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[Introduction] This series of articles is based on WeChat, starting from zero to learn micro-marketing. It includes practical operations, expert opinions, 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 first one.
Day One—Micro-Business Mindset.
E-commerce has been around for over a decade. Who can defeat Taobao? Today, many people are shouting that the era of micro-business has arrived. I've heard more than once the myth of overnight wealth through micro-business.
Everyone has an entrepreneurial ambition, wanting to achieve financial freedom and spiritual freedom, but entrepreneurship is not easy; it requires more than just passion. I've been through it myself. Back then, with no money and no experience, I embarked on this path, encountering many bumps and detours along the way. When it comes to entrepreneurship, I initially fell into a misconception: trying to do everything big and comprehensive, multi-channel, thinking that more products meant more sales channels. After several years, I realized this model really doesn't suit the vast majority of grassroots entrepreneurs.
For grassroots entrepreneurs, the simpler the early-stage operation model, the easier it is to survive. The narrower the value provided, the more precise the consumer group, and the easier it is to succeed. The more things you have, the more complex the supply chain and channels become, making entrepreneurship more tiring.
I know every entrepreneur has a tough time. You must know how to measure ROI (return on investment) and avoid risks, rather than relying solely on enthusiasm and adrenaline. That's why I always advise new Tmall sellers to keep the number of categories and SKUs as small as possible when setting up their supply chain, to increase survival rates.
Those who have studied Sakyamuni should know that he was the greatest marketing master in prehistory. In his lifetime, he gave many public lectures, but they can be summarized into three things:
Focus, Execution, and Thinking.
Those who possess all three are formidable. Many predecessors spent their entire lives cultivating these three skills. Legend has it that mastering these three can make you invincible and dominate the world.
Well, don't doubt it; you're not mistaken, this is indeed Ling Yi's article. I've also cultivated these three skills, and then... nothing happened.
Let's get back on track. Today we only talk about mindset. But, those without execution can go to sleep now. Although it's cruel, I have to inform you that you're not suitable for this high-risk zone called Earth.
Admittedly, doing business on WeChat is quite interesting. I've experienced the thrill of WeChat transfer purchases, chatting while closing deals—it's life and business at the same time. This is much more interesting than opening a physical store, and the risk factor is much lower. I guess this is why many entrepreneurs favor micro-business.
Life = business, a very interesting equation.
Don't view this with traditional thinking. If you see micro-business as just a business, you're wrong; you've fallen into a misconception. It's actually a lifestyle, a channel revolution.
Once, at the risk of being beaten, I hid and learned from many masters. Most teachers, like me, liked to talk nonsense and rarely got to the point.
Today, at the risk of being slapped, I'll secretly tell friends who are doing or want to do micro-business: just remember one sentence.
"Mindset is king, product is queen, reputation is the foundation."
Mindset comes first. Doing micro-business requires more patience than Taobao. You need extraordinary calmness, even learning from Zhuge Liang, who farmed in Longzhong but cared about the world's affairs, with strategies to stabilize the country, but had to stay put.
If you're a beginner (i.e., someone without followers), you need a 1-3 month account nurturing period. This period is like Goujian enduring hardships, or Su Qin tying his hair to the beam and stabbing his thigh with an awl—it's an investment period with no returns. How many people have tearfully told me, "Damn it, this is too frustrating!"
Indeed, you must wait until the account is well-nurtured before you can start "selling" on WeChat (but not by spamming your Moments and getting blocked or even murdered—not an exaggeration; the world is dangerous, as reported on the news). If you don't have a good mindset, you might as well go home and farm.
Mindset is actually the entry threshold for micro-business. This threshold is not low because the mindsets of successful and failed people are absolutely different. Successful people always maintain a good attitude, smiling no matter how you provoke them. But this threshold is both difficult and easy: try not to be impetuous, and treat micro-business as a part of life, experiencing it.
Some might be impatient, slamming the table and pointing at me, asking, "Damn it, you've talked so much nonsense, just tell me what micro-business really is!"
See, you're impatient! I said you can't be impatient in micro-business. Wasn't this a test for you?
Let me explain slowly. Micro-business, at its essence, doesn't require any hosting page (online store/physical store). It's about communicating directly with customers through the internet and building trust. Transactions are based on trust. The "micro" prefix is because the main communication and dissemination currently use WeChat and Weibo.
To put it more plainly, micro-business is about communicating so that others trust you as a person. When you sell something, your followers support you. People with followers can do micro-business without opening a store. But you need to find something that pairs with your followers. If the pairing succeeds, you're a big winner. Like a potato meeting a tomato, commercial value emerges.
The node of micro-business is people. It's the relationship between people.
WeChat is a tool for micro-business. Weibo is also a tool for micro-business.
We can see that the importance of platforms will decrease in the future. Taobao, JD, WeChat, Weibo, QQ Space—these platforms are just sales channels and traffic entrances. Micro-businesses don't limit themselves to WeChat, and they shouldn't treat WeChat as a sales channel directly. WeChat is just a mainstream communication tool currently used by micro-businesses.
Many friends fall into a misconception: spamming ads in their Moments, only to be blocked by friends or even beaten to death. It's really not worth it!
Ling Yi's advice: Micro-business has many pitfalls; enter with caution!
The goal of micro-business is to control your own traffic and customers, to break free from platform "kidnapping," not relying on platforms, and even not being "kidnapped" by products.
