What is WeChat?
WeChat official account is a special type of account on the WeChat platform launched in 2012. Companies use these accounts to get in touch with their customers, both actively and passively. Marketing, sales of physical products and the payment or booking of products and services are all available for companies to register in China.
Many Chinese use WeChat as a key source of their information. They even treat searching on WeChat like a news portal. It is not difficult for them to find you via the keywords on your official account.
There is no WeChat marketing without a business account, so the first step you need to take is to register a public account on the app. We strongly suggest you use a WeChat Official account. Why?
- Attract potential customers;
- Increase brand awareness;
- Send push notifications to contacts following the page;
- Build customer loyalty;
- Redirect the user to the website/e-commerce page of the company.
2 Types of WeChat Official Accounts
There are 2 types of accounts on WeChat that are suitable for brands: WeChat service accounts and WeChat subscription accounts.
Service accounts appear in the “chat” section like any contact. As a result, they offer greater visibility than subscription accounts, however, only four posts per month can be published. They are the best option for most brands and the only available account type for foreign companies.
The subscription accounts are grouped in a sort of folder called, precisely, “subscription” visible in the “chat” section of WeChat. Through this type of account, you can send your followers more than one push notification per day.
How to best present your content?
Regardless of your brand’s industry and business model (selling products or services), content marketing or optimizing your communication is a great first step to getting started with promoting your business on WeChat.
Learn more about what we can provide for the WeChat service
- Use original content to engage with your audience. The type of content can be lighthearted and entertaining or informational, depending on your followers and their needs. A fun challenge may be more suitable for a trendy fashion brand whereas a structured presentation of product information may be more suitable for traditional B2B businesses like manufacturers. By the way, WeChat users recognize unique content with a little icon on the app – the “原创” (original) label.
- Consider developing a creative campaign, which has the potential to go viral – being shared among users, driven by a social impulse, or by some financial incentive. Try H5 pages. These animated slideshows let you provide information in a fun, visually appealing, and engaging way. Users swipe or slide through different slides.
- Remember that in the WeChat service ecosystem, your content should also be useful and provide added value for the benefit (for example a makeup tutorial if you are selling cosmetics). Loyalty programs are also a great way to engage with your audience.
- Video content is a rising trend online, including WeChat. An average user is 88% more likely to engage with a site that has video content.
- The best time to post an update in China is usually on the weekends and early in the mornings. If you want to showcase a larger variety of content and establish your business as an industry leader, consider occasionally publishing curated content from reputable sites.