If you think you can take what you know about social media in the West and apply it to your Chinese digital marketing campaigns, think again. The Great Firewall of China blocks popular Western platforms like Facebook and YouTube, leading to the rise of a unique Chinese social media landscape that not only mirrors but often surpasses what Western platforms offer. To succeed in this market, it’s crucial to understand and adapt to these distinct practices.
WeChat, the multi-purpose messaging app owned by tech giant Tencent, is one of the most popular and unique social media hybrids in China. Often dubbed the super app, WeChat can be an effective tool for foreign businesses to connect with Chinese audiences if leveraged properly.
How to create an WeChat Official Account
Setting up a personal WeChat account takes minutes. Setting up an official account takes extra effort, but there are a couple of reasons it’s important to do so. Firstly, verification is essential to build trust with clients and consumers. Fake brand accounts have been an ongoing issue for WeChat, with one report showing WeChat blocking an average 12,000 malicious registrations a day. It’s better for your brand image to have a professional, verified account. Secondly, an official account allows you to leverage WeChat functionalities unavailable to personal accounts.
WeChat Official Account types
WeChat offers several types of accounts tailored to meet the needs of different users and organisations. The two main account types are
- Subscription Accounts which are ideal for individuals, bloggers, key opinion leaders (KOLs), and media platforms that focus on publishing a large volume of content at a higher frequency.
- Service Accounts which are designed for organisations prioritising communication, interaction, and brand loyalty. They provide advanced tools and better content visibility, making them the preferred option for most organisations for marketing purposes.
Applying for a WeChat Official Account
As a foreign organisation, you will need to apply for an Official WeChat account. There are three ways you can do this:
- Apply with a “borrowed” Chinese legal entity
When it comes to creating a Chinese WeChat account, there exists a bit of a grey area where international companies “borrow” Chinese legal entities from third parties such as agencies. While this might seem like a quick and convenient solution, it comes with significant risks.
By using a third-party legal entity, you relinquish control over the account. Although the account may carry your branding, name, and content, it is technically owned by the Chinese legal entity. This creates a precarious situation particularly if disputes between your brand and the third party arise.
If your organisation parts ways with the third party, you risk losing access to the account—and its followers. A notable example occurred in 2021, when the Australian Prime Minister’s WeChat account was sold, wiped, and rebranded as “Australian Chinese New Life.” Because the account was registered to a third party rather than the Prime Minister, the account could be taken down or sold at any time.
What’s more, this kind of setup can have a serious impact on your brand’s success in China as consumers will doubt the account’s authenticity if they see a discrepancy between the account brand name and the legal entity who owns it.
To avoid these issues, we recommend staying clear of this approach.
- Applying with your own Mainland Chinese legal entity
You can use your own legal entity in China to open the WeChat official account. This is the best solution for an international company that already has a local legal entity in China. This approach allows you to maintain complete control over the account, ensuring that your brand’s identity, content, and follower base remain entirely under your ownership. Additionally, Chinese audiences are more likely to trust accounts tied to a local legal entity, enhancing your brand's credibility and appeal in the market.
For organisations with an established legal entity in China, the process of applying for a WeChat account is straightforward and efficient. However, if you don’t yet have a Chinese legal entity, this approach becomes significantly more challenging as setting up a local entity in China is a complex and time-consuming process.
- Applying with your overseas legal entity
International companies without a Chinese legal entity can apply for an official WeChat service account using their overseas legal entity. This process typically takes approximately three months, making it a significantly faster option compared to establishing a Chinese legal entity to create the account
The industry you’re in is likely to impact the application process or may even halt it entirely. If your entity belongs to a foreign government, for instance, your application will be denied. However, most industries are allowed. Tencent may require additional documents or ask for changes to the application. It can be complicated but it much less risky than “borrowing” a third party’s legal entity. In our experience, this option is usually the best choice for most organisations we work with, but if you'd like further information on which might be the best suited to your needs our team would be happy to chat.
Requirements to open a WeChat Official Account
For the application process, you will need documentation and information in order to be successful. Here is a full list of necessary information for this process.
The table below gives you an overview of the information and assets you will need to provide when applying for your account.
