Are you thinking of using WeChat for marketing your business in China? It is a step that can enhance your brand recognition in the country. With over one billion monthly users, many of whom visit the site multiple times daily, WeChat is the leading social media platform in China. It is a versatile one too. Along with using it for chatting and communication, people use it as a wallet. Additionally, businesses use it for e-commerce activities, providing services, and receiving feedback. It is quite an invaluable tool for marketing and building up a customer base.
Here are five steps that you can use for creating a successful WeChat marketing strategy:
Hire a reliable Wechat marketing agency
There are multiple reasons for hiring a WeChat marketing agency. It will have native-language speakers, and you will need them to execute your marketing strategy. Not only will they offer tips and advice on marketing to local consumers, but they will also review or rewrite your social media posts and advertisements for more language and cultural accuracy. Keep in mind that most online users in China will prefer to view content in Chinese, and you will be at a disadvantage without agency assistance.
Register and create your WeChat account
You will also need help from the agency to register and create your WeChat account. The Chinese government requires all foreign companies to apply for official account verification and to provide business registration documents. You cannot market your products and services on Chinese social media without their permission.
Research your target audience
While its billion users may make WeChat seem like marketing heaven, you can’t practically reach all of them. Furthermore, you would be wasting your resources even if you could. They wouldn’t all be interested in your products and services. It makes more sense to research and target consumers who already use similar brands as they will be more likely to convert into customers. For further marketing convenience, you can segment the target audience by their ages, genders, occupations, incomes, buying habits, interests, and so on.
Set up a mobile-friendly marketing strategy
A large percentage of WeChat users access their accounts via their mobile devices, and so you need to have a mobile-friendly marketing strategy. You will have to create content that is easy to scan and more readily viewable on mobile screens. Make sure the content remains relevant and useful, and you will be able to expand your social media audience and get your products and services out before more people. They will soon become familiar with your brand and will be more likely to purchase it.
Integrate the wallet feature in your business account
WeChat’s wallet features allow users to make online and offline purchases. They can also use it to make payments for utility and other bills. People have become accustomed to paying with WeChat, and that’s why it is to your benefit to integrate the wallet feature in your WeChat business account. After browsing through your shop, they can conveniently purchase your products and services by using the familiar wallet payment.
Generally, the more seamless the buying process, the less hesitancy there is with making the purchase. You are also likely to get more repeat customers, and they may even recommend you to their families, friends, and followers.
With these five steps, you can build up a reasonably successful marketing strategy. Of course, you will need to continually tweak and improve on it to keep up with changing circumstances and trends. Additionally, you must monitor your WeChat wallet feature and make sure that your customers can make their payments without any hitch. It will also help to make prompt responses to their queries to smooth over issues and ensure customer satisfaction.
Furthermore, you must take care that your social media content and interactions are all above board and comply with the legal rules and requirements in China. Working with a digital marketing agency and having them vet your content before publication can help your brand to avoid controversies. You will be able to build up a strong consumer following for your products and services and establish a firm footing for your business in China.