WeChat for Education Sector

October 18, 2021

With the growing competition in the foreign education market, education brands are looking for new ways to attract Chinese students, such as incorporating e-learning courses, offering home and distance learning, and establishing physical campuses in China, among other things. As the educational landscape becomes more digitally disrupted, most educational marketers have begun to embrace digital platforms and compete in the brand and marketing area.

With over 1 billion registered users till Q1 2021, 780 million using WeChat Moments and 400 million using Mini Program, WeChat can be greatly beneficial to education sectors.

How does WeChat benefit the education sector?

One of the most difficult challenges for educational institutions such as colleges is building an efficient content marketing strategy that communicates to all of their various audiences.

WeChat advertising comes in handy in this situation. Because of WeChat’s developed digital ecosystem and vast user database, it is a common tool for education brands to leverage in their digital marketing plan. Marketers may use WeChat’s smart data capabilities to execute targeted ads and obtain vital consumer insights.

Creating well-developed, highly detailed personas — fictional characters that encompass a certain target group or demographic, based on market research and genuine data – is one of the first steps in constructing an efficient content marketing strategy for educational organisations on WeChat.

Here are some ways education sectors can leverage the WeChat platforms:

Product Promotion
WeChat advertising is helpful in guiding visitors to online sale sites when a business is launching a new collection or wants to promote hero products and stimulate direct sales through its marketing.

To advertise its Chinese EMBA courses, the Chinese University of Hong Kong conducted a WeChat marketing campaign. The ad’s creativity enticed users to schedule a one-on-one inquiry session in Guangzhou or Shenzhen. Users were routed to the university’s official website when they clicked on the ‘details’ button.

WeChat advertising is applicable to a wide range of scenarios, and brands can discover the appropriate solutions based on the characteristics of various sectors.
Lead Generation Campaign
In its ad structure, WeChat advertisements can enable simple sign-ups for lead generation campaigns. During the campaign, user conversion can be successfully boosted, which can also lead to increased brand recognition.

A WeChat moments ad intended at increasing the number of direct sign-ups for an education service company that provides counselling and help for students choosing international universities. The ad presented the major selling features of its service and offers with a basic creative and provided a list of its partnered schools and colleges throughout the world.

Others
WeChat also provides other services like selling webinars or one-on-one coaching sessions, selling books and products, translations, etc. Students can see everything from scientists teaching quantum physics to professors providing writing tutorials for college applicants. Amateur enthusiasts can also learn from mountaineers, hikers, and photographers.

Conclusion

The development of mobile technology has ushered in a new era of informal, personalised, lifelong learning outside of the classroom. However, when it comes to efficiently implementing mobile learning, we’re still figuring it out.

WeChat is installed on practically every other person’s smartphone in China, as it is widely used in almost every field of life. This is the only app that overseas students in China use. As a result, any company looking to establish a presence in China’s education market should consider starting with a WeChat account and leveraging the available tools.

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WeChat for Travel Sector

October 12, 2021

Everyone who has ventured into Chinese marketing knows that WeChat, the mobile app and social media platform with over one billion monthly active users, is the place to be.

WeChat has spent the last decade trying to make its users’ lives easier. In China, it has become a “one-stop” store for social and transactional events.

Businesses can promote themselves on WeChat by requesting an Official Account or partnering with other parties. You can generate content on the WeChat service account and directly communicate with and sell to your followers and consumers if you have an Official Account. Its vast features have shown to be advantageous to many business sectors.

How does WeChat benefit the Travel sector?

When it comes to travel, China continues to be the world’s largest outbound and inbound tourism market. In the past years, the number of domestic trips in China surpassed six billion, suggesting a ten-fold increase in comparison to ten years ago.

Travel agencies and hotels must discover innovative ways to give a holistic brand experience to their customers as the new generation of Asian travellers becomes more tech-savvy and knowledgeable.

WeChat & WeChat ads provide the global tourism sector with a real potential to communicate with locals without needing to physically be present in the country.

