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About MSLGROUP
We are a Next Generation Agency that creates and celebrates big ideas and communications solutions in the digital age. Boundless thinking, innovation driven by insights and an entrepreneurial spirit excite us. We are relentless truth-seekers and collaborate widely to discover pearls of wisdom.
MSLGROUP is Publicis Groupes strategic communications and engagement agency and advisors in all aspects of communication strategy: from consumer PR to financial communications, from public affairs to reputation management and from crisis communications to experiential marketing and events, with more than 3,500 people across close to 100 offices worldwide.
We deliver multi-channel creative programs for more than 25 of the worlds top 100 brands, as well as advise them on critical business issues. The group offers strategic planning and counsel, insight-guided thinking and big, compelling ideas followed by thorough execution.
In 2013, The Holmes Report recognized MSLGROUP as the Best Corporate Consultancy in the World and Asia Pacific Consultancy of the Year. In the same year, Campaign Asia named MSLGROUP PR Agency Network of the Year for the second consecutive year (2012 and 2013).
MSLGROUP has the largest PR, social media and events teams in Greater China (12 offices and 800+ professionals) and includes brands MSLGROUP, Genedigi Group, Luminous Experiential Marketing Communications, and King Harvests. MSLGROUP China has remained the fastest-growing PR and social engagement consultancy in China since 1994. Our specialist full-service international firm counts 200+ staff in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu. We were named China Agency of the Year twice in the last four years by The Holmes Report. MSLGROUP China has also won accolades from the International PR Association, China PR Association, the International Business Awards, and Chinas New Media Festival.
Contents
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4 Reaching your target audience 4 Comparing WeChat to other communication channels 8 Does WeChat suit my company? 10 Every WeChat account is unique 10 So, are you ready to try WeChat?
What kind of WeChat to create?
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13 The essence of a public account is a mobile mini-site 13 WeChat can greatly benet companies 15 Positioning a WeChat account based on your unique selling points 17 A service account or a subscription account?
How to operate WeChat
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19 Gaining subscribers of public accounts 19 Daily operation of public accounts 21 Managing comments on WeChat 22 Its all in the details
Five Critical Considerations
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Foreword
Since its launch on August 8, 2012, companies around the world have intensely monitored the meteoric rise of Tencents WeChat platform. The recent introduction of WeChat 5.0 provides users with a richer, more diverse experience including immediate access to e-coupons, booking capabilities, live support, billing inquiries, and points-of-interest navigation. Southern People Weekly, a leading newspaper remarked, [WeChat] delivers more than what is hyped: this is WeChats attitude and is key to whether or not it is successful. Despite the rapid acceptance of WeChat, many companies have not come close to maximizing its full potential. Following our thorough examination, we believe that WeChat is more than a media and marketing platform: it can also improve operational efficiency and help companies reduce overhead costs. Combined with its user-friendly interface and multifunctionality, WeChat can be a catalyst that creates value for businesses.
Based on our experience over the past nine months helping clients to effectively develop WeChat strategies and implement them, we have developed this white paper to explain the construction and use of WeChat with detailed, best-in-class examples. We also elaborate on the approach and methodology to determine and measure performance on WeChat. Readers will come away with answers to three critical questions:
Should I try WeChat? What kind of WeChat should I create? How can I best use WeChat?
Tencents Director of the WeChat Product, Zeng Ming, shocked marketing circles when he bluntly stated in an interview on June 5, 2013 that WeChat is not a marketing tool. Marketers then shot back, Well, if its not a marketing tool then what is it pretending to be? The debate continues today but the Father of WeChat, Tencent Senior VP Zhang Xiaolong, suggested early on: How you choose to use WeChat determines what WeChat is for you.
you are reaching your target audience with the right message one that places you favorably in their minds. This likeability is the ultimate measurement your communications programs performance. The key to effective communications is knowing how to reach your target audience on a mass scale. With this in mind, WeChat is a mobile-based mass communications channel. Its scope dwarfs conservative expectations: In May 2013, WeChat users spent more than 440 million aggregated hours in one month, a whopping increase of 250% compared with August 2012 (Source: iResearch). WeChat users exceeded the 600 million mark in October 2013.
