4 Steps to Convert WeChat Fans into Customers by WeChat Marketing Automation

Author:JINGdigital

6 MIN READSep 28, 2018In WeChat User Ecology Research Report 2017, Penguin Intelligence shed light on WeChat’s massive footprint In China. In 2016, the platform reached 889 million active users, who drove 174.5 billion yuan in online transactions. This marked a 26.2% surge in year-on-year growth, and accounted for 4.54% of China’s total data consumption. At the same time, the number of users whose daily average WeChat use exceeds 4 hours doubled, as did user interaction rate and the number of heavy users. More and more enterprises will open official WeChat accounts, and taking it as the first step towards social CRM. But with this surge in official WeChat accounts, brands must now fight to grab the attention of a user base whose attention is increasingly fragmented, all while contending with the fact that open rates for public WeChat accounts have decreased. How can you make your brand’s WeChat account stand out in this veritable ocean of information? With the help of some technical fixes, the sky is the limit. Tailoring each user’s WeChat experience – in other words, 100% personalization – holds the key. Today, we’ll take one JINGdigital customer – multinational retailer “W” – as a case study. Working hand in hand with JINGdigital, W managed to thrive despite WeChat user’s attention deficit, and turn its followers into customers. Company Background:W is a large, international retailer and food manufacturer, operating over 12,000 stores in 24 countries and regions. Its portfolio includes health foods, beauty products, perfume, makeup, everyday items, foods, beverages, electronics, foreign wines, and airport retail. With over 1000 shops in 200 cities in China, it is the country’s largest health and beauty product retailers. Step 1: Attract followersGenerating a follower base is the foundation of any successful WeChat marketing operation. As China’s leading marketing automation platform, we at JINGdigital advise clients to take the following two actions: Re-use WeChat servive numbersOpen rates are ten times larger than read rates, largely a result of not being able to fold service numbers. WeChat only allows four service numbers per month. Combine online and offline efforts to rapidly gain more followers Providing sharable, high-quality content is one of the best ways to attract followers. JINGdigital has mastered the art. Recognizing active followers, optimizing headlines and structures, and improving post timing are just a few of the ways that we can help you increase the number of followers. Master these points, and 100,000 reads per post will very much be in the realm of possibility (while we won’t go into too much detail here, check out JING College for more information). In addition, while online advertising and cross-platform promotion are key ways to add new followers, a one-size-fits-all marketing strategy will yield disappointing results. These days, WeChat users are reluctant to share their personal information; they won’t just scan your brand’s QR code randomly or give their details to an unfamiliar brand, even if you offer a gift or promotion. However, shoppers who enter a store already have some familiarity with the brand. W capitalized on this degree of “trust”; they won’t hesitate to scan a QR code or register for membership as they stand in a physical store. Therefore, close coordination of off- and on-line marketing efforts are the key to getting more followers. W has taken advantage of its highly-trafficked stores. They set up specialized QR codes at high-traffic areas, such as checkout counters. Once they can scan that QR code, you can push coupons, promotions, and other content. In other words, turn offline customers into online fans. Step 2:The fan base of a company’s official WeChat account can be divided into two categories: content consumers and product consumers. Each content consumers is a potential product consumer. Through customized content, JINGdigital aims to turn content consumers into customers.Each fan has their own unique interests. On average, if you haven’t piqued their interest after five posts, they’ll become a “zombie” follower, and disengage from your brand’s WeChat account. By sharing the right promotion at the right time – in other words, highly customized content – you can convince content consumers to make a purchase. There are two key factors to successfully customizing your content: Instant data collection and analysisThe minute a new WeChat user follows the W WeChat account, the JINGsocial platform collects several pieces of basic information, such as gender, region, age, and acquisition source. At the same time, it begins the “Welcome Journey,” an automated conversation where a chat bot learns a few more details about the new fan: what content they’re interested in, what types of products they like, and what services they need, for example.You can also analyze how fans behave on your brand’s WeChat account, such as opening rates for articles and stay duration. The JINGsocial platform allows you to tag fans, and provides the basis for personized content delivery. It allows you to: Differentiate between content and product consumers Identify which products content consumers are interested in, and push those products in a timely manner Identify the interests of your consumers, and promote those products to them. With the addition of the “Welcome Journey,” the read rate on W’s posts increased by 62%, the 取关率 decreased by 60%, and the conversion rate jumped by 6%.The platform’s instant data feedback also allows you to re-tag and re-classify users at any time. Differentiated pushThe above process makes it easy to tag users and create a holistic picture of each fan. With the data, you can push via the WeChat account articles and promotions that are tailored to each fan’s interests. In real life, the reading rate increased by 31%, the取关率 decreased by 38%, and the purchase conversion rate skyrocketed by 23%. Step 3: Increase loyalty through continuous interactionIn addition to reading rate, the proportion of bound members in a brand account’s fan base serves as an important benchmark. Fans need to feel like they get some value from the membership binding process. To this end, JINGdigital suggests integrating your brand’s official WeChat account with your company’s CRM system. This way, fans can, for example, earn points on WeChat and apply coupons to the brand’s e-commerce website.These steps will increase follower activity, improve brand loyalty, and decrease unfollows. Step 4: Implement WeChat 2.0 with a powerful marketing automation platformWelcome Journeys. Data Collection and Analysis. User Portraits. None of these features are available on the native WeChat platform alone. Check out JINGdigital if you want use the best technology to understand what your followers want.