Some of the WeChat tools that can be leveraged by the travel industry are:

Check-In Service

China Southern Airlines has launched a WeChat mobile check-in service that allows passengers to skip the airport check-in wait. Once customers follow the airline on WeChat, they will be greeted with a message and instructions. Passengers must respond to the notification after which they will receive an electronic boarding card that can be printed at the airport’s self-service check-in facilities.

Price Comparator Function

On their WeChat account, Shangri-La Hotels is presently offering a price comparison function to help consumers get the best value for their vacation. Customers must choose a destination, a hotel, check-in and check-out dates, as well as the number of guests/rooms. The hotel price comparison search engine will then offer you the best rates for the hotel you’ve chosen instantly.

Smart Hotel Room

To improve WeChat customer service and introduce the concept of the Internet of things, Wechat launched this tool. This innovative technology transforms the WeChat app into a remote that allows visitors to manage all aspects of their room, including lighting, thermostats, and curtains, as well as lock and unlock doors. Customers must download the most recent version of the WeChat app, scan a room-specific QR code from the hotel room, and follow the particular instructions to use this service.

Other available tools include Online Booking Service, Loyalty Programs, Location-Based Service (LBS), Flash Sales, etc.

CONCLUSION

As China develops, the number of Chinese tourists continues to rise. With rising market demand and more inventive business models and development spots, China’s tourism sector appears to have adapted to the current condition of frequent epidemic prevention and control.

With the help of different tourism fairs and expos, China’s cultural tourism business is recovering, providing more chances and benefits to the global tourism industry. As a result, WeChat is the ideal medium for foreign tourism organisations trying to reach Chinese tourists.

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WeChat for B2B Sector

October 4, 2021

We’ve always heard that WeChat is a wonderful tool for marketing to customers. But what about B2B marketing on WeChat?

B2B Marketing on WeChat

Since the B2B e-commerce sector began to flourish in 2013, B2B businesses have had to adapt their marketing strategies to stay up with the ever-changing channels and platforms. Because marketing methods vary swiftly in China, western approaches may not produce the best outcomes for B2B companies. As a result, determining the best platform for building relationships and generating leads is crucial.

Tencent’s Super App, WeChat, provides the ideal ecology for B2B businesses. WeChat, which has over 1 billion monthly active users (MAUs) and 80 million public account followers, may help businesses expand if used effectively. Many Chinese people no longer carry business cards to networking events, meetings, or conferences. They merely scan each other’s QR codes on WeChat.

Businesses may conduct one-on-one direct conversations with their customers, as well as one-to-many messaging possibilities inside groups, multimedia communication, and mobile data sharing, all of which make WeChat a useful and successful corporate communication tool.

WeChat also has a multitude of built-in features, such as stock ordering and administration, quizzes, and lessons, to name a few. To get the most out of this platform, make use of as many relevant features as possible. Furthermore, the WeChat app makes any work-related information more engaging, fascinating, and enjoyable. As a result, every company’s marketing efforts should include WeChat B2B platforms.

Types of WeChat accounts

First and foremost, you will require a WeChat official account. Businesses can use a WeChat official account to communicate with customers and boost brand awareness.

The 3 types of WeChat official accounts are subscription, service, and corporate.

Both subscription accounts and service accounts are appropriate for B2B marketing.

Since it allows organisations to maintain direct relationships with clients, a service account is preferable for service-oriented enterprises and after-sales departments. Only service accounts have access to CRM, custom menus, payment integration, and mini websites.

💼 Why should brands use CRM Integrations on WeChat and how about Salesforce?

What Are Some of the Beneficial Features of WeChat for B2B Marketing?

WeChat Web Analytics Tool
Businesses can utilise WeChat web analytics to see how customers engage with their websites and gather feedback on their performance in order to enhance their products or services.

WeChat Translation Tool
Businesses will benefit from WeChat’s in-app translation service, which is available for iOS and Android users. When doing business in China, you must be completely immersed in the culture. Poor translation will result in poor marketing outcomes and harm your brand’s image. It also aids firms in gaining a better knowledge of the demands and needs of their target audience.