If we follow the comments of Tencents SVP, the use of WeChat has endless possibilities. Yet, it also raises questions about the role of marketing for companies. So before we elaborate on WeChat, lets first examine how companies use social media as a marketing tool.
mUserTracker - Top 5 social media APPs by active user hours per month (From 2012.08 to 2013.05)
NO.1 WeChat NO.3 Renren NO.5 Momo NO.2 Sina Weibo NO.4 Qzone
optimum channel to share personal updates within our social circles. Yet the rise of WeChat did not invalidate the use of Weibo; users still turn to it for the latest information on trending topics. We believe that these value differences actually complement each other well. Lets see how. Interest-centric vs Relationship-centric
Sina Weibo
Renren
Qzone
Momo
In iResearchs 2013 Q2 Social Service and Mobile Device Report, WeChat users spent more than 440 million aggregated hours in May 2013, compared to 130 million in August 2012. This nearly 250% increase placed WeChat in the position of Chinas top social media app and knocked down former reigning app, Sina Weibo (170 million aggregate hours). While these figures demonstrate the rising popularity of WeChat, it also shows that Weibo usage hasnt declined either (+49.3%). However, if we delve further into Weibos figures, well find a clearer story: according to the monitoring service, Weibo Reach, Weibo usage has been on the decline since early 2012 and current activity on Weibo is averaging at 2011 levels.
When you look at your followers on Weibo, you might notice that they are typically people in the same industry as you or that you are all fans of the same celebrities. You might also notice that you and your followers track the same information sources. As mentioned earlier, Weibo has become a primary method to view news, information and trends. WeChat, on the other hand, operates differently. WeChat creates and protects relationships with only the people you choose to include in your circle. More specifically, if you have not added people to your network, then you cannot see what other people are posting and vice versa. For users, relationships with companies are built individually, which implies that WeChat is more suitable for companies to engage in substantive and direct communication with its audiences. We should note that unlike Weibo, where posts can be re-forwarded to create a viral effect, this trending effect is very difficult to replicate on WeChat. Proactive Search vs Passive Liking The strong focus on protecting relationships has compelled WeChat to limit the number of messages a company can send to its members to one a day on WeChat 5.0. On Weibo, companies are permitted to send an unlimited number of posts. Therefore, it would not be realistic for companies to consider replacing Weibo with WeChat as a primary means for disseminating information. Moreover, Weibo fans do not need to follow a companys official account to read posts: information is often reposted by influencers or followers so you just need to read
Lets quickly review of Weibo. When it was first launched, the platform helped us to stay connected with our friends in real-time: we shared jokes, our friends followed other friends, and new friends followed us. It supported our real-life social networks. Yet, once celebrities began to set up accounts and companies began to use Weibo as a promotion platform, Weibos value began to shift it then became an issues and news information source. While users still relied on the social media service, their need to stay connected with their friends remained unfulfilled. So when WeChat emerged with its closed, invitationonly structure, it filled this gap and slowly became the
their Weibo. On WeChat, company information is limited to users who have subscribed to the corporate account. Even though subscribers may share this information within their networks, compared to Weibo, these networks are limited and not ideal for distributing information widely. However, if companies can attract consumers to subscribe to its corporate WeChat account, then there is a tremendous opportunity to capture the hearts and minds of its audience. Content vs Service We have established that Weibo is an interest-driven social media platform where content is king (Read MSLGROUP Chinas earlier whitepaper, Creating a Weibo that Supports Your Business). WeChat presents a different story. If re-posting information on WeChat were the same as Weibo, your phone would be flooded with spam messages, which you then would ignore and delete. Needless to say, you would not even consider forwarding it to friends. Now, lets consider a different approach: you, the user, want to get information on your own terms. You send a product query to a companys WeChat account and automatically get details about its products, pricing, and locations. This saves you valuable time from visiting a store or searching the Internet to obtain the same information. The information you want to know goes directly to your mobile device. Thus, WeChat offers a direct service, unlike Weibo, which offers catch-all content. We should highlight that WeChat requires companies to fully understand consumer behavior and purchasing habits in order to correctly organize information delivery. Heres a story from Today Morning Express, a leading regional newspaper from Zhejiang, that vividly captures how two business partners pulled in RMB 80,000 a month in fruit sales though the effective use of both Weibo and WeChat. Twenty-something John (pseudonym) drives around the city delivering fruit and his phone wont stop buzzing from WeChat messages. John opened a fruit store half a year ago but its really only a small storage room. He has no employees and he makes deliveries himself. His partner is a fourth-year college student named Joey (pseudonym). Joey is responsible for graphic design and copywriting and for posting information on Weibo. John uses WeChat to collect orders and make
