In my last post, I discussed a few of the many capabilities of WeChat, the China-based “super app” that currently provides over 1 billion users with no- or low-cost, single and group text and video chat capability as well as access to procurement and payment services, among many other functionalities. Because of its seemingly endless uses, this “do everything” social platform/community is becoming an increasingly important component of daily life for many in China, from consumers through businesspeople. WeChat’s widespread adoption and extensive capability, as well as its API (application programming interface), make it nearly impossible to ignore for most companies who want to expand in the Chinese market.
Indeed, WeChat offers you, the marketer, many avenues and opportunities for increasing awareness of your company’s brand and for promoting its products and services. The first step is to establish either a marketing-oriented subscription or service account. Each type of account offers different features and benefits that make it suitable for particular purposes. For example, a basic “subscription” account, which permits one post per day but doesn’t allow you to send a related alert to followers or to prominently display your company’s profile information, is most suitable for operating blogs.
In contrast, the more fully featured “service” account-type lets you display your company profile information in the conversation stream and also offers integrated CRM (customer relationship management), customizable menus, payment services, and mini website development capability, making it ideal if you need to establish a comprehensive company presence on the WeChat platform. Service accounts also provide access to WeChat’s micro-stores, where you can present and sell your company’s products through the platform’s “wallet” service.
WeChat also offers companies other options for expanding their marketing programs, such as its API (application programming interface), which allows WeChat users to share content with users of other social communities and environments like Pinterest and vice versa, enabling maximal content reuse. An equally important WeChat platform is the ability that it affords companies to develop “mini-programs”–apps that function within its environment–tailored to specific marketing programs and initiatives. Other important WeChat important advantages offered by WeChat are its cutting-edge metrics and analytics capabilities, which include account traffic data, customer insight information, and clickthrough rates and impression numbers.
Finally, though, among the most compelling reasons for you to include WeChat in your company’s China marketing mix is that over one-third of its billion-plus users spend four or more hours on it every day and that many cite it as their primary information source, earning it the nickname “WeChat Times.” There truly is no other Chinese social–or conventional–media platform that offers businesses better market reach or potential.
Please look for my next post, in which I’ll cover how to use WeChat to build your company’s brand awareness.
Shirley Zhang, Social Media and Asia-Pacific Marketing Practice Director — Gilbért, Flossmann & Zhang Worldwide, Shanghai