| APPLY WITH YOUR OVERSEAS LEGAL ENTITY | APPLY WITH YOUR OWN MAINLAND CHINESE LEGAL ENTITY |
| Email address for registration | Email address for registration |
| Scanned colour copy of your overseas business licence | A scanned colour copy or a photocopy of your Chinese business licence with business seals 营业执照 |
| Registered company address | Organisation certificate 组织机构代码证 |
| Company’s landline phone number | Company’s Chinese landline phone number. You may receive a verification call from Tencent. |
| Company office address | Details of your Chinese account operator. Their WeChat account will need to have WeChat payment enabled. |
| Name of legal representative | Chinese staff’s Chinese ID number |
| Short company introduction and key business scope | Chinese staff’s cell phone number |
| Name of your WeChat account. The name must be unique, in English or Chinese characters or numbers, and cannot contain spaces or symbols. Avoid possibly sensitive words in the WeChat account name as this will not be approved by Tencent |
Name of your WeChat account. The name must be unique, in English or Chinese characters or numbers, and cannot contain spaces or symbols. Avoid possibly sensitive words in the WeChat account name as this will not be approved by Tencent. |
| Short account description | Short account description |
| Profile picture | Profile picture |
| Application form with signature of your legal representative. | Chinese bank account details including bank name and bank address. The bank account name must match the name on the Chinese business licence. Tencent will send a deposit with a 6-digit verification code to this account, so you will need to be able to access the bank statements to complete the application process. |
| Confirmation of the type of account you’re applying for (Service Account or Subscription Account). |
WeChat features that can benefit Western businesses
1. WeChat mini program
WeChat mini programs are small apps within the WeChat ecosystem that perform the same functionalities, similar to a standalone application downloaded through an app store. WeChat mini programs are highly accessible and can be shared by users through QR codes or via an official link. There are over 60 entry points for users to access mini programs. Users are able to subscribe share and revisit a channel through direct messages or group chats.
Here are some examples on how you can leverage a WeChat mini program in each sector:
- E-commerce: Online store for your brand products
- Entertainment: Create an online game to act as an extra touchpoint
- Communication: Create a WeChat mini program for content distribution
- Utility: An application for accessible online services
2. WeChat livestreaming
Livestreaming has grown significantly in the last couple years making it an important part of digital marketing for businesses. WeChat livestreaming is seamlessly integrated within WeChat’s mini program. This allows for users to view livestreams without leaving the WeChat ecosystem at all. There are many benefits in integrating WeChat livestreaming into your digital marketing campaign list this includes:
- Enhanced e-commerce capabilities: brands can use their livestreams as a way to market their products. Viewers can then directly click on a “buy now” link and purchase the product without the need to leave the application
- WeChat livestream is also beneficial due to the existing user base. International brands marketing to a Chinese audience would already have an existing user base. Therefore, the content you create on WeChat livestream will already have an audience!
3. WeChat channels
WeChat video accounts or WeChat channels is basically Tencent’s version of Douyin. WeChat video allows users to create and share short 90 second videos or up to 9 images in this space. Brands today are using short form video content to capture the attention of some of the most valuable customers in the online economy.
How to develop and optimise your WeChat content to focus more on organic strategies
Using WeChat, you can use organic strategies to develop your content. This can help you grow your audience naturally while not spending too much of your marketing budget on purchasing ad space. What are some good ways to develop and optimise your content using organic strategies?
1. Gamification
Gamification allows you to engage with users and increase interaction organically. Creating a simple and visually appealing game with an incentive at the end can be a simple way to increase your audience.
2. Personal messages or group chats
WeChat creates opportunities to engage directly with potential customers who are enquiring about your business. It is ideal to build a strong business to customer relationship in the long run. Creating groups is also another ideal way to build relationships on a larger scale. Group tend to be highly engaged, and messages are visible to a larger audience.
3. Promotion and conversion
Offering brand promotions, giveaways or discounts can be highly effective in the WeChat ecosystem. Customers are quick to respond and share the deals your business has to offer garnering a large audience in a short period of time.
4. WeChat store
Creating a service account can allow your business to create a WeChat for customers. This allows them to make quick purchases without leaving the WeChat ecosystem. Not only that, but the user experience on the app is also as good if not better than the experience on your website simplifying the process for your customers.
How to advertise on WeChat as a Western business
Advertising on WeChat provides the perfect getaway for foreign brands to connect to Chinese digital consumers. It enables companies to display their promotional message in the user’s newsfeed and allows businesses to grow their follower base and drive traffic.
Three types of WeChat advertising:
1. WeChat banner advertising
WeChat banner advertising is where banner ads appear at the bottom of WeChat Official Accounts. They drive users to either follow an official account, download an application, or purchase a product. There are advantages to using this method as advertisers have the flexibility to test and measure the effectiveness of their ads.
2. WeChat moments advertising
Moment ads appear in the moments section of WeChat similar to Facebook’s newsfeed. This method of advertising is less disruptive and blends in with general user generated posts. With a higher comparative cost, this method is a better option for more well established brands.
3. Key Opinion Leader (KOLs) promotion
KOL promotions are promotion made through celebrities, famous users or WeChat influencers that have the power to influence prospective customers. The benefits of collaborating with KOLs include being able to expose your brand to the KOL’s wide network of followers.
Ready to kickstart your WeChat marketing? We’ve streamlined the process of setting up a WeChat Official Account, making it quick and hassle-free. Contact us, and we’ll help you create your official account with ease!
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