WECHAT ACCOUNT CREATION - AICY Create

WECHAT
ACCOUNT
CREATION

POINT 1 Different types of WeChat
accounts

PERSONAL ACCOUNTS: THESE ARE ACCOUNTS OF
NORMAL WECHAT USERS. THEY ARE MEANT FOR
INDIVIDUALS, NOT MARKETING. PRETTY SIMILAR TO
YOUR INDIVIDUAL FACEBOOK ACCOUNT

WECHAT OFFICIAL ACCOUNTS (公 号): THESE
ACCOUNTS ARE MEANT FOR COMPANIES OR
INDIVIDUALS WANTING TO PROMOTE THEMSELVES,
OR MAKE ADVANCED USE OF WECHAT FOR
BUSINESS. THEY ARE THE EQUIVALENT OF
FACEBOOK PAGES, AND ANY NUMBER OF USERS CAN
FOLLOW THEM. THERE ARE DIFFERENT TYPES OF
WECHAT OFFICIAL ACCOUNTS:

SERVICE ACCOUNTS (服 号)

SUBSCRIPTION ACCOUNTS (   号)

POINT 2 Different types of WeChat
OFFICIAL accounts

SUBSCRIPTION ACCOUNTS ( 号): CAN SEND 1 PUSH
MESSAGE PER DAY TO THEIR FOLLOWERS AND ARE
STACKED TOGETHER IN A DEDICATED FOLDER
APPEARING ALONGSIDE YOUR FRIENDS IN THE
"CHAT" SECTION OF WECHAT.

SERVICE ACCOUNTS (服 号): APPEAR AS FRIENDS IN
THE "CHAT" SECTION OF WECHAT. THEY ARE
EXTREMELY VISIBLE, AND HAVE ADDITIONAL
FEATURES COMPARED TO SUBSCRIPTION ACCOUNT
(IN PARTICULAR WECHAT LOGIN, WECHAT PAYMENT
AND GEO-LOCALIZATION). HOWEVER, THEY CAN
ONLY POST 4 MESSAGES PER MONTH.

POINT 2 Different types of WeChat
OFFICIAL accounts

ENTERPRISE ACCOUNTS (企 号):ARE MEANT FOR
INTERNAL MANAGEMENT OF COMPANIES. THEY
REQUIRE BOTH THE ACCOUNT AND THE FOLLOWER
TO APPROVE EACH-OTHER. THEIR CONTENT CAN’T
BE SHARED TO UNAUTHORIZED USERS. THEY ARE
PERFECT FOR A COMPANY WANTING TO SPREAD AN
INTERNAL NEWSLETTER.

PERSONAL ACCOUNTS ARE NOT MEANT FOR
MARKETING AND ENTERPRISE ACCOUNTS ARE
SOLELY FOCUSED ON INTERNAL MANAGEMENT

POINT 3 Subscription account and
service account, which one is right
for you?

SUBSCRIPTION ACCOUNTS CAN POST MORE OFTEN
(DAILY) BUT ARE LESS VISIBLE (STACKED IN A
FOLDER WITH OTHER PROMOTIONAL ACCOUNTS)
SERVICE ACCOUNTS ARE MORE VISIBLE BUT CAN
ONLY POST WEEKLY. THEY ALSO HAVE ACCESS TO A
LOT OF USEFUL FUNCTIONS FOR E-COMMERCE OR
SERVICES (PAYMENTS, LOGIN AND GEO-
LOCALIZATION).

POINT 4 How to create a WeChat
account?

YOU CAN APPLY FOR A WECHAT ACCOUNT ON
WECHAT’S OFFICIAL ACCOUNT PLATFORM:
HTTPS://MP.WEIXIN.QQ.COM/.

THE CREATION OF A VERIFIED COMPANY ACCOUNT
(ABLE TO USE THE WECHAT API) WILL REQUIRE TWO
MAIN ELEMENTS:

A CHINESE BUSINESS LICENSE (  照) - THIS
REQUIRES YOU TO HAVE A REGISTERED BUSINESS IN
CHINA
A CHINESE ID (⾝份 ）OF AN OPERATOR FOR THE
ACCOUNT

POINT 5 What if I don’t have a Chinese
business license?

OPTION 1: REGISTER A COMPANY (WFOE - WHOLLY
FOREIGN OWNED ENTERPRISE) IN CHINA. AFTER YOU
SET-UP THE COMPANY, YOU’LL HAVE THE BUSINESS
LICENSE TO CREATE AN ACCOUNT.

OPTION 2: USE A THIRD PARTY BUSINESS LICENSE.
YOU CAN “BORROW” A BUSINESS LICENSE FROM
ANOTHER CHINESE ENTITY (EACH CHINESE
COMPANY CAN REGISTER 50 WECHAT ACCOUNTS).

POINT 5 What if I don’t have a Chinese
business license?

