For Indonesian brands, collaborating with Chinese influencers may provide access to a new audience, but gaining a foothold with Chinese consumers is not always easy.
- Language is one of the main obstacles; since most of the content on Chinese social media sites is produced in Chinese, it isn’t true that every Indonesian brand has someone on its team who speaks Mandarin or who can understand content in Chinese.
- The platforms too can be rather unfamiliar. China has its own social media environment, with examples like Xiao Hong Shu, Douyin, Kuaishou, and many more. For companies that are more used to Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube, getting used to these platforms and learning how audiences react to the content will require some getting used to.
For any brand that wishes to enter the Chinese market or target Chinese consumers, it is much easier to do so by working with an appropriate cross-border influencer agency that has access to an influencer network in Mainland China.
Why Indonesian Brands Are Looking Toward Chinese Influencers
Chinese consumers increasingly discover products, destinations, and experiences through local influencers and its own social platforms, creating opportunities for Indonesian brands across industries.
For example, hotels and tourism businesses can work with travel influencers to reach potential Chinese visitors.
The value of Chinese influencers goes beyond audience size. Local influencers understand what their audiences find credible, how they consume content, and what works on the platforms they use every day.
For Indonesian brands targeting Chinese audiences, this local insight is hard to replicate from outside the market.
What Makes China Influencer Marketing Different?
China’s social media ecosystem is unlike that of Indonesia in terms of platforms, content formats, and audience behaviour.
Practical differences also exist in communication, contracts, payment, content approval, and campaign management.
This creates a gap that brands need to manage:
The company knows everything there is to know about its product and market, while the Chinese influencer knows everything there is to know about their audience and platform; bridging the two is therefore necessary.
One reason why having the right partner can be valuable is that.
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How to Brief Chinese Influencers Effectively
An effective influencer brief should provide influencers with sufficient information so that they will understand the campaign without telling them precisely how to produce their content.
At minimum, include:
- Campaign objective
- Target audience
- Key messages
- Product or service information
- Deliverables
- Timeline
- Mandatory requirements
- Content usage rights
- Approval process
It is just as important to allow influencers to employ their own style since they know their audience and platform better than the brand does, and excessively scripted content can make a collaboration seem less natural.
The brief should also be clear in the case of cross-border campaigns in order to prevent misunderstandings caused by differences in language and culture.
Translation Isn’t Localization
A campaign can be translated perfectly and still feel wrong for its audience.
Localization considers the language, cultural context, visual style, content format, and interests of Chinese consumers.
For example, an Indonesian tourism brand shouldn’t simply translate “Discover Bali” into Chinese. Instead, the content could feature experiences relevant to Chinese travellers, such as where to stay, what to do, and why the destination is worth visiting.
The question isn’t just: “Is this translated correctly?”
It’s: “Does this make sense to this audience?”
Working with influencers who already understand their local audience can make it easier to answer that question.
Why Work With a Cross-Border Influencer Agency?
An Indonesian brand doesn’t necessarily need to work directly with a China-based agency.
A cross-border Indonesian influencer agency with an established Chinese influencer network can offer a useful middle ground: local understanding on the brand side and influencer access on the China side.
There are a few useful advantages:
- Local understanding: The agency understands Indonesian brand objectives, communication styles, timelines, and expectations.
- China influencer access: Brands don’t have to start building relationships with Chinese influencers from scratch.
- One point of contact: The agency can manage influencer communication, briefing, coordination, and campaign execution on the brand’s behalf.
RISE Indonesia brings together an existing network of Chinese influencers and has a good understanding of the China market.
Since it is an Indonesian agency, RISE collaborates with companies from the local market while assisting them in reaching influencers in China. This way, the brands have a local partner without having to set up their own influencer network or take on the responsibility of handling cross-border communication themselves.
From influencer sourcing and selection to briefing, communication, and campaign management, RISE helps bridge the gap between Indonesian brands and China’s influencer ecosystem.