deliveries. Last August, they recorded RMB 4,000 in sales. This month they broke RMB 80,000 in sales. I dont know what this O2O model is but since weve posted our story on Weibo six months ago, our sales volume has grown tenfold, said John. With no intermediaries and nearly no overhead, John deals directly with customers. Theres an additional benefit for consumers, too: They get fresher fruit and thus theyre getting a greater value. Every night, John organizes the next days orders. In the beginning, I was the only one working in my fruit delivery business. But now I have so many customers that Ive had to hire someone to help me make deliveries. I also have part time staff for deliveries, too. John averages 19 orders a day but customers are buying in bulk with orders averaging over RMB 100. Young families tend to order my fruit so we try to focus on the most ideal fruits for them, said John. John thinks that as social media platforms and sales merge together, his relationship with his clients will become even closer and the problem of dealing with after-sales service will become easier to handle. This is one of many entrepreneurial stories where WeChat has been used to attract customers, conduct sales, and communicate with customers throughout the entire sales process. Weibo helps build brand visibility through information dissemination, but WeChat delivers individual sales and customer service.
location, personal information, and even the users contact lists are accessible. On WeChat, however, public accounts mainly follow a standard WeChat interface and private information is inaccessible. Also, there is limited personalization on WeChat. Yet those limitations are miniscule when compared to the massive reach that WeChat provides. Interestingly, well-known angel investor Cai Wensheng posted on his Weibo in April 2013: WeChat is so widespread that it makes 50% of apps totally worthless. So is this really the case? Lets take a deeper look. Which is a better public platform? Lets examine the key differences between WeChat and apps. 1. Development cost: Apps are bulky while WeChat is snappy Developing an app incurs significant development costs. Typically, companies need to conduct consumer surveys to understand need and behavior. Development teams then analyze the results to determine and agree upon the apps functions and interface. Then, there is also the need to consider how to develop apps for all of the major mobile operating systems. It takes, on average, three to six months to develop an app and the costs can easily reach six figures and upwards. WeChats built-in features and simple interface prevent developers from designing complicated content thus making public accounts on WeChat quite limited. Unfortunately, this also means that all public accounts look roughly the same with little ability to differentiate. However, because WeChat is already available on all major mobile operating systems, companies can ignore the challenges of developing apps for different systems.
This makes WeChat development costs much lower. For example, a customized menu on a public WeChat account is limited to 5-8 items (maximum of 15), which would keep development costs under RMB 100,000. We should be clear that this light and snappy characteristic means that it cannot take on complex or sophisticated features. 2. Advertising and promotion: Apps require heavy spending while WeChat is economical Once you have developed your app, you want to promote it and get people to download it. Free apps are downloaded by the millions in the massive app store ecosystem. To gain awareness of your app you will have to see that it gets onto the lists of top downloads or promoted apps. Advertising, media buy and even TV commercials are used to increase downloads. These are all costly activities with no guarantee that your app will penetrate the thicket of the app store ecosystem. Some companies have even turned to guerilla tactics to promote their app on store lists, but these actions are typically frowned upon by app store moderators who then punish offenders by removing their apps from store. For most companies, app download remains the biggest headache in the whole promotion strategy. In contrast, WeChat is more relaxed. With WeChat, users can simply scan a companys QR code in order to subscribe. Additionally, there is an already existing ecosystem with hundreds of millions of users who, as previous data has suggested, spend increasingly more time on the channel. If companies decide to launch a corporate WeChat profile, then they can leverage the massive user base, which inherently is shifting toward using WeChat, to connect with more than just their friends. The end result is that less money needs to be
spent promoting a WeChat account. WeChat incurs greater savings when development and promotion costs are taken into account. 3. Operation and maintenance: Apps are a complicated ecosystem while WeChat is plug-and-play Apps and software programs follow a similar process: if there is a bug, the user needs to download an update or download a completely new version. If the company wants to add new features or functions, again, the user has to download a completely new version. When there is a new version of the mobile operating system, the app also has to be updated. All these updates require additional time and resources. With WeChat, public accounts are synchronized with Tencents servers so changes and updates are fully linked and are immediately reflected on the mobile device. From this perspective, operating and maintaining a WeChat public account is much more efficient. Apps are better for targeted, in-depth services, while WeChat is better for broader, simpler services The chart below sums up the relative strengths of apps and WeChat.
to see how IKEA products would look in their homes and helps with purchasing decisions. This function is highly specific to apps and generally outside the realm of possibility for WeChat.