OPTION 3: GO THROUGH A SPECIAL PROCESS FROM
TENCENT TEAM. IT IS POSSIBLE TO CREATE A
WECHAT ACCOUNT VISIBLE FROM CHINA GOING
THROUGH A SPECIAL PROCESS FROM TENCENT
TEAM. TENCENT CHARGES A $300 USD VERIFICATION
FEE, BUT IT IS A CASE-BY-CASE PROCESS. IF YOU
HAVE MORE QUESTIONS ABOUT IT, FEEL FREE TO
REACH OUT (YOU CAN DO SO BY ANSWERING THIS
EMAIL OR WRITING TO L.B@AICY-CREATE.COM).

GENERATING TRAFFIC
ON WECHAT ACCOUNT

POINT 6 What are the ways to
generate traffic on WeChat?

COST-PER-CLICK (CPC) OR COST-PER-MILLE (CPM)
ADVERTISING REFERS TO PLACING BANNER ADS AND PAY
EACH TIME AN USER CLICKS ON THE BANNER (IN THE CASE
OF CPC) OR EACH TIME AN USER SEES THE BANNER (IN THE
CASE OF CPM. CPM REFERS TO THE COST FOR 1,000 USERS
SEEING YOUR BANNER, NO MATTER OF WHETHER OR NOT
THEY INTERACT WITH IT)

KEY OPINION LEADER ADVERTISING (KOL ADS) MEANS
PAYING A WECHAT BLOGGER TO PROMOTE YOUR BRAND.
THE KOL CAN EITHER WRITE AN ARTICLE ABOUT YOUR
BRAND, OR WRITE ABOUT AN ANOTHER TOPIC AND PUT A
BANNER LINKING TO YOUR WECHAT ACCOUNT SOMEWHERE
IN THE ARTICLE

VIRAL CAMPAIGNS ARE CREATIVE CAMPAIGNS WHICH ARE
SHARED AMONG USERS, EITHER DRIVEN BY A SOCIAL
IMPULSE OR BY SOME FINANCIAL INCENTIVE.

POINT 7 Cost per click (CPC)
advertising on WeChat

SUBSCRIPTION ACCOUNT ADS

"SUBSCRIPTION ACCOUNT ADS" ARE A FORM OF
ADVERTISING DISPLAYED AT THE BOTTOM OF PUBLIC
WECHAT SUBSCRIPTION ACCOUNTS. THEY WERE RELEASED
IN MID-2014. ANY SUBSCRIPTION WITH OVER 100,000 CAN
DISPLAY THEM, AND IF ADVERTISERS SPEND MONEY ON
THEM, THE ACCOUNT GETS A SHARE OF THE REVENUE.

POINT 7 Cost per click (CPC)
advertising on WeChat

PROS: THEY ONLY REQUIRE 2,000 RMB (~300 USD) INITIAL
INVESTMENT SO THEY ARE A GOOD WAY TO GET A FEW
INITIAL FOLLOWERS FOR SOME EARLY TESTING

CONS: THE CLICK THROUGH RATE (CTR) ON THESE ADS IS
VERY LOW, WHICH MAKES THE QUALITY OF THE FOLLOWERS
QUESTIONABLE. THE TARGETING IS NOT NEARLY AS GOOD
AS WHAT YOU WOULD GET ON WESTERN PLATFORMS SUCH
AS FACEBOOK. ADVERTISERS ALSO HAVE TO GO THROUGH A
VERY TOUGH REVIEW PROCESS BEFORE BEING ALLOW TO
POST ADS.

AS THESE ADS WERE NOT GETTING AS MUCH TRACTION AS
THEY WISHED, TENCENT LAUNCHED IN 2015 A NEW TYPE OF
ADS: MOMENTS ADS

POINT 7 Cost per click (CPC)
advertising on WeChat

MOMENTS ADS ARE DISPLAYED, AS THEIR NAME SUGGESTS,
IN THE USERS MOMENTS (朋友圈), WHICH IS THE EQUIVALENT
OF THE FACEBOOK TIMELINE. THEY USUALLY CONSIST OF A
VIDEO OR A SET OF PICTURES, LINKING TO A HTML5
PROMOTIONAL WEBSITE.

POINT 7 Cost per click (CPC)
advertising on WeChat

MOMENTS ADS

PROS: THEY ARE EXTREMELY VISIBLE AND RELATIVELY
EXCLUSIVE AS OF NOW (ONLY HUNDREDS OF COMPANIES
USED THEM FOR PROMOTION) SO THEY CARRY POSITIVE
BRAND IMAGE ASSOCIATION

CONS: THEY REQUIRE LARGE INITIAL INVESTMENT FOR
TENCENT TO ALLOW YOU IN THIS SELECT CLUB (50,000 RMB
IF YOU ARE A CHINESE COMPANY, ABOUT 20,000 USD IF YOU
ARE ABROAD). TARGETING IS FAR FROM PERFECT, CPM IS
HIGH (ALMOST $20 FOR TIER 1 CITIES!) AND CONVERSION
RATE IS USUALLY LOW (EXPECT AT LEAST $8 USD PER
FOLLOWER)
MOMENT ADS ARE GOOD FOR VERY LARGE COMPANIES WHO
CAN THROW MONEY AT MULTIPLE CHANNELS AND WANT TO
MAKE A SPLASH EVERYWHERE, BUT THEY'RE NOT FOR
EVERYONE.

