Understanding WeChat Official Accounts: A Cross-Border Marketing Guide

This is to be the first guide I post in a series of articles covering various essential topics for multinational enterprises marketing in China. Keeping true to this article’s position as the first in a series, I will provide a broad introduction to WeChat’s many account types and tools available to overseas businesses. Issues discussed below include:

1. WeChat’s various (public facing) official account classifications, their respective uses, and successful examples of each

2. How to access content and keyword performance data

3. Strategies to grow a high-quality follower base

4. Other essential features to be aware of

WeChat Official Account

There are three main types of public-facing WeChat official accounts: service accounts, subscription accounts, and channels accounts. WeCom accounts – a fourth type mostly used for internal business communications and contacting established clients - fall outside the scope of this article, but I intend to discuss them in a future write-up.

Without a Chinese business license, overseas companies may open service accounts and channels accounts. To operate a WeChat subscription with its extended functionality, you must be a registered business in China.

Service accounts are limited to 4 posts per month making them ideal for significant announcements such as new products, thought-leadership articles, and limited time promotions. Subscription accounts are largely similar to service accounts, but they allow for 1 post per day. With this higher content volume allotment, subscription accounts are ideal for frequent brand storytelling to keep followers engaged with your brand. Channels is WeChat’s short-video platform, like LinkedIn short form videos. These accounts are ideal for product demos, behind the scenes looks, influencer collaborations, customer testimonials, and so on

Each WeChat Official Account type has its own strong suits, and the most successful companies in China use all three. Let’s look at one of my favorite examples of US to China marketing localization done right with the historic vertical transportation systems company, OTIS.

(Figure A) OTIS’s service account posts significant updates such as being listed in the top 10 global elevator manufacturers

Figure A: OTIS Service Account Content

(Figure B) OTIS’s subscription account makes good use of its daily post allowance, especially during key events. This account has daily posts during their participation in the China International Import Expo.

Figure B: OTIS Subscription Account Feed

(Figure C) OTIS’s channels account utilizes visual storytelling in a compelling and (more importantly) localized fashion. One post tours actual OTIS-manufactured installations across some of China’s most recognizable locations.

Figure C: OTIS Channels Account Short Form Video

How to View Important Data

The two most important data-monitoring dashboards available within the WeChat platform are the WeChat Official Dashboard for account metrics and the WeChat Index for keyword performance data.

The Official Dashboard (Figure D) tracks account and content metrics like follower growth, demographics, source of followers, content social engagement and so on. To access this dashboard, navigate to the WeChat Official Accounts Platform at mp.weixin.qq.com. This resource is vital for strategic adaptation as you discover your place in the China market.

Figure D: WeChat Official Dashboard, *Note that this is one page of many in the dashboard

The WeChat Index (Figure E) must be accessed from within the WeChat client. Simply use the search function, enter “WeChat Index” or “微信指数”, and select the first option in the list. Here, you can enter keywords and view their index scores over time periods of 7, 30 or 365 days, and check where on WeChat they are most common between moments, channels, livestreams, and so on. The index can be used to identify online trends, competitor performance, brand positioning opportunities, and more.

Figure E: WeChat Index. Example keyword 出海营销 meaning cross-border marketing. *Note that the red numbers mean a positive trend contrary to US design norms.

How to Grow your Followership with Followers who Actually Matter

There are many ways to attract followers on WeChat from games to gifts, but how do you make sure you reach your actual buyers?

First, leverage existing networks. When you post new content to your official account, have employees share that content to relevant, industry-specific groups that they are already members of.

Second, encourage your audience to share your posts using incentives that would provide value specifically to your buyer demographic. Think product samples or branded gifts for the first 100 people to share your content.

Third, boost your posts with targeted ad spend. WeChat Moments ads provide deep user segmentation options including but not limited to gender, age, geographic location, industry, marital status, education level, buying intent, and online behavior. Ad spend costs are priced by cost per thousand impressions averaging about $2-$4 USD per thousand.

Fourth, partner with industry KOLs. Influencer marketing is massive in China and still growing, and it is not limited to B2C marketing. B2B companies likewise can leverage these types of relationships to increase growth.

Other Important Features

I want to end on a few short notes about some other features that I don’t have the time to explain in depth today but are no less important to mention.

QR codes are everywhere in Chinese business culture, especially WeChat QR codes (Figure F). You’ll want to put QR codes everywhere. On brand materials, other social platforms, WeChat articles, trade show booths, and so on. You can create different QR codes for your different WeChat official accounts and mini programs, each with their own performance data to A/B test what strategies best encourage your audience to scan.

Figure F: Landelion China's WeChat QR Code

Mini programs are also important, and highly versatile. You can create a mini website, digital trade show booths, customer service lines, e-commerce storefronts, integrations of other social media platforms pages, and so on.

Supporting Cross-Border Growth Between the U.S. & China | Client Development @ Landelion Inc – A Global Marketing & Localization Company