HONG KONG, CHINA - Media OutReach - 8 May 2017 - ChoZan, a resources platform for social media marketing in China, announces its expansion to Singapore. The Founder of ChoZan, Ashley Galina Dudarenok, and her team will be in Singapore from May 15th -- 18th, introducing themselves to the Singapore market in response to great interest in the region from businesses wanting to engage with Chinese customers on social media, such as WeChat and Weibo.

China is Singapore's 3rd largest trading partner so there are strong business links between these two markets. There are also strong family and cultural ties. Second and third generation Chinese entrepreneurs have established many businesses in Singapore and play a strong role in the community. However, recent shifts to online marketing and the huge influence of social media have left some businesses behind. They lack the necessary tools and skills to reach modern Chinese consumers... and modern Chinese consumers are becoming ever more sophisticated at a rapid pace. ChoZan, which is specifically designed to help marketing teams and agencies use Chinese social media, can help businesses fill these gaps and tap into China's swiftly changing and expanding markets.  It sees Singapore as a vital step in its expansion before proceeding to wider international markets such as Australia, the US and the UK.

The demand has been clear to ChoZan's Managing Director for some time. "Since our launch in January this year, we've received an overwhelming number of enquiries from businesses in Singapore," says Dudarenok. "WeChat is a hot topic and local and international businesses headquartered in Singapore are eagerly exploring opportunities. The Singapore Tourism Board, Singapore Airlines and Banyan Tree are all doing a great job in this area and small businesses need services like these."

The need for information about China's social media landscape have also been noticed by Melissa Lim, founding memberof Ladyboss Asia. "There will definitely be interest to learn as China is a nearby market with a huge population. I believe that Chinese consumers would appreciate Singapore products too." At the moment, Chinese social media isn't widely used in Singapore for marketing but she believes this is about to change, as she puts it, "once people discover the vast functionalities that exists just within WeChat."

General Assembly Singapore, the female entrepreneurs' club Ladyboss Asia, and BNCS invited Ashley to conduct a series of large-scale workshops to demonstrate how to effectively use Chinese social media platforms for marketing. During this trip, the ChoZan team will also conduct a session with the Business Alumni Group of the National University of Singapore (NUS) to share experiences in WeChat marketing.

Below is the schedule of the workshops:

1. "Understanding the Modern Chinese Consumer"

Date & time: 15 May, 2017 (Mon) 7 -- 9:30 pm

Organizer: General Assembly

Admission: Free-of-charge

Venue: T.B.C.

Registration: https://generalassemb.ly/education/understanding-the-modern-chinese-consumer/singapore/37000

2. "How to Advertise on China's Most Popular Social Media"

Date & time: 16 May, 2017 (Tue) 2 -- 4 pm

Organizer: Ladyboss Asia

Admission: Early Bird: $35 / Standard: $50

Venue: 6 Raffles Quay, Level 16

Registration: wechatadvertising.peatix.com

3. "WeChat - A 360 Understanding of China's Most Powerful Social Media"

Date & time: 16 May, 2017 (Tue) 7:30 -- 9:30 pm

Organizer: BNCS

Admission: Free-of-charge

Venue: 60 Paya Lebar Square #10-23, Paya Lebar Rd, Singapore 409051

Registration: Please contact Warren (WeChat: Warren_Maruyama)

4. "Social Media in China"

Date & time: 17 May, 2017 (Wed) 7 -- 9:30 pm

Organizer: General Assembly

Admission: Free-of-charge

Venue: GA Singapore, Spacemob, Level 3, 8 Claymore Hill, Spacemob, Singapore

Registration: https://generalassemb.ly/education/social-media-in-china/singapore/36995

To introduce the platform to more in-house marketers in the region, the ChoZan team is seeking partnerships with local social media agencies and business associations which work closely with local brands and constantly receive enquiries about marketing in China. ChoZan welcomes various modes of partnership such as client referrals and content sharing.

If you want to know more about marketing in China, please join one of our events listed above. If you work in marketing and are looking for opportunities, join ChoZan as a partner, contact Ashley Dudarenok at (+852) 37092258 or info@chozan.co.

Notes to Editor

About ChoZan

ChoZan is a marketing training and resource platform specializing in Chinese social media. It was created by a team of Chinese social media marketers, strategists, designers and bloggers based in Hong Kong.

Officially launched in Hong Kong in January 2017, ChoZan is expanding to Singapore in May followed by other key international markets. ChoZan works with clients to improve their understanding of Chinese consumers, by providing information, updates and advice regarding Chinese social media channels, tools, and marketing best practices.

ChoZan Academy, an online and certification course, will launch in summer 2017. In this self-study course, participants will learn detailed information about marketing on WeChat and Weibo. ChoZan currently has over 200 subscribers and estimates that it will have over 2000 subscribers by the end of the year.

For more information, visit http://chozan.co

About Ashley Galina Dudarenok

Ashley worked in China for 5 years before moving to Hong Kong in 2010. For over 10 years she worked with Chinese social media, opinion leader marketing and creative campaigns.

In 2011 Ashley established Alarice International (www.alarice.com.hk), a marketing agency with a focus on Chinese social media. In 2013 she co-founded the Russian Business Club in Hong Kong (www.rusbc.com.hk) and in 2017, she launched ChoZan (www.chozan.co), a membership platform for China-focused marketers.

Ashley often shares her knowledge and experience in a variety of magazines, including the SCMP, China Daily, Hong Kong Economic Times, WenWeiPo, Jumpstart Magazine, Do Marketing, Macau Business Daily and others.

Moreover, Ashley is a frequent speaker at General Assembly, WeChat Conference, Women Foundation, The Rotary Club, The Executive Group, TEDx and others.

About General Assembly

General Assembly is a pioneer in education and career transformation, specializing in today's most in-demand skills. The leading source for training, staffing, and career transitions, we foster a flourishing community of professionals pursuing careers they love.

About Ladyboss Asia

LadyBoss Asia is a community that aims to empower and inspire women in leadership roles. They connect women entrepreneurs at their networking events and provide a peer support group to help each other grow. Their panel discussion sand workshops seek to equip women with practical knowledge.

About BNCS

Established in 1999, BNCS is engaged in marketing and after sales service for Telco companies in Singapore. BNCS started to develop WeChat marketing since 2013, assisting companies to leverage on WeChat to connect with audience in and outside China.