We are told that the Internet makes concepts of time and space obsolete in many businesses. This may be partly true in principle, but the mechanics of reaching around the world and connecting with Korean consumers can be discouragingly difficult.
A client recently contacted me for ideas on marketing his ESL website in Korea and I answered him in two parts.
You can read my full answer to him on the first part at: 
“Seeking Korean Partner/Consultant to Promote ESL Website, Part I (How to Market Online to Korean Consumers)”
For a distilled version of my advice, check out these quick tips.
Tips on Marketing to Koreans Online
- Depending on your niche, it may not be possible to advertise online cost-effectively to Korean consumers.
- If you do choose to market online, start with Google Adwords and build a strong campaign that generates profitable leads until you’ve exhausted the potential that Google is giving you in its 20% of the Korean search market.
- You won’t be able to advertise directly on Naver or Daum unless your website is registered under a Korean company. Otherwise, you’ll have to go through a Korean entity set up to advertise for you.
- Use Google Analytics to benchmark your Naver and Daum advertising against your Google Adwords campaigns.
- Engage your market in the umpteen online “cafes” set up on Daum and Naver, if you can get past the language barriers there. These are still vibrant online discussion forums in Korea today.
Additional Resources on KBC About Marketing Effectively to Koreans
- The KBC Professional Certification Program – Business Culture Fundamentals Specialization
- Business Accelerator – Korean Business Savvy
- Business Accelerator – Start and Run a Business in Korea
- New Korea Economic Slice – “Ten Big Ideas About Marketing to Koreans”
** Comments are always welcome. If you have additional insights or come across information here that you disagree with or that needs to be updated — or just want to know something — don’t hesitate to leave a comment and share your opinion/knowledge/question!
