The business networking website is aiming at the Chinese market
LinkedIn, a popular social website that allows professionals to ‘connect’ with each other online, has launched a Chinese beta version of its existing platform under the name “Ling Ying”.
The localised platform has been several years in the making, according to Derek Shen, head of LinkedIn’s mainland operations and former founder of group buying website Nuomi.
LinkedIn’s Chinese language offering is similar to its existing site, except for the omission of a few key features such as “Groups” and the option to self-publish articles on users’ profiles.
Western giants like Google, Twitter and Facebook have seen little success in China and the professional site is not short of domestic competition either. China already boasts a number of popular networking sites, such as 51Job, ChinaHR and Zhaopin.
LinkedIn is hoping its partnership with WeChat, a highly popular social messaging app, will help drive traffic to the site. The latest version of WeChat now enables users to seamlessly bind their LinkedIn profiles to their existing accounts.
Marketers looking to use LinkedIn’s Chinese platform may need to tailor their existing strategies around its limited functionality. Indeed the company did not mention its ad solutions in the announcement, which include sponsored updates and company pages.
On the English language version alone, LinkedIn has amassed 4 million members. Now, Derek Shen hopes the new site will eventually host the profiles of more than 150 million Chinese professionals.