Do you want to know how to market and advertise a business in Thailand? The same question is being asked by thousands of marketers. Marketing and advertising tips in Thailand is a complex topic since you cannot just apply the same tried-and-true tactics used elsewhere. It is critical to recognize the distinctions between Thai and other regional customers.
In this article, you will learn the top seven marketing and advertising tips for expats in Thailand. These strategies, tactical insights, and promotional tactics will be a valuable asset in your arsenal.
Let’s take a look and see how we can get your company recognized by Thais.
7 marketing and advertising tips for expats in Thailand:
- Do your homework: find out who your target audience is and make an effort to connect with them.
- Break through the language barrier by getting to know your audience and making them understand you.
- Ride the Digital Marketing Wave: Make your business digital and take advantage of the growing trend of online commerce.
- Know That They Trust: Work with people who the Thai market is already familiar with and trusts.
- Choose the Ideal Influencer to Represent Your Brand: choose the right influencer to represent your brand.
- Always delve deeper: evaluate all aspects of the influencers’ profiles and the political context in Thailand.
- Find a Local Partner: Having a local partner is essential for success in a foreign market.
Tip 1 –Â Do your homework: find out who your target audience is and make an effort to connect with them.
To get any marketing and advertising effort off the ground, you must first ask the appropriate questions. What role do your services play in the lives of Thai people? What’s the best way to approach them? How can you get them to return? Every culture is unique, and Thailand’s 70 million people are unique in the globe as well.
A marketer like you understands that the audience is everything–in order to be successful, you must understand their lifestyle, culture, psychology, and everything else about them. If your items and services don’t meet the demands of your target audience, they’re worthless. This is why it is critical that you conduct thorough research.
For example, one of Grab‘s effective marketing methods in Thailand relied around determining which music Thais enjoyed, which performer was most popular, and which song was most likely to be a hit. After conducting this study, Grab partnered with BKN48 and was able to garner over 2.6 million views on YouTube.
When you grasp Thai culture, everything gets a lot easier. The most important aspect of any marketing effort is establishing a relationship with the Thai people. The challenge now is, how can you do this quickly? What methods do you use to do on-the-ground research and market integration in Thailand? Collaborate with a local marketing firm.
Tip 2 – Break through the language barrier: get to know your audience and make them understand you
Although Thais are quite fluent in English, especially those in Bangkok, Thai is the predominant language of 97 percent of Thailand’s population. To be successful in Thailand, you must ensure that you are understood by the majority of the populace. You must also be fluent in their language.
You must go above and beyond normal communication in order to be effective. Marketers and advertising must also learn to understand people’s sense of humour. Once you’ve mastered the Thai language and comedy, you’ll be able to go into the depths of Thai social media, where you’ll be able to develop real connections and dialogues with the Thai audience.
One of the best marketing and advertising tips is to leverage social media and undertake influencer marketing in Thailand. Social media marketing is essential for building relationships and communicating effectively with customers.
Tip 3 – Ride the Digital Marketing Wave: Make your business digital and take advantage of the growing trend of online commerce
More over 70% of Thais have a Facebook account, and their online engagement is moderate. The popularity of Facebook in Thailand has given rise to the country’s most unusual method of selling goods: Facebook live traders.
In their particular sectors, these merchants are essentially influencers. Businesses may deliver them their wares, and the influencers will essentially sell them. You could believe that this method is standard, that it sounds like a salesperson’s job. The distinction, though, is in the manner in which they sell.
Selling on Facebook Live is similar to simulating an actual store. The merchants must first broadcast their live broadcasts. They demonstrate the items and convey their features and benefits vocally. The customer will then specify the product they want to purchase in the remark box. Following that, the camera crew will send a direct message to the customer. The buyer may place the order and provide delivery details in privacy this manner.
Because some of the things available on the live broadcast are restricted, purchasers must act quickly to submit orders before they sell out. This is one of the reasons why online live shopping is so appealing. According to the data from 2021, 74 percent or more of Thai internet users search, visit, and buy via online e-commerce platforms.
You must also improve your company’s social media presence in addition to leveraging influencers as online merchants. You want to get as many people as possible to follow your social media page so that your brand can be heard by Thailand’s millions of internet users.
“Work on your social media” is undoubtedly one of the most significant marketing and advertising tips in Thailand. If your digital social channel is powerful enough, you won’t even need an official Thai website.
Tip 4 – Know That They Trust: Work with people who the Thai market is already familiar with and trusts
Thailand has millions of social media users, which implies that online business tactics are flourishing.