DHL is another company that uses apps and WeChat separately. For DHL, WeChat is used to target small businesses and other niche segments that need basic services like checking international shipping prices and tracking orders. The DHL app offers high-volume, long-term customers with detailed needs: pricing information, tracking system, discounts, points-based reward program and other tailored services. DHLs app provides its sales team with a crucial touchpoint to engage and retain existing customers. Based on our experience, WeChats simplicity and high accessibility make it a convenient platform to provide basic services to a wide range of consumers. Apps are better suited for more demanding services such as synchronizing accounts and providing better end user experiences by offering more functionality.
WeChat may seem better for almost everything according to the comparison chart, but this isnt necessarily true. The inherent design of WeChat is limited to basic functions and offers little room to provide customers with more detailed service. Apps provide more functions and more interactivity. Lets take, for example, IKEAs use of apps. Its app incorporates virtual reality technology so users can take a photo of their space on their mobile device and place an IKEA product into it. This function enables customers
So if one business owner can use WeChat to find 100 customers, what about companies that have thousands of customers? How can these companies ignore the potential of 600 million customers? Companies with the resources can benefit from WeChat and provide added value to their customers. Before we take that step, though, it is important to determine what that value is and how to apply metrics to measure it.
who earns RMB 50,000 a month selling on WeChat (excerpt from Selling Wine to 50,000 on WeChat: Living Examples of Sales on WeChat on huxiu.com): Mr. Rice Wine uses a traditional recipe to brew a local brand, Hakka House rice wine, in Liaopi Village in Fujian Province. The Hakka House brand is well known throughout the region and is priced at RMB 60/halfliter. For such a niche product, it is difficult to imagine that Mr. Rice Wine has found such promising results from opening a WeChat account. Within six months of launching his product on WeChat, Mr. Rice Wine has been able to track sales data of all purchases. From the data, he found most customers buy 2.55 liters each time, which nets him RMB 300-600 per transaction. Knowing this, Mr. Rice Wine makes sure that his promotional messages are geared toward this high profit margin audience. As of May 2013, Hakka House rice wine has generated 22,500 followers with sales revenues of roughly RMB 50,000 per month. This is a great example of how WeChat has helped spur local business. In the above example, sales growth is considered a key performance indicator (KPI) of WeChat marketing. However, for some companies, the objective for a WeChat profile may lie in other areas and with different audiences. In some cases, WeChat could be used as an internal communications campaign, as a method to boost employee interaction, or as means to drive traffic to other platforms. In those cases, the KPIs would all be different: employee satisfaction, open/share rates, and tracking active users. To be clear, WeChat does not have fixed features; it can be used to provide a service, a channel for information or even act as an entry point for Internet marketing. For the same reasons, it would not be practical to fix KPIs. Setting KPIs can only become clear once the objective and audience have been defined. It is important to consider the Internet habits and behavior of your audience before positioning your WeChat strategy.
WeChat is not limited to message notifications, it can also form an effective platform for CRM, online sales and online recruitment. And with mass usage, there is an opportunity to analyze big data. Thus many departments could operate the platform; however, only one department should be in charge of it while coordinating with other departments. Operating a WeChat account can be difficult without strong internal communication. Here are some of our recommendations: 1. In the early stages of development, we recommend the department in charge of communications to lead construction of the platform. For daily operation, the department that manages information dissemination should take the lead.
value and positioning. A companys success on WeChat will depend on its ability to define its USP and provide its customers with something that offers them value. Lets return to DHL as an example. As growing numbers of Chinese youth pursue overseas studies, international courier companies have honed their marketing to focus on this segment. For many students, the journey to overseas study begins when they send their application materials to each school. It was clear to DHL that this segment would also most likely be using WeChat. These anxious college students naturally would want to follow the delivery status of their applications and would value the ability to check that status anytime and anywhere. As a result, DHL made the tracking function one of the core elements in its WeChat account. Of course, tracking is not new; applications already exist that allow a user to do this. However, the process for doing this was much more complicated than the simple process of subscribing on WeChat. More importantly, DHL was able to take a first-mover advantage over its industry competitors and build brand awareness among this young and growing customer group. In another example, Taikang Life Insurance has developed its WeChat not to service customers, but to aid its tens of thousands of agents. In its approach to WeChat, Taikang Life Insurance has provided a valuable internal communications platform for its agents who are often on the road and receive little support from the head office. Over 30,000 agents have signed up for the WeChat account since its launch and the insurance company has seen greater efficiency in its internal communications as well as customer response.