WeChat Template Message Tool
Official accounts can utilise a template message to deliver crucial service notifications to their customers, such as a message informing them that a purchase has been completed successfully.

WeChat Communication Tool
Official documents, contacts, excel sheets, videos, and plans can all be sent over WeChat. The B2B segment allows businesses to communicate swiftly with one another via messages.

WeChat Group Message Tool
You can send gender and location-based group messaging to your target audience. This function allows you to reach the proper target audience while avoiding annoying other groups of people who aren’t interested.

Other features available include an automatic reply tool, a personalised menu tool, and many more.

Conclusion

WeChat B2B marketing is a wonderful tool for businesses looking to market their goods or services to Chinese customers. To create the best marketing strategy, you must not only use all of the features of WeChat B2B, but you must also understand your opportunities and challenges.

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Weibo and it’s Status in 2021

September 20, 2021

Globally, the number of people using social networking sites is constantly rising without an end in sight. By the end of 2021, there will be over 3 billion people using social networks. And with over 2 billion monthly active users, Facebook is the most widely used social media site in the world.

Meanwhile, WeChat, China’s most popular social media network, has more than 1 billion monthly active users all on its own. This suggests that the app and other social media giants, in general, are used by nearly all Chinese citizens.

However, ever since China set up the Great Firewall of China and internet censorship, in 2008, western social media giants like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube can no longer be accessed in China. As a result, in 2009, Sina Corporation launched Sina Weibo, a microblogging site similar to Twitter and Instagram, to replace the social media giants.

Wangyi Weibo was launched in 2010 and claimed 260 million registered users by 2012. However, Wangyi Weibo vanished by the end of 2014.
Later, Tencent introduced Tencent Weibo in 2010, but it failed to attract a big following.
Following which, Sohu launched Sohu Weibo, but it never really took off.

Because of this, among all the ‘Twitter lookalikes’ that were launched after 2009, only Sina Weibo, has been around to tell the tale. With more than 300 million monthly active users since its launch, Weibo became China’s biggest social media platform after Tencent’s WeChat.

Despite the platform’s success since its launch, its supremacy is now being challenged by competitors like WeChat, Toutiao, Zhihu, Douyin, and others. But despite the fact that Weibo has lost some of its shine as China’s social media leader, it is still expanding rapidly, making Weibo marketing a vital tool for companies looking to expand into the country.

The following features on Weibo can help brands gain visibility in the China market:

Weibo Influencer campaigns
Weibo advertising
Weibo lottery
Cross-promotion
Organic growth

Despite its ups and downs, the platform is on the rise in 2021. Sina Weibo has 566 million monthly active users in the second quarter of 2021, an increase of 43 million from the previous year’s second-quarter total. The Chinese version of Twitter has quickly risen to prominence as China’s go-to micro-blogging destination.

In addition to text, Sina Weibo users can include photos, gifs, and videos in their posts. Weibo now allows users to post audio, video, and photo files, as well as animated gifs. Besides being able to follow friends and celebrities, users may also send and receive messages and search for information using keywords.

As for the Weibo user base, compared to WeChat, Weibo has a significantly younger base. Weibo users are quite young: 30% of them are under 20 years old and 48% are aged between 30-39 years old. This is a significant factor for the placement of your brand and products in the Chinese market. Weibo is also a very dynamic and animated site, and users expect businesses and KOLs to engage at a high level and respond quickly to their posts. Chinese users, particularly Gen Z users, frequently use Weibo to learn about new companies and promotions from major influencers in the industry.

In conclusion, compared to other social media platforms, Weibo has a powerful ability to connect with the younger Chinese audience. Thanks to its vast user base, user affective states and engagement rates,Weibo is still on the rise. As a result, if you are looking to grow your brand presence in China and your target audience consists vastly of Gen Z, then you need to use social media platforms like Weibo.

