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[Introduction] This series is based on WeChat, starting from zero to learn micro-marketing. It includes practical operations, insights from experts, and Lingyi's own perspectives. We cover both practical skills and strategic thinking. The essence of marketing is communication; the essence of WeChat is a tool. There are seven articles in total; this is the fourth.
Days three and four should be read consecutively, or you'll feel like something's missing. Days five, six, and seven should also be read in sequence, or you won't be able to continue. Logic? Flashbacks? Reverse chronology? Interlocking? Okay, stop guessing. I can only tell you that five, six, and seven will be exciting. You can start drooling now.
WeChat's product manager, Zhang Xiaolong, hopes to make WeChat a communication tool and is reluctant to let it become a battleground for marketers. Understanding this is crucial: it means we shouldn't market too directly on WeChat. Instead, we should be subtle, low-frequency, and ideally tie marketing to topics. I call this "soft marketing." Once advertising is nakedly presented to consumers, it appears vulgar, and consumers become反感. Embedding ads within content changes the outcome. So-called content includes articles, topics, activities, etc. So-called marketing is about getting more people to watch.
Example: It's like watching a monkey show at the zoo. Initially, only Lingyi, that idiot, is逗 the monkey. People passing by stop to watch Lingyi逗 the monkey, and more and more people stop, forming layers of crowd. Those on the outermost layer don't know the original purpose was to watch Lingyi standing in the middle逗 the monkey; they just see people watching, only see the backs of heads, and join in. This is collective unconsciousness, commonly known as viral spread or brainwashing.
For instance, the recent viral song "You Are My Little Apple"—the tune was everywhere, and many forgot the original purpose of the music.
Playing micro-marketing as an individual is hard, but also easy. The key is knowing how to leverage momentum. Leveraging momentum is using force to counter force. It's also animal nature to attach to strong individuals. When you're weak, using the strength of the powerful saves time and effort. Marketing plus leveraging momentum is definitely a powerful move.
Okay, let me gracefully change the subject. Please don't hit me.
Build Credibility, Soft Marketing This mantra has logic: first build credibility, then do soft marketing. Building credibility means nurturing your account, which is the most important prerequisite, taking about 1-3 months. The purpose is to avoid revealing that you're a marketer; once exposed in your Moments, you might die instantly. Unless you already have a certain number of followers with good interaction, proving your credibility, you can skip the early account nurturing.
Let's understand account nurturing: it's about making friends know you, be familiar with you, and like you. Correctly using personal WeChat focuses on communication, providing valuable content to friends, to achieve the goal of account nurturing. In short, be fun. Make yourself "fun" and "interesting." It doesn't have to be as brainless as Lingyi; being interesting can also be serious. Just make followers interested in following you.
Personal Image I heard a joke: Everyone has a goofball in their Moments. When you find there's no goofball in your Moments, you are that goofball. My Moments has no goofball. Report complete.
Life experience tells me: be yourself, don't pretend. Pretending is the most tiring thing in the world. Remember this joke: I'm too stubborn; I could live on my looks, but I insist on relying on talent!
And another joke:
A young man asked the Zen master: "My aspirations are noble, I rise unstained from the mud, and I cannot tolerate this filthy world." The master took out a bag and asked the young man to put the garbage from the room into it. The young man quickly filled it, and the master took out another bag. The young man suddenly understood: "You mean with a broad enough mind, I can accommodate the world?" The master shook his head, pointed at the bag, and said: "Pretend, keep pretending."
Playing WeChat requires sincerity. What is sincerity? In short, "don't act cool." Also, don't avoid revealing your industry. You can show what you do through your signature or Moments cover, but don't post low-level ads in Moments. For example, I'm in the training industry; I don't flaunt it, nor do I avoid it. I don't attack competitors. When asked, I tell the truth.
Existence is reasonable; every company must have its own strengths to survive in the market.
Someone told me that so-and-so is badmouthing you again. My reply: Life is a play; you need to be tough. Compete with yourself, don't hold grudges against others. That's a life philosophy.
Our company recruitment also has jokes. I ask: Why did you choose our company? I won't give you a high salary. The other person: I don't care about money; I just want to learn. I ask: After you've learned, what do you want to do? Then it gets awkward. No answer satisfied me. In the end, it's all about money. Just say it directly; no need to hide. People do things with purpose, unless they're not human. I appreciate people who don't hide their purposes, while those without purpose are most dangerous. Because people with purpose are controllable; those without purpose, I have no idea what to do, immediately confused, can't see through them.
A friend asked me how to write good dry goods articles. I first ask: What's your purpose in writing dry goods articles? The friend answers: Just to share. I say: Then your article won't be good. Writing articles also needs a purpose—either for fame or profit, or it's a hobby. Without purpose, it's just casual writing. Where's your motivation?
Private Chat Chatting and shooting the breeze best increase intimacy. Each day, randomly pick 10-30 friends to chat with, caring for your friends. But don't mass-send; use the mass-send function cautiously—it's definitely harassment. This is delicate work, and hard work! Without patience, you can't do it well.
A seller told me: I don't know how to chat; I can't find topics. Actually, it's simple: as long as the other person posts in Moments, there's a topic to chat about.
Example: Seize the opportunity to strike up a conversation with beautiful Susu O(∩_∩)O~
If you still haven't grasped it, I can only help you this far TAT.
Moments First, let's talk about what we can do in Moments. Moments is where friends share messages, possibly their life details or excellent content articles. It's also a channel for interaction with friends. We can do three things:
1. Like; 2. Comment; 3. Post information.
Likes Liking is the simplest thing; it requires persistence. Like your friends' posts every day! Also, you can like the Moments cover; for each new friend, you can like their cover to show you've visited their Moments. Maybe they'll visit yours too.
Comments Commenting is not simple; it's a technical task. Commenting appropriately can boost your credibility. Most people manage their Moments too utilitarianly; utilitarianism is like a thorn, distancing us from friends. If you really don't know how to comment, you might as well send an emoji.
Posting Information Content in Moments needs simple planning, considering both time and content. I often hear friends say: Someone in my Moments, I don't know where they got the courage, spams every day, so I blocked them. Posting too much in Moments causes aversion.
I advise everyone to cherish life and stay away from spamming.
The frequency of posting in Moments shouldn't be too high; we can limit it to 3-5 times a day, respectively after waking up, during lunch or afternoon breaks, and before sleeping at night. These three time slots are also when most people are free.
For content planning, focus on life shows, sharing excellent articles, and your own life insights and emotions. During the account nurturing stage, don't post ads. After the account is nurtured, we can appropriately post some soft articles and make recommendations. Still, avoid directly posting low-level ads.
Another important point: group friends (tag them) so different friends see different information. This is crucial in maintaining Moments. We can use gender (male/female), age (young/middle-aged/elderly), groups/circles (WeChat groups can be imported for tagging). When posting in Moments, you can set who can see and who can't, so different groups see different info.
In short, it's a personalized system.