2. The WeChat platform involves numerous departments and each should share the gains as well as the pains together. The WeChat platform will not gain substantial support unless all the relevant departments are stakeholders. 3. Do not embark on a WeChat program until strong support is assured from other departments. Without this, operating an inactive or ineffective WeChat account will add little value to the brand or the individual departments. In fact it could potentially have the opposite effect. At DHL, the corporate communications department led the development and operation of its WeChat account. DHL Senior Communications Manager, Zhou Haiying, said that the ability to create real value for every department in the company was a precondition for success. She needed to get all departments to realize that WeChat would help them fulfill their roles better and that WeChat could, should and would deliver all over positive results for the company, its employees, and its customers.
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your reason for creating a WeChat account. 2. Distinguish the role WeChat plays from other social media channels or marketing tactics. 3. Set clear objectives and KPI metrics. 4. Establish proper internal support and ensure
smooth internal communication. 5. Find a way of operating WeChat that suits you. Once you have addressed these points then you should be ready to get started on WeChat. Next, we will focus on how to establish and operate your WeChat presence.
Additional Reading: The development of mobile Internet and its transformative effect on Internet applications Internet behavior can be categorized into three needs: Need for information: based on interests or goals Need for social interaction: maintaining an interpersonal network Need for extended services: enjoying convenience
In the 1990s, search engines satisfied the need for information and traditional IM tools such as QQ satisfied the need for social interaction, yet there were few high-level Internet services. The rapid development of the Internet at the beginning of the 21st century introduced online retail and financial services, which hastened the growth of Internet services. The development of the PC and mobile devices further changed needs. The launch of Xiaonei.com in 2005 marked the emergence of social network services (SNS) in China followed by Kaixin.com. Weibo represented the latest service, which has grown exponentially demonstrated by massive uptake on mobile devices. We believe SNS merges two needs: the need for information and the need for social interaction, a development that has been termed Internet crossover. However, Weibo cannot replace services offered by websites, which is becoming increasingly mature as they combine mobile Internet with applications. The birth of WeChat marked the second Internet crossover, merging the needs of information, social interaction and service under one platform. While WeChat is constrained by the nature of its platform and cannot match the functionality of websites, it has satisfied the needs of Internet users in a new way.
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Individuals can create a personal account on WeChat simply by registering their mobile number. Tencent allows WeChat accounts to be linked to QQ or other products in the Tencent ecosystem. Companies are able to create a public account. In this section, we will describe how a public account works and elaborate varied applications from customer service to delivering information . We will also discuss the role WeChat can play in communications through select case studies.
2. Precise localization find and maintain core consumers 3. Reduction in cost of communication making communications more efficient 4. Sales promotions introducing a potential new channel for e-commerce Once you have addressed these points then you should be ready to get started on WeChat. Next, we will focus on how to establish and operate your WeChat presence.
2. Independently developing a proprietary application designed for mobile devices. While Weibo can also serve as a platform for some service functions, its features have not been extensively developed. Because of this, WeChat is the more mature and therefore better option to transfer these basic service functions onto the mobile Internet sphere. A public account on WeChat is effectively a mini-site that incorporates basic service functions. Many functions that are found on a traditional website can be replicated on WeChat, such as checking into a China Airlines flight or tracking shipments on DHL or managing your China Merchants Bank credit card bill. The most powerful feature on WeChat is its open API, which allows administrators to access their own databases, sales systems, logistics systems, etc. WeChat is like a fully fledged cityscape where all the electrical and plumbing have been installed. Developers can come in and build all kinds of unique and distinctive real estate that assists people as they go about their daily lives.
