In this post we are going to have a look at top 5 of them.

5 Most Useful Features of WeChat for Marketers

WeChat groups

One of the most often overlooked WeChat features for marketers is WeChat groups where members can participate in discussions. Inviting customers to join a group can be an effective way to keep them engaged with a brand. Each group is issued a unique QR code that users can scan in order to join, however, as soon as the group reaches its maximum allowed capacity (currently 100) scanning QR code would no longer work. An easy work around this limit is to send an invitation to users to join a group – a group owner can invite unlimited number of participants to a group.

Payments

After launching its own payment system, WeChat quickly became one of the major ecommerce platforms in China, along with Taobao, Tmall and JD. Every official service account has an option to setup its own ecommerce outlet and receive payment from customers. Capability to handle payments “on the go” is one of most powerful features of WeChat for marketers. Instead of directing potential customers to a website where they can complete the purchase, WeChat now enables a near instant conversion.

Lucky draws

WeChat service accounts can incorporate many types of lucky draws that can be another effective way to keep customer engaged as well as acquire new followers. Lucky draws can take multiple forms – from quizzes to virtual scratch cards. There are number of 3rd party add-ons that can enhance WeChat accounts by “gamification” of the user experience.

Loyalty cards

As businesses and brands are constantly looking for new ways to improve their customers’ loyalty, membership and loyalty cards are increasingly moving into WeChat. This is another excellent feature of WeChat for marketers as it offers both convenience to customers by not having them carry their cards and increases app usage. Latest version of WeChat even allows managing and storing loyalty cards and coupons in one place, much like AppleWallet does.

Targeting

One of the most powerful features of WeChat that is used for marketing is ability to target specific groups of followers with messages tailored just for them. Unfortunately, basic WeChat backend targeting function is quite limited and only allows to sort followers by their gender, and declared location which is also often different from the actual one. However, there are number of companies who offer a more customized approach that is based on behavioral patterns of followers. This way, followers can be grouped in new categories and targeted with specific marketing messages that they are more likely to respond to.

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For the second part of our list of 30 Ways of How To Get WeChat Followers go to Part II and here is the Part I.

30 ways of how to get WeChat followers – part 3:

#21: Displays at trade shows

Trade shows provide ample opportunities to place QR codes on any flat surface such as walls, stands, reception counters etc.. And by any surface we mean “any surface”:

#22: Video

If you use a promotional video for your products, consider placing QR code in a still frame at the end while giving enough time for a viewer to scan it. Alternatively, QR code could also remain visible during video playback if placed in the frame corner but it should be large enough and in high resolution to be scannable.

#23: Company cars

If your company owns cars, vans or buses, consider placing QR code along with your branding such as company name or telephone number.

#24: Website

Last but certainly not least, QR code should be displayed on your website. Most commonly it goes in the footer along with other social media and contact info, however, some sites choose to move it up top to a more prominent position.

#25: Trade shows campaigns

Another method that works well at trade shows is distributing giveaways to those visitors who scan your QR. Since you give away hundreds of pens and other useless souvenirs anyway, why not to at least get WeChat followers out of it?

#26: Email marketing

Run email marketing campaigns targeting specific audiences and centered on WeChat account. For any other email marketing such as periodic newsletters, make sure to include WeChat QR code as well.

#27: Targeted WeChat posts

One way to increase chances that a WeChat post will be shared is to make it as relevant as possible to a specific audience. WeChat allows some limited message targeting by recipients’ gender and location which can be further enhanced by manual grouping of the followers. By targeting specific group with such customized posts, it is more likely to be shared among people with similar interests.

#28: Creative QR codes

Traditional black and white QR codes have just one drawback – they look ugly. Luckily, now they don’t have to be! There are ways to design perfectly scannable QR codes that blend with the brand design and look much more visually appealing than just a bunch of black and white pixels.

Another example is the one of an Israeli company Visualead that has developed unique technology that overlays graphics with QR codes. Those can be scanned just as reliably as the traditional type.

