Why WeChat is the logical next step for businesses

Microsoft is shutting down LinkedIn in China by the end of 2021. LinkedIn’s vice-president stated in October that disagreements with the Chinese government had forced the company’s hand. The firm plans to launch a separate application in the mainland by the end of the year with a focus on connecting business people – but without LinkedIn’s social feed.

The news has left many overseas companies seeking business networking alternatives in order to maintain their presence in China. WeChat has been one such alternative that many have flocked to, and for good reasons.

Launched by Tencent in 2011, WeChat is a social media and business networking platform that is home to over 1.25 billion active monthly users. Thanks to its instant messaging, posting, file transfer, mobile payment, and digital commerce functionalities, connecting with people and conducting business in China has never been easier. A WeChat Official Account allows companies and organisations to share content regularly through text, audio or video. The account is effectively a minisite for companies and organisations to keep their audience attuned to their commercial activities.

Quick facts about WeChat 

• WeChat is by far the most widely used social media platform in China, with 1.2 billion monthly active users (Facebook has 2.9 billion monthly active users). WeChat Official Account has 360 million active users.
• WeChat Official Account is a platform for businesses in China (and elsewhere) to publish content, maintain their customer/client relationship and interact with customers/clients directly.
• It accounts for 34% of China’s total data traffic.
• It is worth mentioning that apart from Mainland China, WeChat also has 1.48 million active users in the US and is very popular in places including Hong Kong and Singapore, with users comprising 53% and 33% of the population respectively.

With the shutting down of LinkedIn happening imminently, setting up a WeChat Official Account and letting professionals manage it has become ever more essential (and urgent!).

At ThinkChinese, we will help you set up your WeChat Official Account, and guide you to choose or organise content that will attract most readers. We also translate the content and format the post to suit the platform, and post on your behalf. Business/marketing savvies also know that a social media strategy is pivotal in building up your audience. We work closely with our clients to understand their business model, priorities and objectives, in order to produce their own WeChat marketing strategies to maximise the exposure of the account. 

Interested in a WeChat official account and how we can help you realise your ambition in China? Please contact our team to arrange an initial consultation. info@thinkchinese.net