find themselves in a car accident, they have to report the accident to the insurance company by calling the customer service hotline. Then they would need to take pictures on-site and wait for staff assistance to arrive. But with Ping An Insurance and through their WeChat service feature, they only need to take on-site pictures and send them to the WeChat account with their location. Then the work is complete! That is because Ping An has already connected its CRM system with WeChat so that their customer service representatives can receive customer information immediately when a customer contacts them. With the popularization of WeChat, companies must adjust and update their businesses in order to attract and retain customers. In the traditional retail industry, local enterprises have taken the lead and started to connect their CRM systems with WeChat. In Hangzhou, two department stores have opened WeChat accounts to allow customers to claim gifts, inquire about special offers and obtain parking information, etc. While some argue that the larger objective is to convert online traffic into in-store traffic, the real value here is that, with enough followers, a retail store can begin to analyze customer behavior and then begin to target services that drive both online and offline consumption activity. WeChat can categorize all kinds of users through their IDs and can distinguish consumers different habits. These steps help a company understand their customers potential needs while also providing information that is both relevant and engaging.
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were 5.7 billion express packages shipped in China. If the cost of sending status updates via SMS is RMB 0.5 for each package (from sending to delivering), a total of RMB 2.85 billion could be saved! In addition, companies can use WeChat to conduct market research, which helps reduce manpower that historically would have been needed to contact people. This research is further strengthened by the first-hand, real-time customer data, detailing their personalized services. Liu Peng, Deputy General Manger of China Merchants Bank credit card center, explained the value of WeChat to his business, Our center has 2 million WeChat subscribers who are active credit card users, much more active than the average cardholder. We process 800,000 queries on WeChat everyday compared to 4 million queries amongst the 20 million cardholders. Although WeChat users account for 10% of all cardholders, they represent 20% of all credit card queries. Staffing costs at call centers are the highest for banks. Any way to reduce call center costs is worth exploring. Even if WeChat provides a marginal benefit in the beginning, it can be increased progressively. That is why we value WeChat. While it is clear that WeChat can offer customers both a better user experience with more convenient communication and also provide very tangible cost savings for companies, WeChat cannot completely replace traditional communications channels. If used effectively, WeChat can become a powerful auxiliary tool to support customer interaction (call centers, check-in desks, etc.)
as a mobile application, which combines search (Baidu) with e-commerce (Tmall) and online payment (Alipay). All users need to do is to follow the public account (no need to download any applications), and then they can complete the whole shopping process including searching, selecting, placing an order and paying all within the same account. More importantly, if WeChat public accounts are connected with back-end sales systems, when a consumer finishes shopping or even searches for product information, the background systems can continuously build a database about the users preferences (i.e. shopping habits, preferred shopping times, items of interest etc.) Companies then have the ability to provide consumers with personalized services, encouraging and stimulating further purchases. The success of such campaigns can be easily measured, honed and refined by analyzing the behavior and sales, and the return on investment for WeChat can be easily realized. There is, however, a sticking point. Mobile payments have not yet gained wide acceptance due to consumer fear over the risks and safety of payment mechanisms. Conversion rates and actual sales for mobile businesses remain far away from that of traditional PC-based online businesses. Nor is mobile shopping likely to replace traditional online shopping - browsing significant numbers of goods on a small mobile phone screen is not very user friendly. Therefore, companies with smaller product lines or those that sell on convenience are better-suited to WeChat.
need leading consumers to form their media consumption habits is short-term focused, it is likely to be less stable. While the conversion from the initial review to subscription is very quick, the duration of the subscription may only last 3-5 days (around significant sports events like the Shanghai F1 race for example); If the interest is stable and ongoing, the conversion may be slower, but the subscription duration may be much longer (perhaps years in the case of something focused on food or for patients with chronic diseases looking for medical information).
So, when considering whether or not WeChat is right for your company, the questions we always ask are, What is the core value of your offering? Are we addressing a short-term interest or a long-term need for consumers? The main purpose of thinking this through is to help us get some basic direction. Which is more suitable, for companies: a subscription account or services account? Furthermore, what role can WeChat play in your overall communication program? For short-term interests, WeChat can probably be a gateway, which could lead followers to other platforms or even directly to an offline purchase. Here, WeChat is merely a transfer mechanism; For long-term needs, WeChat can form a platform to assemble members and thus become an important tool for companies to communicate with consumers. This presents companies with opportunities to communicate more intimately with consumers and strengthen their brand relationships with members.