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What is Bilbili and Why Brands Must Consider it When targeting Gen Z

September 14, 2021

When it comes to establishing a business and grabbing the Gen-Z audience through Chinese video-sharing platforms, forums such as Douyin and Kuaishou that create short-form videos take up the majority of air. Hence, one of the fastest-growing social platforms among China’s Generation Z called the Bilibili is often overlooked.

What is Bibili?

Bilibili, often known as B site, is a Chinese video-sharing website where users can contribute and read “bullet” chats, which are real-time comments sent while users watch videos. Bilibili is, without a doubt, an ACG (anime, comics, and games) platform at its core and its homepage looks like any other video-sharing site on the surface, but the aesthetics are dominated by anime characters and screenshots from video games. It is because of this content that the daily active user rate has exceeded 65 million, surpassing Youku to become China’s third-largest long-video platform.

Unlike other Chinese video-sharing services such as Youku, iQiyi, and Tencent Video, Bilibili emphasises professional, user-generated material, hence earning recognition as the Chinese version of YouTube.

Users spend over 80 minutes every day on the platform, resulting in 4.7 billion monthly interactions. It also appeals to one out of every two young people in China. The platform has a highly balanced user base of 49% female and 51% male users, making it one of the most popular video platforms in the country.

Why must brands consider Bilbili?

Bilibili’s new e-commerce mini-programs debuted on the platform in April 2019. After Alibaba invested in Bilibili, it changed its online marketing strategy, focusing on e-commerce rather than user acquisition. Because of the evolving Gen-Z lifestyle, which includes online shopping as one of their most popular pleasures, it has recently become a more profitable enterprise due to which many brands are seeking to register an official Bilibili account as a means of tapping into China’s youth market.

Brands can use this platform for branding by using the “Splash Screen Ads”, which usually appear when users first open the App. Such ads were used by brands such as Swaroski to promote themselves among young Chinese audiences. Brands can also use the service to host virtual presentations and live streams.

How can brands leverage the platform?

Businesses can also use Bilibili to promote their products through its marketing platform, “Sparkle” (Huahuo), which can help with monetization by offering features like smart price recommendations, exhibiting sample work, and access to data on followers and user interaction. Another way to promote their business on Bilibili is by partnering with well-known key opinion leaders (KOLs) or key opinion consumers (KOCs) who engage with Gen Z consumers.

How to engage with the audience on the platform?

Two of the most popular ways for brands to engage with customers on Bilibili include partnering with influencers or opening a personal account. In both cases, it’s critical to have a good understanding of the platform and the target audience. As we all know, the majority of Bilibili users are Gen Z, who are very engaged and on the lookout for authenticity. They are savvy consumers who are well-versed in e-commerce and thus have a lot of options. To win this group, brands should work on creating their brand image and connecting it to a lifestyle, a community, a passion, or an attitude, rather than just hawking their products based on numbers.

Conclusion

Therefore, it is without a doubt that Bilibili has effectively positioned itself as a unique social video platform, with a loyal user community that is deeply involved with the creators and companies that they see as supporting the community. That’s something you won’t find on most other Chinese social media and video platforms, which is why companies should consider Bilibili as a way to reach China’s Gen-Z.

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WeChat Payments for Overseas Companies

September 8, 2021

WeChat, a social networking platform developed by Chinese internet giant Tencent, is the most popular platform in China, with over 1.2 billion active users. It provides a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to connect out to the Chinese people.

While WeChat is the most popular social networking platform in the country, WeChat Pay is the most popular payment platform. With over 900 million users a month, the payment platform with its convenient payment options have driven China to become the virtually cash-and-card-free economy it is today.

WeChat has recently brought together a number of essential features, including a game platform, a bank, and even a food delivery and thrift shopping gateway. As a result, it has become a must-have tool for foreign businesses looking to expand in the world’s most populous country. WeChat is not just a significant social tool for Chinese users, but it is also at the core of commercial corporate operations in China, making it the best and only opportunity for foreign companies wishing to establish a business in the country.

