How to Use WeChat for Business

January 31, 2020

Introduction

If you’re here, you’re probably a business owner or someone in marketing. In order to understand how to leverage WeChat for your business, you must know a few things about WeChat and how it works. This is especially informative since LinkedIn has removed its social component in its China’s version. This article will explain it all in an efficient and smooth way.

Let’s start with the first thing you would do – set up a WeChat account. Learn more about B2B lead generation strategies for WeChat.

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A Guide To WeChat’s Built-In Automation Tools

January 29, 2020

WeChat’s Built-In Automation

There’s no doubt that WeChat is one of the most essential apps when it comes to China’s digital marketing scene. Most, if not all, businesses that begin in China or expand to China venture WeChat as an important resource in customer acquisition and customer interaction. With such a vast demand for this resource in every sector, marketing automation has become imperative.

WeChat has multiple automated marketing tools built-in to its framework that assist enterprises with a plethora of tasks while reducing human labor and making the businesses cost-effective.

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WeChat Trends In 2020

January 23, 2020

2020: A Big Year For WeChat

WeChat is one of the biggest and most important platforms in the digital marketing game. For both freshers and professionals alike, WeChat brings a lot of opportunities for brand growth, community interaction and business development. So keeping up with the latest trends in the market become second nature to anyone who wants to leverage these opportunities.

Without wasting any more time, let’s dive into the treasure trove of WeChat trends that can be expected out of 2020.

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2018 : What’s new on WeChat ?

July 20, 2018

Many changes were made to the new WeChat interface following the release of its new version. With this fast changing-environment, it’s not always easy to understand and adapt your business to the latest changes. KRDS brings you a round-up of the new features :

Among the most important improvements, the design of the subscription accounts has been refined. The interface is more ergonomic and offers a content feed system with the latest posts displayed at the top of the list. This new display is a great way to review your publishing strategy : publishing more often could offer more visibility.

Subscription account new change evolution WeChat

The new interface offers a better experience to the users and a better visibility for those who publish regularly

In terms of content, WeChat claims more than one billion active users (2.19 billion for Facebook) and is integrating more and more applications, including dedicated mini-programs such as Netease (Music) or Tencent Video for streaming. As of today, these mini-programs have reached a whopping 280 millions users, with more than a million mini-programs active on the platform according to the statistics provider, Aldwx.co. This corresponds to a 39% growth since 2017!

Nonetheless, it is important to keep in mind that the number of users does not mean that all of them are fully engaged on the platform. In fact the daily time spent on mini programs has been rather stable since last year. Mini programs are a maturing technology but they are still progressing and are expected to reach 400 million daily users by the end of the year.

A long way since 2011

After its inception, WeChat was mainly a chat platform to connect people.

Over the years, the application has expanded with more features. The implementation of subscription accounts has allowed the company to take a leap forward and allows the users and companies owning these accounts to publish articles and original content.

It was in 2014 that the company stood out by introducing the “Red Packet” (Hongbao). This feature allows users to send monetary gifts in the form of envelopes. The concept is attractive: those who receive these envelopes can open them and discover the amount they contain. Users can also send red packets on group chat. These are very popular during festivals and major events (Chinese New Year, Weddings, Anniversary, Valentine’s Day …)

Over time, the company has become one of the most popular apps in China. And in 2017, the advent of mini-programs significantly changed WeChat’s architecture. Thanks to this system, users could open “mini applications” without having to leave WeChat’s interface or downloading the application from an App Store (Apple, Android …).

Recommended for you : WeChat Mini-programs: A strategy for the future?

What can we learn from it ?

Today WeChat is much more than an instant messaging app, it’s a real ecosystem and the potential of this application is still far from having shown its full capacity.

With this in mind, it is essential to evolve with WeChat and not base a WeChat marketing strategy solely on primary tools. We must offer a real experience to users. To do this, mini-programs and H5 technologies are very effective. With the new features of WeChat, companies that do not take the plunge are often outpaced by other innovative and adaptable companies. And while the technology inherent to the WeChat interface is not that complicated, it requires some effort to understand the possibilities they offer.

