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[Introduction] This series of articles is based on WeChat, starting from zero to learn micro-marketing. It includes practical operations, insights from experts, and Ling Yi's own perspectives. Both practical skills and thinking are covered. The essence of marketing is communication; the essence of WeChat is a tool. There are seven articles in total; this is the second one.
Day 2: Basic WeChat Knowledge This article may disappoint you; introductory works inevitably include basic knowledge. I am well aware that veterans will curse after reading this.
Under the WeChat system, there are four products: Personal WeChat Account, Subscription Account, Service Account, and Enterprise Account, each with its own characteristics. Those already familiar can skip this section.
First, the Personal WeChat Account. Everyone has one because registration is very simple—you only need a mobile phone number or QQ account to register. It is the most widely used and frequently used product. Although registration is simple, there are some details to pay attention to.
First, the WeChat ID (微信号). This is the account that others search for when adding you as a friend. It is recommended to use your mobile phone number as your WeChat ID for two reasons: first, it is easy for Chinese people to enter; second, it also tells the other party your contact information. In marketing, you need to be transparent yourself. The number of people who have your mobile number stored to some extent represents the scope of your business expansion. Note especially that once registered, the WeChat ID cannot be changed.
Profile Picture The profile picture is an important channel for communication with others; our external image relies on it. It is not recommended to use scenery, animals, or logos, because personal accounts should avoid conveying strong commercial information and should express personal charm. Therefore, it is recommended to use a personal photo that is positive and sunny, showing approachability, conveying that this account belongs to a "normal person," not a marketing account. A WeChat account with a real profile picture is more likely to pass friend requests, and more people around will greet you.
Nickname The nickname is the name we use in external communication. We may see many people using symbols or English letters. This might seem stylish, but it is not easy to remember. It is recommended to use Chinese, preferably your real name or a second name you choose for yourself. For example, I use "Ling Yi," which can be considered my second name; basically, colleagues call me this name, and now I rarely hear my original name. Once the nickname is set, it should not be changed.
Personal Signature The personal signature is an information channel for strangers to understand us. Therefore, it is mandatory. There are many ways to write a personal signature. Based on the characteristics of WeChat accounts, it is recommended to directly display your business and needs. Also, the smaller the phone screen, the more characters appear. The iPhone 5 can display about 10 characters, while my 6-inch large screen can display 13 characters; the rest will be hidden, showing "...", so important content should be placed first.
Example: I am very direct, stating my profession or identity and my attitude toward communication. Smart people will find me at offline events. My personal signature is "E-commerce data analyst, welcome to communicate." This kind of signature can attract relatively precise groups, mostly data professionals or e-commerce practitioners, and a small portion unrelated to these two; they are purely curious to see what an e-commerce data analyst looks like and what information they post on Moments. Maybe I can inadvertently learn industry insider secrets from them (the user's brain's YY process).
Moments Cover Whether existing Moments friends or potential new friends, they may browse your Moments. The top position of your Moments is an image, and this image can also be used strategically. If you are a handsome man or beautiful woman and need to attract fans with your image, it is recommended to use your beautiful photo. If your WeChat account is a marketing account, you can create a (soft) advertising image as the cover, placing your product on it. Of course, you can also take a photo of yourself (or a model) holding your product.
Example: The following fruit-themed image is suitable for a fruit e-commerce business (O(∩_∩)O~).
WeChat Wallet Activate WeChat Wallet and use the Licaitong service to increase account security (to avoid being banned easily). Buy any wealth management product. Just have assets in the account; this will increase WeChat's security factor and prevent Tencent from banning the account due to adding too many people at once. Because it involves property, it is a civil dispute, so it will not be banned easily.
Subscription Account Both individuals and companies can apply for a Subscription Account. The advantage is that content can be pushed once a day. The disadvantage is also obvious: all Subscription Accounts become secondary entries; users need to click on the Subscription Account's conversation to read messages, resulting in much lower open rates compared to Personal Accounts and Service Accounts.
Registration for a Subscription Account is more complex than a Personal WeChat Account. First, you need a valid email account to register via email, and you need to prepare a photo of yourself holding your ID. Also, note that the account name of a Subscription Account cannot be modified. Review time is about 1-7 days.
Registration Process: Step 1: Fill in email and password information. Step 2: Activate the account via email. Step 3: Choose account type as Subscription Account. Step 4: Fill in registration information. Step 5: Fill in official account information.
Account Name The account name cannot be modified once registered. This name is the external name; others see this name when they follow the Subscription Account.
WeChat ID It is recommended to set the WeChat ID in pure English or English plus numbers; Chinese cannot be used. This is the account users use when searching, so it is very important and should be easy to search. For example, my first Subscription Account used an underscore "_", and many people could not type it, so they could not add me.
Profile Picture The profile picture of a Subscription Account is similar to a Personal Account; it can be a frontal photo of yourself, but it can also be related to your business. Because the nature of Subscription Accounts differs from Personal Accounts, people add personal accounts more for communication and snooping, while they follow Subscription Accounts because of your personal charm or because they need the content or business you provide (such as health consultation, e-commerce news, etc.).
Example: Many people say my profile picture is funny, resembling a certain character (ri). Actually, when I designed it, I evolved it from the prototype of the Tai Chi symbol, taking the meaning of "from nothing to something," fitting Ling Yi. From zero to one is the process of creation. After setting the profile picture, I use the same one for all my online accounts and do not change it easily. Of course, you can also use your frontal photo like Luo Zhenyu.
Menu The menu can only be used after WeChat certification, improving interactive experience.
Service Account Service Accounts require enterprise qualifications to apply, and materials such as business licenses are needed. The advantage is that they are displayed in WeChat as independent conversations, so message open rates are relatively high. But the disadvantage is obvious: only 4 messages can be sent per month. From a marketing perspective, each message is very valuable. Other aspects are basically the same as Subscription Accounts, except that enterprise information is required during registration.
Below is a comparison of article reading open rates between Service Accounts and Subscription Accounts. Although it is related to the audience, the audiences of the two accounts are basically similar. It also depends on the quality of the articles; if the Service Account publishes obvious advertisements, it may also lead to lower open rates.
Service Account article reading situation Subscription Account article reading situation
Enterprise Account The Enterprise Account is a platform for internal management, processes, and employee communication within a company. It is not external, so we will not use the Enterprise Account.
If you cursed after reading this, congratulations, it proves you are no longer a novice. If you did not curse, congratulations too, it proves you have left the novice ranks.
[Author Introduction] Ling Yi. Senior lecturer at Lao A E-commerce Academy, with rich experience.
This article is from Gui Jiao Qi's WeChat Subscription Account.