Connecting with Facebook influencers who may be your live merchants may be your best choice if you are a small business selling physical things. These merchants sell millions of dollars’ worth of diverse things in a matter of hours, thanks to their legions of fans.
Traditional influencer marketing is the best option for service-based companies. In Thailand, Instagram influencers are huge. If you can get them to share a photo of your services, you’ll see a significant rise in the amount of potential consumers.
Because Thailand’s “idol culture” is as intense as that of Japan and Korea, influencer marketing continues to be effective in Thailand. Thailand’s idol admirers are incredibly passionate and loyal to their idols. They purchase the items that their celebrities promote because they believe in their judgment. Fans often strive to imitate the lifestyle of their idols.
In other words, companies who are aware of Thailand’s “idol culture” are well aware that influencer marketing is one of the most effective strategies to sell their products.
It’s important to remember that influencers don’t have to be literal idols. They might be anyone with a large enough social media following. A gamer may also be an influencer. For example, “Ake Heartrocker” is a well-known gamer who became popular among Thai youths. He has 7.63 million subscribers on his YouTube channel, and he periodically promotes gaming equipment and accessories.
This technique, of course, is not without its drawbacks. The most difficult aspect of this technique is finding inside relationships. If you don’t have the necessary network, finding the greatest Thai influencer for your campaign might be difficult.
Tip 5 – Choose the Ideal Influencer to Represent Your Brand: choose the right influencer to represent your brand
The most common error a business makes when marketing in Thailand is working with the incorrect influencer. Effective relationships with the target audience will not be realized if you choose the wrong individual to represent your brand.
Consider a beauty product company whose target demographic is middle-aged women. What do you think would happen if this business chose a young guy influencer as their product presenter? Disconnect, misunderstanding, and a waste of corporate resources Even if the scenario is a tad extreme, it is by no means an exaggeration.
It’s difficult to pick the right influencer. Along with knowing your audience and who they trust, you must also determine whether or not the person they trust is a good fit for your brand. The effects might be ordinary at best, and catastrophic at worst, if the influencer you hire does not reflect your brand’s ethos.
Take a look at the Advanced Info Service (AIS) 5G campaign for some inspiration. AIS, Thailand’s largest GSM mobile phone company, employed one of the most effective influencer marketing tactics in 2021. It started a massive 5G campaign before the end of 2021, shocking the entire country.
Their strategy was straightforward. Influencer marketing is being used in TV commercials, posters, and social media postings as part of the campaign. What is amazing about this campaign is the sheer amount of influencers they included into their strategy–more than 20 A-list Thai celebrities are engaged in this campaign. Bambam from Got7 and Lisa from BLACKPINK, both world-famous Thai-born K-pop artists, were the primary attractions. These two have a massive fan following in Thailand and throughout the world.
As a result, AIS received a lot of attention in a short period of time. Although AIS’s plan isn’t groundbreaking, it proves to be beneficial due to its well-chosen influencers. The brand image of AIS is futuristic, limitless, and cutting-edge. Other than Lisa and Bambam, there were no other influencers whose personality exactly matched this brand image.
Tip 6 – Always delve deeper: evaluate all aspects of the influencers’ profiles and the political context in Thailand
Choosing Thai influencers might be difficult since you must go beyond their social media presence. Many facets of their profile must be considered, including follower numbers, expertise, lifestyle, and, most crucially, political viewpoint.
Because Thailand’s political atmosphere is tense, the country’s citizens are effectively divided into two camps. Influencers and customers both fall into one of these camps. As a result, picking an influencer from one side risks losing the audience from the other.
To avoid future issues, you must first determine your target audience. From there, you can figure out how to navigate through the political quagmire and choose the greatest influencer for your target market. Without local knowledge, this approach is certain to be troublesome. This is why you require the assistance of a local marketing firm. Their exclusive knowledge can help you achieve political and commercial success in Thailand.
Tip 7 – Find a Local Partner: Having a local partner is essential for success in a foreign market
Nothing, including the above given ideas, can be done easily, quickly, and successfully without the assistance of a local marketing and advertising firm. Knowing the Thai market in a short period of time is only possible if you have a partner that is already acquainted with them and has worked with them in past years.
Conclusion
When it comes to marketing in Thailand, there are a lot of factors to consider. Without local knowledge, a company would face several challenges. We hope these seven marketing and advertising recommendations in Thailand might assist you in your marketing endeavors.