With 1.21 billion monthly active WeChat users worldwide and a +7 million quarter-over-quarter increase in global monthly active users, there is no doubt that WeChat and WeChat Pay are the most essential platforms for any foreign company looking to establish a presence in China and gain broad access to one of the world’s largest markets.

In order to get started on the process, you’ll first need a WeChat official account. Then, using your WeChat Official Account login information you can set up your WeChat Pay. As with Facebook pages, these are official WeChat brand accounts.

Setting up WeChat Pay is pretty straightforward if you already have a WeChat Official Account. If you don’t, you’ll need to create one. Here are some options on how an overseas business can set up WeChat Pay to conquer the Chinese audience.

1. Establish using Tencent directly

Through Tencent’s WeChat Pay website, businesses can easily set up WeChat Pay. Their Tencent’s bank account will transfer any money you receive immediately to your company’s account.

Setting up your WeChat Pay account directly with Tencent normally takes 2-4 months. Currently, there are limited refund alternatives, and you can only offer one if that day’s inbound transactions are larger than the refund amount. WeChat Pay will collect a 1-2% commission on all transactions.

2. Establish using Tencent-authorized WeChat Pay distributors

With the support of authorised payment agencies, WeChat Pay has worked with brands in different countries to enable them to set up cross-border payments.

Setting up your WeChat Pay through an authorized WeChat partner normally takes 1-2 weeks. Currently, there are flexible refund options; most orders placed within the past month can be refunded. To the WeChat Pay rate/transaction the service provider will add a minor surcharge of 2-3%.

Irrespective of which option you choose to set up your account, there are several documents you must provide:

Companies registration certification
All directors’ identification documentation
Financial license
Anti-money laundering agreement
Primary business contacts and legal representatives

Therefore, WeChat Pay is an essential medium for seamless selling of products and conducting business with a Chinese audience. It connects global businesses with Chinese consumers, allowing them to pay for transactions with overseas vendors in RMB.

Furthermore, because WeChat Pay can be linked to a WeChat Official Account, you can increase your brand awareness by creating a WeChat Official Account and encouraging your WeChat Pay users to follow and interact with it.

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WeChat Marketing vs Website Marketing

July 15, 2021

Introduction

China has 574 million active mobile internet users and 668 million internet users. People in China spend about 50% of their daily time on digital devices. Going by these huge figures, there is a huge potential for digital marketing and advertising in China.

There is an uncapped potential for digital communication for companies to reach out to the masses and engage with them in innovative new ways. This phenomenon is taking place globally, but what makes China stand out is its massive tech savvy population who form a big chunk of the market.

This article will provide tips on how and when to utilise WeChat as well as websites to market your product to this market in China.

1. WeChat Marketing Practices:

WeChat, the Super-App

WeChat was launched in 2011 as a messaging platform but transformed into an app for both personal as well as professional use. Along with its basic social networking features like news feed and messaging system, it also has a digital wallet, gaming center, and options for businesses to promote themselves.

WeChat is (or should be) any company’s first choice to engage with Chinese audiences.

Best Practices For WeChat Marketing

Timely Activities

Like any social media platform, people check their WeChat on the go, so it is a good idea to keep tabs on the times when users are most active and optimise marketing campaigns around those times. Agencies like TheWeChatAgency can help you monitor your engagement and ensure all posts and responses are on time.

Interesting Snippets

WeChat marketing strategies usually work if the information is short, simple and interesting as attention spans vary in effectiveness from user to user. Forbidden City & Tencent had launched an interactive campaign which featured Zhu Yuanzhang, the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, coming to life from an ancient painting. It involved users by taking selfies, singing songs and navigating through various features of WeChat. Within two days, it had around 800 million downloads.

Connect Your Website To WeChat

It is a good idea to connect your product catalogue or website to your WeChat account. This will lead to automatic updates on WeChat whenever you post or update your website.