The most notorious example is a small game called Tiao Yi Tiao, a.k.a Jump that was launched in late December. Its success was immediate and had gathered nearly 100 million players within 2 weeks.

WeChat Mini Game Tiao Jump Nike McDonald

Tiao Yi Tiao, a.k.a Jump

The game is simple but the concept is daring. The user propels a small block character on a virtual block by pressing on the screen. Major brands such as McDonald’s or Nike had seen a great marketing opportunity and did not hesitate to invest several million yuans (per day) to display their logos on the blocks! See more

Even Google has recently introduced its first mini-program named ”Guess My Sketch” ( 猜画小歌).

AI Google WeChat Mini-Program

猜画小歌 (Cai Hua Xiao Ge)

In this team game, users have to team up with an AI and guess the other team’s drawings. Ironically, the mini-programs are a threat to the Android Play Store itself.

So, are you ready ?

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With great events come great opportunities

June 27, 2018

Events such as the FIFA World Cup are important for companies as it is a way to increase their brand equity… And because a lot of the World Cup’s viewership will come from mobile, brands that are mobile-driven (food delivery apps, e-commerce apps, parts supply apps, and biking/ride-sharing applications) have special opportunities during this event.

REMEMBER

Back in 2010, web traffic rose by about 35% and the use of mobile data bandwidth (4G) went up by 24% during the World Cup matches. With the evolution of social media and the advent of platforms such as WeChat in China, the event is expected to reach as many as 3.2 billion users worldwide.

Although leveraging events for a marketing campaign can be a killer tool to raise brand awareness, it is essential to follow some rules to make the best of it.

BE USEFUL AND ENTERTAINING

The key to standing out in today’s marketing world is by creating unique and entertaining content.

Indeed, Social Media are more than simple chat rooms, they provide any kind of information and more.

CREDIT : KRDS for CANAL+

Interactive platforms can provide a real experience for the users. The H5 functionalities of the N1 APP in China, WeChat, is a preferred tool for digital marketers. Also this is very easy to share. (We will come back to that point later)

Besides that, with such a big audience base, it is essential to choose your audience according to their preferences, in order to provide them with their favorite content, eventually time zones, location and sex.

CREATE SHAREABLE CONTENT

The best way to create effective content is to choose the right format and the right channel. Therefore it is good to have a multitude of cross-media campaigns that can be completely personalized for the brand.

CREDIT : KRDS for Groz-Beckert (vote for your favourite team and try to win an Apple Watch!)

Keeping branding to a MINIMUM will let user share the content in a more natural way. In fact, content that has minimal branding is more likely to go viral. So whether it is the content you produce or from your company’s website, we recommend to not let the digital content have a ”corporate” feel to it.

A good example is when we have worked with Groz-Beckert. We tried to provide users with an interesting platform that they can enjoy and share.

STAY SAFE

The FIFA has specific regulations regarding their brands and logos, so, as frustrating as it may be, you must comply with the regulations (unless you are an official sponsor). From a commercial viewpoint, you cannot use terms such as Russia 2018, World Cup, FIFA etc.

CREDIT : KRDS for FFF (see more)

Hashtags (Weibo)

Also it is better not to use the official hashtag #Russia2018# or #WorldCup#* etc. In fact each game played during the cup is likely to have its own unofficial hashtag (like #USAvsPOR). That will be a good way to stay on top of the action. The same thing applies on Weibo.

*The double Hashtag is used on Weibo

With all these tips what will be your next campaign ? Let us know in the comments !

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WeChat Mini-programs: A strategy for the future?

June 6, 2018

In March this year, Tencent’s flagship mobile application, WeChat, has reached one billion user accounts. The application which stands out due to its versatility as well as its flexibility continues its search for innovation.

WeChat is a social phenomenon !