business or first class); booking tickets; checking-in; selecting cabin services; managing luggage services; arriving at the hotel; checking in; leaving the hotel; arriving at the airport; checking-in; personalized interaction; and then finally moving on to the next journey. The company improved and optimized services at every step, building up a service network accompanying passenger travel called the All behavior chain. In our eyes, WeChat carries the mission of communicating, but not marketing, said Hu. China Southern also hopes that its passengers feel that WeChat is always with them during their travels. In June 2013, a new version of China Southern Airlines WeChat account was released with more functions such as the ability to book tickets, manage bookings and view travel guides. China Southern wants to sustain its advantage over its competition with its customer-oriented communication and services, differentiated products and personalized services. WeChat will remain a service-oriented tool for China Southern which treats service as a product and a core competitive advantage. Today, channels and consumers are especially important and this actually points to the special relationship involved. China Southern has already taken advantage of WeChat to simplify services and hopefully bring value to its consumers, said Hu. This example demonstrates that the management team at China Southern Airlines clearly knows what differentiated services mean for the aviation industry. More importantly, the airline conducted in-depth research amongst its target audience before refining their strategy and used WeChat as a tool to further strengthen the companys service-oriented approach. Through integrating its resources and meeting the needs of its WeChat users, China Southerns reputation as a user-friendly airline has been reflected in the growing number of subscribers. The WeChat service has now been positioned as an essential component within the airlines service chain.
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Finding quality consumers through spontaneous search is better than recruiting followers through traditional methods with the former reflecting the willingness of the individual to make a potential purchase. The only thing needed is to push our targeted information through a service account or subscription account. Now lets review our preparation for constructing a WeChat platform as mentioned before: Clear goals: Push information that motivates consumers to subscribe or request further information; avoid harassment Set correct expectations: The quality of subscribers is far more important than quantity.
There is no essential difference between a service account and a subscription account for us, but attentions should be still highly paid in the actual operation. The following chart helps.
Service Account Subscription Account
Frequency of information
Once a month
Daily
The difference between active marketing and passive marketing is the way to connect with consumers. Active marketing, in the conventional sense, mostly draws support from a platform with a large user base for promotions, while passive marketing features the critical time when consumers would actively look for relevant information after they show interest in a particular brand. Traditional passive marketing is typically based on search engines. Businesses strive to be visible at the same time when a consumer is looking up information, so search engine optimization (SEO) and buying key words are important tactics. We should note that search engines are not the only touchpoints social media is an increasingly important touchpoint for search.
Customizable menu
No. Supports images and text, does not support external links
Functionality
Programmable responses Able to develop applications, as well as offers full range of WeChat services such as location information
Auto-response based on key word Able to develop applications, but not completely synched with WeChat services
There is no need to worry which is better. As the old saying goes, It doesnt matter whether the cat is black or white as long as it catches mice. Find your selling point and with persistent efforts will help you perfect your WeChat strategy.
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Youve opened a WeChat account so how do you get people to sign up? Lets start with a case.
communications and marketing chain to drive sales and grow the business.
After a period of time, we need to know more about: Which topics have a higher penetration rate? What topics are easier to share? Which topics are more likely to recruit new members?
The person who manages a subscription account acts like a consumer psychologist who knows the preferences of existing members, can advise on which products will be receptive, and will know how best to communicate with group members. Of course, not everyone managing a subscription account can be a qualified psychologist. Thus, the service account offers the convenience of disseminating information over building emotional connections demanded in a subscription account. When operating a subscription account, it is important to address customer demands in your content as much as possible. For example, retail stores use subscription accounts to distribute product offers and restaurants use subscription accounts to offer delivery menus to keep members interested and engaged.