2. Website Marketing Practices

First things first. Hosting a website in China requires an Internet Content Provider (ICP) license. These are issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. ICPs are only given to companies with an established Chinese legal entity such as a Wholly Foreign-Owned Enterprise (WFOE) or a Joint Venture (JV).

It’s also essential to register a “.cn” domain name with the Chinese Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC). This domain name also gives an impression to your potential customers that you have a brand presence in China.

Lastly, companies need to register with Baidu, China’s online search engine, for visibility.

Best Practices For Websites In China

Mobile Over Desktop Websites

Most websites in China use a phone number instead of an email ID, and for users their phone number is linked to their e-commerce accounts, digital wallets, social network accounts among others. So it makes sense that a mobile website would be your first priority.

Designing The Website

The next hurdle to cross in your efforts to reach the masses is to create a user-friendly mandarin-based website aimed at Chinese consumers. In designing your Chinese-language website it’s also important to consider the role of space.

In most Chinese websites, the font size is large as there is no space between Chinese characters.

Other important website design features involve choosing the right colours and symbols which appeal to Chinese audiences.

Although Chinese websites are not as fancy as their English-language counterparts, they have more text and updates on promotions and offers. The visuals are also different to keep it localised and these visuals play a large part in attracting Chinese consumers.

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How Brands Can Get Started With WeChat CRM

November 10, 2020

With China becoming a bigger and bigger opportunity for brands by the day, more and more companies gear towards tapping that market, which means bigger competition. Therefore, brands need to deliver experiences that create authentic customer value. They want continuous growth but they forget to utilise the tools that can help them achieve that goal. In order to achieve the best ROI direct engagement and interaction, they need good social CRM.

💼Why should brands use CRM Integrations on WeChat and how about Salesforce? [UPDATED 2022]

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Implications of the WeChat Ban

September 25, 2020

US President Donald Trump signed an executive order banning WeChat in the United States. The order says along with the ban, Americans will be prohibited from carrying out any transactions with Tencent, WeChat’s parent company. This decision to ban the WeChat app will have serious long-term implications on consumers, American companies that have a large and significant presence in China and US-China relations as well.

WeChat is China’s most popular and useful messaging app with a monthly active user base of over 1 billion. WeChat’s popularity makes it the main form of communication among Chinese consumers. Even though many like to call WeChat a messaging tool, it’s much more than that. The app can be used for texting, voice or video calls, reading news, bill payments, taxis, and even games. It’s no wonder why WeChat is called a “super app” in China.

What’s the issue?

According to Donald Trump, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology in India had asserted that the Chinese companies Tencent Holdings and Bytedance were allegedly stealing and surreptitiously transmitting users’ data without authorization to servers outside India and that the US needed to ban any transactions on such apps as a protective measure as well. The United States wants “untrusted” Chinese apps to be removed from US app stores. And those “untrusted” apps belong to Chinese companies Tencent Holdings, the owner of WeChat, and ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company. The executive order said the government would ban WeChat and TikTok from operating in the US if they are not sold by their parent companies.

What’s the Impact?

WeChat’s ban in the US would cut off millions of Chinese-Americans from their friends, family and clients. Since WhatsApp, Facebook and Twitter are banned in China, WeChat is the only app left the Chinese employees in America can use to communicate with their families back in the Mainland. While TikTok’s US operations may be sold to Microsoft, WeChat is unlikely to get a second chance which means American businesses and Universities will face a lot of issues communicating with their suppliers, manufacturing partners, dealers and even students in China.

Trump’s ban could also harm Apple’s supply chain since most of the company’s products are still assembled in China.

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5 types of Rewardable Behaviours on WeChat

July 29, 2020

The saturation of brands in China paves the way for an overwhelming array of choices in almost every industry segment. Businesses, especially on WeChat, tend to differentiate themselves through various strategies, such as WeChat loyalty programs. The concept of loyalty programs has taken off quite well in China as it helps in generating sales from returning customers. Loyalty programs are exclusive programs and mostly unique to the brand in question. They give brands a competitive advantage, reducing the likelihood that a customer may switch stores.

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