WeChat is a core communication channel, and the communication is between buyers and sellers. This direct link makes the hosting page less important. Today, transactions can happen on Taobao, JD, or WeChat stores, or even without a store, directly through WeChat transfers. Storeless is a future trend, where people based on trust can transact without guarantees. If you don't believe it, consider it my fantasy. I believe it anyway.
Compared to mindset, product is second, but still very important.
The main demographic on WeChat is young people. Both male and female markets exist, with a female-to-male consumer ratio of about 2:1. Women are a bit more numerous, but don't be foolish to only target female customers. Don't forget I'm male; please don't abandon me. I also buy things on WeChat (TAT).
Women are irrational consumers; men are enthusiasts seeking perfection. Selling to women is relatively easier, while men have higher requirements for products. Products are bought by people, so we need to figure out who we're selling to, what they do, and their occupation. Only with this information can we find the right crowd and circles.
Products and people are inseparable. The so-called positioning is about gathering people, first attracting them, then providing specific value (products). This process is resource matching. The key is not the quantity of resources but whether they can be effectively matched. This is something many people don't understand; too many resources can sometimes be a burden.
The product strategy for micro-business has the following three principles:
Product structure tends to be single. A single product is easier to position. In plain terms, sell only one product, not more. One is enough. Let consumers remember it, and it's easier to spread. You can't satisfy everyone's needs, and don't try to. Just satisfy one specific need well. In the early stage, it's best to sell products that your Moments contacts need, which you can discover through chatting. Sometimes, after getting familiar, friends will support you no matter what you sell (except arms/drugs; don't get any ideas).
The product must be of reliable quality. Today, too many sellers have never seen or used the product before selling it. TAT, you can find such sellers everywhere on Taobao. If they mess up, they can just switch to a new Taobao store and start over. But micro-business is different: the former's node is the store, the latter's node is the person. You can't just say, "Let me become a different person and start again," right? Only by selling high-quality products can you ensure a good reputation. The essence of micro-marketing is actually word-of-mouth marketing.
It's best to choose consumables. Consumables have high demand, making it easier to expand scale. But it doesn't mean non-consumables can't be done; it's just a matter of scale. This depends on our own resources; the most important thing is that resources can be matched. Simply put, you have a certain resource that can be effectively utilized in this project.
Example: Masks, food, clothing, health products.
But sometimes, what product you sell isn't that important. Consumers' attention shifts to who is selling, i.e., trust in the person.
Reputation is the foundation of micro-business! As mentioned, micro-marketing is essentially word-of-mouth marketing. Without reputation, there's no word-of-mouth. The second principle of products—selling quality products—is also based on reputation. Only good products can bring good word-of-mouth and good reputation. Don't fantasize that junk can have a good reputation; I won't believe it even if I'm beaten to death. This market has been ruined by sellers of shoddy goods, leading to a lack of trust.
Not long ago, it was popular to sell fake goods in Moments and cheat acquaintances. It might bring short-term profits, but it sacrifices personal reputation. Friends won't be fooled twice. If you cheat me, I'll beat you every time I see you.
In my work, I first look at the person. When a project comes up, I ask who's doing it. If the person is reliable, the matter is mostly settled.
Similarly, if the person is reliable, the product is probably reliable—this is when I know the person. If I don't know them, I can only judge by the overall experience and product. If the product is good and the experience is pleasant, the person gets a reliable label. But if they get labeled unreliable even once, it's basically over.
Although many haven't realized it yet, the dividend era of micro-business has indeed passed. This article is belated. Today, we need to invest more time and energy to open this channel. Many people don't know if they're suitable for this industry. The main considerations are the following two questions:
- Do you have a strong interest in this field?
- Can you build your own influence?
The first point is the most important. If you have no interest, don't choose this "road of no return." Go somewhere cooler.
The second point is building your influence. I guess most answers will be no, because most people don't know how to expand their influence.
If you haven't figured out the second question, don't embark on this "road of no return" either. I recommend two books: "Influence" and "The Tipping Point" (both available as e-books in my cloud drive; if you like them, please buy the original versions).
You must have your own charisma. Those with strong charisma can stand out, like Gui Jiao Qi and Luo Zhenyu. If you don't have such charisma at this stage, you can borrow power, commonly known as big V forwarding recommendations, letting others recommend us, building influence through celebrity effect.
At this point, another question arises! Why would celebrities recommend you?
Generally, it requires value exchange—you must provide value to the other party before they're willing to recommend you. This threshold is extremely high for "homebodies who don't care about the outside world"! It tests both connections and character.
Some say you can sincerely communicate with the other party, first find another person in their circle, and have them introduce you. This threshold is also high because there are too many layers; you can't reach their core connections immediately.
The most realistic way is to first use people at your own level, leveraging the acquaintance effect for recommendations. Of course, the influence of a single such recommendation is minimal, but what if 100 people do it?
If you think this threshold is also high, there are two final choices: 1. Don't read further. 2. Patiently finish the entire tutorial.
You are the master of yourself. The choice is in your hands.
Finally, if you still decide to embark, please solve the following questions:
- Who will buy my product?
- What value do I provide to customers?
- Why should I be the one to provide it?
- How do I provide it?
These four questions are foreshadowing. You can think about them with some anticipation, but don't guess; I'm not that easy to predict. You'll know on the fifth day.
[Author Introduction] Ling Yi. Senior lecturer at Lao A E-commerce Academy, with extensive experience. His articles are also published on the Lao A E-commerce Special Training Camp public account.
This article is from Gui Jiao Qi's WeChat subscription account.