#29: Interactive account

Adding interactivity to WeChat accounts makes them more functional as well as visually appealing. Such accounts are more likely to be shared and recommended by existing followers to their friends.

Instead of settling for standard menu type account, consider developing so called mini-site that can be customized to better reflect your brand image.

#30: Posting in Weibo groups

We talked about using social media such as Weibo to promote WeChat account. Posting in Weibo groups which are dedicated to specific and relevant interests is another way to get WeChat followers. Keep in mind however, that Weibo doesn’t allow posting QR codes directly – doing that can get you banned from that group.

For the previous part of our list of 30 Ways of How To Get WeChat Followers go to Part II and Part I.

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For the first part of our list of 30 Ways of Getting WeChat Subscribers go to Part I.

30 ways of getting WeChat subscribers – part 2:

#11: PPC campaigns focused on WeChat account

Just like Weibo, major Chinese search engines like Baidu view WeChat as a completion. This means that you can’t directly advertise WeChat account using Chinese search engines. However, it is still possible to run search or display ads which would direct visitors to a dedicated landing page featuring WeChat account details and QR code.

#12: WeChat advertising

WeChat offers its own in-platform advertising in both user Moments as a sponsored content as well as ads in participating accounts. Unfortunately, at least for the now, WeChat own ads are very expensive. The high price and the lack of accurate targeting makes WeChat advertising notoriously ineffective. Presently, only big brands looking for blanket advertising are the main users of WeChat ads.

The good news is that the prices are slowly getting lower and some new changes to WeChat advertising are rumored to be introduced this year.

#13: Offering free Wi-Fi

This method of getting WeChat subscribers works well for restaurants, coffee shops and other businesses with physical location where patrons tend to spend their time at. If setup correctly with WeChat, free Wi-Fi option would appear at the top of the chat session. Selecting free WeChat would require a user to follow the account first, making him/her a subscriber.

#14: On the spot discount or a freebie for following WeChat account

Another trick that is often used by restaurants and coffee shops is asking customers to follow their WeChat account to get X percent discount off the bill or a free item such as a drink or desert. This one should be used carefully to prevent abuse.

#15: WeChat based menu and food ordering system

In one of our earlier posts we covered the new WeChat-only coffee shops in China that have moved menus along with the entire food ordering system online. Using such system would give another incentive for patrons to follow the account.

Posting QR wherever possible is another effective way of getting WeChat subscribers. Here are some ideas on where QRs could be displayed:

#16: Email signatures

This simply means including QR code along with a signature at the bottom of every email that goes out to clients.

#17: Invoices and receipts

Printing QR code on invoices and receipts that customers keep gives them another chance to scan it.

#18: Product packaging

Include QR code on product packaging. It works even better for products that require after sale service which can be delivered via WeChat too (see item #7).

#19: Business cards

Make sure that every employee’s name card has your WeChat account QR code printed on it as prominently as possible (some companies dedicate the entire flip side to it).

#20: Every other printed material

Consider placing QR codes on company prospectus, brochures, datasheets etc. Every QR code placement is another opportunity for someone to scan it giving you another way of getting WeChat subscribers.

Here is the Part III of the list.

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Since WeChat, unlike most other social media platforms, is not a discovery network, getting WeChat followers doesn’t work in the same way either. On the other hand, what really matters is not the quantity but the quality of followers which is the main strength of WeChat as a marketing tool.

In general, WeChat followers tend to be more interested in actually following the updates, consuming posted content and using account’s other features. In other words, the higher engagement level with the followers is what makes WeChat marketing so effective.

Currently, there are only 3 primary ways to subscribe (follow) a WeChat account:

1. Follow the account from the link when it is shared by WeChat friends;
2. Scan its QR with a smartphone;
3. Search for the exact WeChat account name from within the app;

The 3rd method of following the account is not something that is often used as it is somewhat cumbersome to users. Although it is always a good idea to pick a memorable account name, it is unlikely to be contributing to getting WeChat followers.