In WeChat User Ecology Research Report 2017, Penguin Intelligence shed light on WeChat’s massive footprint In China. In 2016, the platform reached 889 million active users, who drove 174.5 billion yuan in online transactions. This marked a 26.2% surge in year-on-year growth, and accounted for 4.54% of China’s total data consumption. At the same time, the number of users whose daily average WeChat use exceeds 4 hours doubled, as did user interaction rate and the number of heavy users. More and more enterprises will open official WeChat accounts, and taking it as the first step towards social CRM.

But with this surge in official WeChat accounts, brands must now fight to grab the attention of a user base whose attention is increasingly fragmented, all while contending with the fact that open rates for public WeChat accounts have decreased.

How can you make your brand’s WeChat account stand out in this veritable ocean of information? With the help of some technical fixes, the sky is the limit. Tailoring each user’s WeChat experience – in other words, 100% personalization – holds the key.

Today, we’ll take one JINGdigital customer – multinational retailer “W” – as a case study. Working hand in hand with JINGdigital, W managed to thrive despite WeChat user’s attention deficit, and turn its followers into customers.

Company Background:

W is a large, international retailer and food manufacturer, operating over 12,000 stores in 24 countries and regions. Its portfolio includes health foods, beauty products, perfume, makeup, everyday items, foods, beverages, electronics, foreign wines, and airport retail. With over 1000 shops in 200 cities in China, it is the country’s largest health and beauty product retailers.

Step 1: Attract followers

Generating a follower base is the foundation of any successful WeChat marketing operation. As China’s leading marketing automation platform, we at JINGdigital advise clients to take the following two actions:

Re-use WeChat servive numbers

Open rates are ten times larger than read rates, largely a result of not being able to fold service numbers. WeChat only allows four service numbers per month.

Combine online and offline efforts to rapidly gain more followers

Providing sharable, high-quality content is one of the best ways to attract followers. JINGdigital has mastered the art. Recognizing active followers, optimizing headlines and structures, and improving post timing are just a few of the ways that we can help you increase the number of followers. Master these points, and 100,000 reads per post will very much be in the realm of possibility (while we won’t go into too much detail here, check out JING College for more information).

In addition, while online advertising and cross-platform promotion are key ways to add new followers, a one-size-fits-all marketing strategy will yield disappointing results. These days, WeChat users are reluctant to share their personal information; they won’t just scan your brand’s QR code randomly or give their details to an unfamiliar brand, even if you offer a gift or promotion. However, shoppers who enter a store already have some familiarity with the brand. W capitalized on this degree of “trust”; they won’t hesitate to scan a QR code or register for membership as they stand in a physical store. Therefore, close coordination of off- and on-line marketing efforts are the key to getting more followers.

W has taken advantage of its highly-trafficked stores. They set up specialized QR codes at high-traffic areas, such as checkout counters. Once they can scan that QR code, you can push coupons, promotions, and other content. In other words, turn offline customers into online fans.

Step 2:

The fan base of a company’s official WeChat account can be divided into two categories: content consumers and product consumers. Each content consumers is a potential product consumer. Through customized content, JINGdigital aims to turn content consumers into customers.

Each fan has their own unique interests. On average, if you haven’t piqued their interest after five posts, they’ll become a “zombie” follower, and disengage from your brand’s WeChat account. By sharing the right promotion at the right time – in other words, highly customized content – you can convince content consumers to make a purchase. There are two key factors to successfully customizing your content:

Instant data collection and analysis

The minute a new WeChat user follows the W WeChat account, the JINGsocial platform collects several pieces of basic information, such as gender, region, age, and acquisition source. At the same time, it begins the “Welcome Journey,” an automated conversation where a chat bot learns a few more details about the new fan: what content they’re interested in, what types of products they like, and what services they need, for example.

You can also analyze how fans behave on your brand’s WeChat account, such as opening rates for articles and stay duration. The JINGsocial platform allows you to tag fans, and provides the basis for personized content delivery. It allows you to:

Differentiate between content and product consumers
Identify which products content consumers are interested in, and push those products in a timely manner
Identify the interests of your consumers, and promote those products to them.

With the addition of the “Welcome Journey,” the read rate on W’s posts increased by 62%, the 取关率 decreased by 60%, and the conversion rate jumped by 6%.

The platform’s instant data feedback also allows you to re-tag and re-classify users at any time.

Differentiated push

The above process makes it easy to tag users and create a holistic picture of each fan. With the data, you can push via the WeChat account articles and promotions that are tailored to each fan’s interests. In real life, the reading rate increased by 31%, the取关率 decreased by 38%, and the purchase conversion rate skyrocketed by 23%.

Step 3: Increase loyalty through continuous interaction

In addition to reading rate, the proportion of bound members in a brand account’s fan base serves as an important benchmark. Fans need to feel like they get some value from the membership binding process. To this end, JINGdigital suggests integrating your brand’s official WeChat account with your company’s CRM system. This way, fans can, for example, earn points on WeChat and apply coupons to the brand’s e-commerce website.

These steps will increase follower activity, improve brand loyalty, and decrease unfollows.

Step 4: Implement WeChat 2.0 with a powerful marketing automation platform

Welcome Journeys. Data Collection and Analysis. User Portraits. None of these features are available on the native WeChat platform alone. Check out JINGdigital if you want use the best technology to understand what your followers want.