POINT 8 KOL

KOL'S ARE A MUCH MORE SAVVY APPROACH TO MARKETING
ON WECHAT.

WECHAT BLOGGERS CAN PROMOTE YOUR BRAND IN
SEVERAL WAYS:

WRITING A DETAILED ARTICLE PROMOTING YOUR BRAND.
USUALLY, THE ARTICLE WILL BE WRITTEN IN THE USUAL
STYLE OF THE KOL, BUT YOUR PRODUCTS WILL BE (MORE OR
LESS) SUBTLY PROMOTED WITHIN THE PIECE

ADDING A BANNER AT THE END OF ANOTHER ARTICLE. THIS
BANNER CAN CONTAIN A LINK TO YOUR WECHAT ACCOUNT
OR A LINK TO A PRODUCT PAGE. THIS IS A MORE
AFFORDABLE WAY TO PROMOTE YOUR BRAND.

POINT 8 KOL

KEY OPINION LEADERS ARE POWERFUL WAYS TO DRIVE
TRAFFIC AS THEY PROVIDE SOCIAL PROOF FOR BUYERS. AS
SUCH, THEY ARE PERFECT FOR BRANDS WITH LIMITED FAME
IN CHINA WHICH WANT TO LAND THEIR FIRST SALES AND
TEST THE MARKET.

PRICE FOR KOL MIGHT BE AS LOW AS $100 FOR A BANNER
ON A SMALL ACCOUNT, TO $50,000 USD OR MORE FOR A
DETAILED ARTICLE ON A POPULAR ACCOUNT.

POINT 9 VIRAL MARKETING

WHAT IS VIRAL MARKETING?

VIRAL MARKETING MEANS LEVERAGING SHARING BETWEEN
USERS IN ORDER TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF VIEWS.
THERE ARE TWO BROAD CATEGORIES OF VIRAL MARKETING:
RELYING ON CONCRETE INCENTIVES (DISCOUNTS, RED
ENVELOPES, EXCLUSIVE DIGITAL CONTENT, ETC...)
RELYING ON SOCIAL REWARDS (SHARING FUN CONTENT
WITH FRIENDS)
THERE ARE HOWEVER MANY RULES GOVERNING VIRAL
MARKETING ON WECHAT WHICH CAN MAKE THIS APPROACH
RISKY. LET'S HAVE A CLOSER LOOK.

POINT 9 VIRAL MARKETING

WECHAT COMES WITH MANY RULES TO PREVENT VIRAL
MARKETING. ALL OF THE FOLLOWING ARE FORBIDDEN:
PROVIDING ANY INCENTIVE (DISCOUNT, RED ENVELOPE,
ETC...) IN EXCHANGE FOR FOLLOW, SHARES, LIKES, ACCESS
TO CONTENT OR ANY OTHER USER ACTIONS

EXPLICITLY ASKING USERS TO SHARE

COLLECTING DATA WITHOUT EXPLANATIONS OF WHY IT IS
COLLECTED AND HOW IT WILL BE USED

WRITING CONTENT FOR WECHAT

POINT10 What type of content works
in WeChat?

MAKE IT USEFUL

ONE OF THE CHALLENGES OF WECHAT CONTENT
MARKETING IS THAT CONTENT MUST BE CONSISTENTLY
GOOD. IT IS OTHERWISE VERY COMMON FOR USERS TO
UNFOLLOW SERVICE ACCOUNTS OR TO STOP OPENING
SUBSCRIPTION ACCOUNTS.

SURVEY OF WECHAT USERS SHOWED THAT "USEFUL" WAS
THE NUMBER ONE FACTOR MAKING USERS SHARE ARTICLES,
ACCORDING TO 49% OF RESPONDENTS.

POINT10 What type of content works
in WeChat?

NOTE THAT "USEFUL" COMES BEFORE "INTERESTING" AND
"TRENDY". THE WHOLE ECOSYSTEM OF WECHAT REVOLVES
AROUND PROVIDING SERVICES (TENCENT MAKES ONLY 19%
OF ITS REVENUE FROM ADS, AS OPPOSED TO 95% FOR
FACEBOOK. THE REST OF TENCENT'S REVENUES COMES
FROM "VALUE ADDED SERVICES"), AND YOUR CONTENT
SHOULD DO JUST THAT. IT SHOULD BE USEFUL AND BE A
SERVICE PROVIDED TO USERS.
VIDEO IS THE NEW CONTENT TREND

ONE TYPE OF CONTENT IS BOOMING LATELY ON SOCIAL
NETWORKS: VIDEO. WECHAT USERS REPORT VIDEOS TO BE
TWICE AS POPULAR AS REGULAR ARTICLES.

AICY on WeChat

  Hope you enjoyed our introduction about the
     different types of Wechat Accounts

     AICY Create is a value-based, digital
   marketing agency focused on the Asian -
  Pacific market. Our expertise is on Personal
  Branding and Corporate Branding applied to
                  Social Media.
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