Here’s how WeChat makes it easier for companies to market products in China

One of the things I learned in Online Marketing is the big chasm that divides western and Chinese strategies when promoting products and services. While overseas marketers spend time exploring a myriad of platforms to spread the word via Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Email, newsletter and many among others, regarding mobile marketing, you’ll be surprised how Tencent’s WeChat (Weixin) has become ubiquitous in Chinese consumers’ lives.

WeChat or Weixin makes it easier for companies to reach out to customers on a daily basis—international brands had to localize strategies and “do it the Chinese way” maximizing the jack-of-all-trades app that has hit one billion monthly users.

In China, WeChat allows us to send voice calls, notes, listen to music, shop within in-app features, book taxi, and almost anything.

How WeChat makes it easier for companies to market products in China?

Send push personal notifications via subscription feature

Companies can create either a Business, Service or Subscription account that will allow them to push messages straight to the users’ IM dashboard—take a look at how Ctrip, China-based travel agency provides daily deals. These messages are archived in one folder.

QR Codes to direct them to your WeChat account

The ubiquity of QR codes in China allows brands to direct users to their official WeChat accounts and take a peek on the latest deals and promos. Scan, see and subscribe—if this method is a success, this will increase user base.

The power of share on Moments

If Facebook has a news feed, well, here’s how users share links and promos via Moments.

Build your community via Groups

The WeChat group is a useful tool to reach out to certain people personally. If you’re a marketer, you can create a group or a community to build your peers and contacts here, exclusive for your network.

App in an app feature

This dashboard is the most critical feature on WeChat that is also crucial to brands. WeChat supports in-app transactions for booking taxis, online banking, and shopping. See the Wallet feature? That’s the Holy Grail of e-commerce brands operating within the app—because the function itself links to their bank accounts as well.

I could list down other features that allow users to play games and consume in-app purchases, from buying unique icons to participating to special promos like how the recent Chinese New Year that lured 5 million Chinese users to receive and share their virtual red envelopes—welcome to the world of WeChat, it’s not just an IM, it’s a marketing tool that brands shouldn’t miss.

Limpid is specialized with Wechat account set-up and Wechat marketing, contact us for more details.