There are several important items to highlight in the process. Determine the needs of the target audience and functionality After defining the target audience and communications objections, it is important to determine the customers needs and to determine how the service account will fulfill those needs. Conducting quantitative consumer research or possibly a discussion with frontline sales staff can achieve this. For example, MSLGROUP conducted a survey for WalMarts specialty store, Sams Club, and discovered that many shoppers often ask about parking. The location and the nature of the stores require customers to drive there. For those who are interested in the store but havent yet become members, GPS is an important tool. In terms of product information, Sams Club customers are more interested in promotions for specific items like cherries or durian rather than regular merchandise discounts. In the case with DHL, their couriers gathered great insights about university students. Because they interact directly with students, DHL couriers were able to provide useful suggestions during the development of the WeChat interface and functions. DHLs subsequent WeChat account garnered high praise from the students. All of this was done without having to spend a fortune on market research. Create a detailed customer experience path The customer experience path is a detailed flow of the behavior and functions that trigger a corresponding answer or response. This requires a considerable amount of time in the development process in order to save time later in the modification process. In the case of DHL, when developing the function to track shipments, MSLGROUP needed to consider the way in which customers would enter the 10-digit number. The program would provide a result if the information was input correctly, and a response to re-enter information if input incorrectly. Despite this simple function, it was more complex than it seemed (as shown on the next page). Of course, the more complex the function, the
The following diagram shows the basic steps to setting up a service account.
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more complex the customer experience path becomes too. To ensure a positive customer service experience, you should avoid complex functions. If such a path is inevitable, try to clarify this early on, otherwise, your customers will ultimately find the experience wasted a result no one wants to see.
Collecting and analyzing data While data points are all different, it is important to measure and analyze data in a service account. We should analyze: Which functions are used most? (the most practical function) Which functions require a simple reply and which demand more details? (how to present features) Which functions produce an error response? (which functions are erroneous or difficult to use)
2. Based on our experience, a dedicated customer service representative can respond to approximately 200-250 WeChat messages per day, assuming that it does not require indepth communication. If a WeChat account has an engagement rate of about 20%, it means one representative is handling about 40004500 members. If the WeChat account has a growing member base, then companies would find the need to continuously hire staff just to manage these conversations!
By collecting and analyzing data on a service account, adjustments can be made to improve the overall customer experience. As long as the account satisfies customer needs in the most efficient way, accumulating users and building brand loyalty will only take a matter of time.
2. Certain phrases may trigger a completely unrelated response. For example, when China announced its Green Dam Internet security program several years ago, it automatically triggered the response 24 mouth switch. 3. We typically create a Q&A database with key words in these cases and update it frequently; however, these updates can go on endlessly. This is particularly true for companies in consumer products or technology sectors
To be clear, a computer can never replace a human or deliver the same interaction as a customer service representative. It can only help reduce the workload of customer service staff. As we discussed before, WeChat is a precise marketing tool but the nuance of messaging still requires human intervention. The intention of developing an intuitive, intelligent system is primarily to assist companies in resolving the basic and low-value work from those that require more time and care.
2. Quizzing: After gauging user intention, we allow the system to learn the correct answer using different intentions instead of an endless output of responses from the Q&A database. As long as the system can determine the basic intention in the dialogue with the customer, we can help it complete the response. The system then can apply this to a similar program or adopt a conversation pattern thus saving time and costs. 3. Smart Chatting: We know that automated responses have limitations due to the script. For example, when asked, Who is Chinas president? the system would respond Xi Jinping. However, if we then asked, Who is his wife? the system would be unable to respond because the computer has not identified who he is. However, we can program the system in a way that provides contextual analysis based on the history of the conversation so that it can respond with the correct answer. In this case, Peng Liyuan is the correct answer. Of course, managing the entire system requires human input and is still under development; however, below is a snapshot of the back-end for your reference.
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2. Plan with the end in mind. Determine your key communications objectives with WeChat and design performance indicators with measurable targets. In the case of internal communications, engage the relevant stakeholders and ensure you have adequate support to benefit target groups. 3. Generate content that is relevant, meaningful and useful. A WeChat account is only as strong as the content. Make full use of resources to recruit new members. 4. Measure, assess and refine. Continuously re-evaluate your account and make improvements as needed. 5. Focus on the user experience. The intense focus on user experience sets WeChat apart from other social media platforms, therefore companies need to abide by honing in on the details.
Last words
The emergence of mobile marketing has injected some excitement for marketers as they balance multiple channels that mix online and offline worlds. Specifically for WeChat, it offers companies a viable touchpoint for consumers who can bypass traditional online commerce. This whitepaper is the result of the experience we have gleaned developing and implementing WeChat programs for clients over the last nine months. Our views may not be comprehensive and may not apply to every industry. However, we hope this adequately captures a cross-section of views from diverse industries to provide you with a strong foundation to pursue a WeChat program.
E. Derek.dong@mslgroup.com E. Yuki.yang@mslgroup.com