“The strategy for WeChat is that they’re trying to embed themselves into your lives so that you can’t leave WeChat,” says Matthew Brennan, Co-founder of WeChat consulting firm China Channel. The app is basically an “operating system for your life in China,” he adds. Indeed, it is quite hard to a great number of people to stop using this application as it connects them to their friends, family and the rest of China.

The app is basically an “operating system for your life in China,”

This is where mini programs come in :

WeChat mini-programs are “sub-applications” inside WeChat system. Since their creation in 2016, they’ve made available numerous functionalities such as web-based business (e-commerce), task and coupon management.

JD.com (the second biggest B2C online business in China) has built up an internet business mini-program that allow users to access the wide range of products offered by online retailers. In addition, the direct access to the WeChat wallet make it easy for users to purchase products and improve the overall experience.

Mini-programs have innovative feature :

For instance, if you are at a bus station, you might see its QR code. But if you’re not waiting for a bus, it won’t appear. A good mini program can give users updates about incoming buses.

BUS TIME CHECKER : 车来了精准的实时公交

In Tencent’s final quarter budgetary strategy for 2016, the organization showed a clear interest in developing and expanding mini-programs. As stated: “broaden and deepen services in low-frequency use cases, connect more offline services to online users, and provide more venues for users to sample functionalities offered by apps”. (see more)

A long-term strategy…

Eventually, WeChat seems to be willing to replace the current systems used by Apple and Google: iOS and Android. Indeed, with Google play blocked in China, there is a niche to be compensated, that Tencent wants to fill by offering a very accessible store (one of the most accessible in fact).

In addition, Apple may see the traffic on their app store decrease with the success of the mini programs. This would be unfavorable for Apple as China is an important market for the company’s growth.

That being said, Tencent could be an important actor of an eventual “post-app” era which could transform the way consumers consume. And the giants of the industry, Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon (GAFA) be ahead of the pack. At stake could be a dominance of the industry valued at about $102 billion by 2020.

Interested in technology? Discover how WeChat is integrating AR into the platform to build an innovative user experience!

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How brands can leverage viral games on WeChat ?

April 19, 2018

WeChat has been the epitome of innovation in China. The social media giant has been having a whirlwind of a year after it was valued to be over $500 billion dollars.

The Viral Game

The game,Tiao Yi Tiao a.k.a Jump was released late December. The game instantly became a hit and had gathered around 100 million players within 2 weeks. The game has a simple agenda. The user has to get the little black figure to jump from one block to another. The blocks are positioned at different distances so the user has to control the leap by holding down onto the screen. The player earns a point for every successful jump. Needless to say, the users couldn’t get enough of the game!

Branding Opportunity

Viewing this as a perfect branding opportunity, Nike and McDonald’s were the first two companies to jump on the advertising bandwagon on the WeChat game. Reports state that the ads are allegedly priced at 5 million yuan (almost $791 thousand) per day or 20 million yuan (around $3.2 million) for five days.

The question is how uniquely did McDonalds and Nike advertise their brand on this game. The brands let the players customize their own blocks and add special effects to it. For Nike, the block would feature the words “Nike React” when a player jumps on it. They even earn an additional bonus after the word “Go” appears.

Brand Gamification

McDonald’s designed its block to feature their world famous slogan, “I’m lovin’ it” when a player lands on it. It is even followed by a sound effect if the user stays on a block a couple more seconds. The bonus from this brand features a burger or french fries popping out of the block.

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How is WeChat integrating AR into the platform to build an innovative user experience ?

April 11, 2018

2018 might be another good year for WeChat. The company has been quietly working towards the development of their very own framework for Augmented Reality (AR). The app has been at the forefront of many innovations and is viewed as a household app in China.

The goal behind this AR platform is to make it smartphone friendly and not incorporate it into HoloLens-esque headsets. If WeChat is able to achieve this, it will clearly outrun its competitors by a mile!

The WeChat AI Team also revealed some demos that were created with its 3D rendering engine that can create warriors and characters popping out of objects. Fascinating, isn’t it?

