Attract Chinese Investors
Since most of your activities aimed at landing the Chinese buyer will be based online, the two things you will want to focus a lot on are your online reputation and visibility.
Given the nature of this investment, trust has to be established first. Your strategy has to be centred on building trust and establishing healthy relationships that can last for the long term.
Customer Service Matters
While most of Europe, the US, and even Canada find it less formal to talk business over messaging platforms, China doesn’t. This means you should prepare to engage in business talks with potential Chinese investors through messaging apps and platforms.
It would actually be better if you first familiarize yourself with the cultural differences between us and the Chinese, as this will refine your communication and relationship with them.
Most investors will ask questions and expect that you respond to them almost immediately. If you delay, you stand a higher chance of losing their attention and interest.
As for visibility, here are a few solid moves you could begin with:
Leverage The Potential Of Microsites
In China, WeChat is among the few apps that dominate the digital space. It’s a social app that has capitalized on its monopoly of the market by integrating payment features. Users are, therefore, able to purchase products and services online using WeChat.
The many stories of agents who’ve succeeded in selling luxury homes via this app continue to inspire lots of investors and agents looking to tap into the Chinese investor market.
You can design a decent micro-site and host it on this app. Have it serve as your e-brochure and optimize it by including a gallery, properties you have sold, case studies that speak to your attractive skills and values, and so on.
Set Up A Quality Chinese Website
Rather than doing everything from scratch, it would be easier if you simply developed a Chinese version of your website. The site has to be optimized for Google (Baidu) and Mandarin character searches. Host it on a Chinese server as well.
Tailor your website content to your target Chinese buyer and market yourself as you would anywhere else. Meet their expectations and ensure their questions and concerns are addressed in a timely way.
Boost Your Visibility On Their Search Engine
Invest in search engine optimization for Baidu such that a search related to what you offer will easily have you appear on the front pages. Remember, Mandarin is the dominant language in China. Your content should, therefore, be in Mandarin. Just like it is with Google, the higher you rank on Baidu, the better the quality of leads you will get.
You could also try pay-per-click advertising on the same platform. It’s another effective way to make yourself visible to potential Chinese investors looking for what you offer. If possible, collaborate with local Chinese agencies, as most tend to have a huge database of buyers that you could leverage with the right partnership.
Extend Your Visibility to Property Forums
China has dozens of online forums with active communities. Even better, there are platforms with threads solely focused on real estate matters. Examples include Tianya, Baidu, Teiba, Zhihu, etc.
Since most Chinese users will be visiting these forums and probably participating in the discussions, it’s important that you encourage those you’ve worked with to speak well about your services.
You could even have them create conversation topics and then include links to relevant content on your website. Here, you stand a chance to get genuine clients with well-informed interests.
Other strategies you will want to consider include:
- Press release campaigns in leading Chinese media and specialist e-media publications like wallstreetcn.com.
- WeChat Ads
- Key Opinion Leaders (KOL), which is the Chinese equivalent of influencer marketing
Conclusion
Statistics show that Chinese investment in commercial and residential property overseas has been increasing since 2015. And the truth is the majority of Chinese buyers would never hesitate to invest in your property if you develop trust with them and consistently provide excellent services. Here’s your chance to capitalize on a growing market with promising returns. If you need more assistance on how to find Chinese investors for your real estate projects, we have the help you need to start your journey on a high note.
