Hong Kong: The Place Every Affiliate Marketer Passes Through

I’m in Hong Kong for a couple of days on a business trip, and the schedule isn’t tight. So, with some time to spare, a few words on the Hong Kong in my mind.

Most people doing cross-border business out of China are no strangers to this city. Especially in the last few years, plenty have come over to open Hong Kong bank accounts and to invest, and a quick search online turns up very detailed guides on getting a Hong Kong bank card.

1. The card you can’t get around

For anyone doing Affiliate, getting paid is the lifeline. Only when the network’s money comes back normally does the loop finally close. Ad accounts need topping up, and in between there are currencies, channels and fees; if one link breaks, you have to stop and wrestle with it for a long time.

I remember how it went when I first ran offers: receive the wire transfer at China Merchants Bank in the mainland, submit supporting documents, payment received, convert the currency, pay off the credit card.

I also tried third-party payment service platforms. In short, to close the loop smoothly I tried plenty of options; whatever you’ve felt, I’ve felt it too.

Later I opened a Hong Kong bank account, and it still didn’t solve these problems, because you’d still get emails asking you to explain the source of funds and the like.

So a Hong Kong company went onto the agenda.

2. Why Hong Kong, not the UK or the US?

You might ask: when registering a company, why not choose the UK or the US?

My answer is simple: it’s close.

Yes, that plain a reason.

Virtual banks are convenient these days, but when it comes to corporate banking, account maintenance, money in and out, you ultimately need a place where you can actually get someone to talk to.

If something goes wrong with a UK company, the flight over takes more than ten hours. If something comes up with a Hong Kong corporate account, you take the early high-speed train, sort it out the same day, and are back by evening.

In business, distance is cost. Remember the OCBC account openings in Singapore the year before last? When things tightened up later and problems appeared, quite a few people had to fly to Singapore to deal with their accounts.

Also, the straight-line distance to Hong Kong is very short, under 100 km. The high-speed train gets you to West Kowloon in 1 hour. So when it comes to opening accounts, what suits you is what’s best.

3. It comes from a feeling for the city of Hong Kong

When I was a kid, my father and uncles were in business and spent most of the year in Hong Kong.

So to me Hong Kong meant looking forward: looking forward to them coming back with good things to eat. I once even called a Hong Kong McDonald’s myself to ask if they could deliver to me.

Now that I’m a father myself, I understand that feeling of a child waiting, so every time I bring them treats and gifts, so they can feel that love completely!

4. Since I’m here anyway, trying a few of the internet-famous spots

This trip to Hong Kong, the changes were quite noticeable.

More Mandarin on the streets, and many of the waiters in the cha chaan tengs (Hong Kong-style diners) can switch between the two languages. Crossing the border used to mean long queues; now you scan your ID and it’s a matter of minutes, very convenient.

This time I made a point of checking out a few of the famous spots, such as Wah Sao Bing Sutt. Honestly, the pineapple bun with butter really is good, and the milk tea is smooth enough. Good thing I came early too: it was full just after 11.

I ordered a chicken steak and chicken wings in tomato soup, a chicken wing, fried egg and beef rib-eye tendon in tom yum soup, and the signature pineapple bun, with two hot milk teas thrown in.

Walking the streets, you also see plenty of the old Hong Kong cha chaan teng atmosphere: cramped spaces, menus plastered over the walls, the rustle of the uncle at the next table turning his newspaper.

That feeling is hard to replicate. Like the city itself: it looks highly commercialized, but deep down there are still things that belong to it alone.

One more practical point: eating in Hong Kong really is expensive, but the quality is fairly consistent. The bill came to HK$173.

5. A closing word

Affiliate is, at heart, a global business: traffic can come from Africa, the offer might be in Latin America, the server sits in Europe, and you yourself are in an office in Shenzhen looking at the data.

But however global it gets, you still need a foothold.

For many of my peers in mainland China, Hong Kong is that foothold. It’s close enough, its financial industry is mature enough, and it’s inclusive enough.

So if you haven’t been yet, as long as you keep doing Affiliate, you’ll come sooner or later. That’s not a prediction, it’s a pattern.

When you do come, remember to slow down a little. Life isn’t only about opening bank accounts; there’s also Hong Kong’s night view and the food in its alleys.