Simultaneously, the release of Apple’s AR tool kit ARKit seems to provide a promising future for interactive AR experiences from a smartphone.

Introducing AI Push

WeChat’s new framework, QAR, will be an open platform for third-party developers. This is where the developers can put their skills to test and create state-of-the-art AR experiences for the user. However, Tencent has not released further information regarding the release date and features. So, we might have to wait to know more about this exciting platform.

But what we do know is that WeChat’s AI team is vigorously working on their 3D rendering engine to make objects like boots or armour look more realistic in smartphone based AR apps. They’re also developing their own simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) technology, which helps calculate the position of virtual objects in connection to their environment. This would completely change the AR game as it eliminates the need for markers like QR Code or special image.

Reports of WeChat’s interest in AR made headline in April when the company uploaded a video about mini programs – an app that is embedded on WeChat. Needless to say, we’re excited to see the further development of AR program in WeChat.

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Payment on WeChat, the Chinese new year Hong Bao success story

March 26, 2018

2018 is the ‘Year of the Dog’ according to the Chinese calendar and it was celebrated with grandeur. Families get together to celebrate New Year and tradition involves exchange of red envelopes with ‘lucky money’ along with positive wishes. With the modernization and technology advancements, this tradition is now also practiced via digital medium. It was in 2014, when WeChat, the mobile instant messaging service introduced the ability to send virtual red envelopes of money to your phone contacts via its mobile payment platform.

This year, WeChat witnessed a 15% surge in the number of people using the service as compared to last year. Close to 688 million people used the service on February 15th ( Eve of Chinese New Year) with Beijing, Chengdu and Chongqing accounting for the majority of the users. In a country where 95% of the population access internet through their mobile phones, more and more people prefer using WeChat to send red envelopes because of speed and convenience.

At the stroke of midnight on Chinese New Year, a shower of red envelopes or ‘WeChat Red Packets’ filled the mobile screens across China. Data shows that the highest number of red packets were exchanged amongst the post-80’s generation who accounted for close to 32%. Following them, were the post-90’s and post-70’s comprising of 27% and 22% generation respectively. These users were referred to as the ‘Red Packet Army’.

What’s more? WeChat was also able to track the fastest single user and the most generous user of the red packet. Apart from this, the time spent by users during their purchase was also tracked and the most active segments for WeChat pay were retail stores, dining and public transport.

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How Marketing on WeChat is going to change in 2018?

March 22, 2018

WeChat is one of the most widely used apps in China. With over 900 million users, the app has been making waves in China with their constant innovations and updates!

It’s only natural that the most popular app has somehow affected the purchase behavior of users online.

Let’s see how WeChat has impacted the Digital consumer trends –

Mobile

Mobile has become the most popular device for online shopping in China. Around 84% of consumers have made their purchases from a mobile device in 2017 whereas it was 71% in 2015.Since the majority of the sales are made on mobile, brands must be able to advertise and engage with users on the platforms they frequent the most.

Social Media

In an era where social media is everything, it plays a huge role in affecting the purchase behavior of users. Brands are starting to understand the true potential of social media and they are focusing their energies towards reaching out to potential customers on digital. 51% of consumers open push notifications sent from a brand’s official WeChat account. 27% consumers indicate that they tend to buy more after receiving those notifications.

E-commerce

The demand for E-commerce in China has been increasing rapidly and acts as a key catalyst for retail. Infact, the growth in E-commerce has been surpassing the growth in offline retail. Last year, online sales grew by 28% whereas, offline sales only increased by 5%.

E-commerce across borders

E-commerce is not only seeing an increase within China, but also in international purchases. The percentage of customers that buy from overseas website have risen from 34% in 2015 to 64% in 2017. Young shoppers from 18-35 years are the leading force behind this surge.

With this huge untapped potential for rise in E-commerce, it would be interesting to see how brands are leveraging WeChat to achieve their goals.

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