Essentially, acquiring WeChat followers comes down to the first two methods.

30 ways of getting WeChat followers – part 1:

#1: Creating shareable content

Easier said than done, sharing content is what can potentially get you the most followers. Writing volumes of standard content that doesn’t get shared isn’t worth much. However, just one post that goes viral has the potential of bringing hundreds of followers virtually within hours.

The best approach is to invest in a research and learning about people in the niche that you are targeting. Once you can figure out what they really care about – stay focus just on that.

#2: Getting KOLs (key opinion leaders) to share your content

There are thousands of KOLs on WeChat that would distribute your content (for a fee) to their followers which often reach tens of hundreds of thousands. More followers they have – higher price they charge: top KOLs with millions of followers can be very expensive to engage.

KOLs promotions are mostly effective in fashion, cosmetics, entertainment and similar areas. This is why this channels is not suitable for everyone.

#3: Integrating with WeChat Pay

WeChat Pay is quickly becoming one of the primary payment methods in China, both online and offline. Integrating WeChat Pay with WeChat account not only enables receiving payments but also automatically connects every paying customer to your WeChat account unless they specifically choose to unsubscribe.

#4: Promoting via other WeChat accounts

If your business owns multiple WeChat accounts, you can use them to promote a new one. This way you can get some of the existing followers to subscribe to a new WeChat channel, especially if it offers related but different content.

The same way can be used to cross-promote WeChat accounts through accounts of your partners – they post links to your content and you reciprocate.

#5: Leveraging employees networks

One of the simplest ways to get followers quickly is to encourage your Chinese employees to follow the account and periodically share the content with their friends. This method, at least at the beginning, can get your account a quick boost in the number of followers, some of whom may one day contribute to getting your message to a wider audience.

#6: Develop loyalty program

Loyalty programs are increasingly getting incorporated into WeChat accounts. They often come complete with points accumulation system and a virtual membership card. Running such function with WeChat will help attract new followers as well as retain the existing ones.

#7: Offer customer service on WeChat

If you sell a product or service that requires customer service, why not to use WeChat as one of such channels? Some of the responses to standard inquiries can even be pre-programmed into the system while other may require an actual human interaction.

Getting customers to communicate with you via WeChat offers another opportunity to engage with them and even capture their exact location to gain better insight. Several 3rd party platforms offer powerful platform extensions that enhance its functionality as a customer service channel.

#8: Leveraging other social media platforms

Other social media platforms can also go a long way in getting WeChat followers. While straight up publishing WeChat QR code on Weibo is not allowed (they are competitors), you still can post WeChat account name, so visitors can search for it.

Also, sometimes you can even get away with incorporating WeChat QR code into graphic background design.

Keep in mind however that simply duplicating the content between the platforms wouldn’t give enough incentives to your Weibo followers to go to another network. Therefore you should consider offering something different on both channels.

#9: Offering practical value in terms of discounts and coupons

This is another way to make WeChat content more relevant, practical and shareable. Coupons and discounts could be time limited to create a sense of urgency – an effective marketing trick. They can also be designed to be used online or within the same WeChat account as a part of O2O campaign.

#10: Lucky draws and quizzes

People love winning prizes which makes lucky draws and quizzes an effective strategy of getting WeChat followers. WeChat account’s basic functionality can be enhanced with 3rd party extensions that are designed to handle such promotional campaigns.

Stay tuned for our second part of the list coming next week.

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If your company has a WeChat account, you should go through our checklist to make sure that you have all the bases covered.

WeChat marketing checklist: Best places to display your WeChat QR code

Website

Perhaps, most importantly, QR code should be displayed on your website. Typically, it goes in the footer along with other social media and contact info, however, some sites choose to move it up top to a more prominent position. If you are really serious to promote your WeChat QR code on your website and not worried to risk annoying your visitors, place it in a pop up.

Email signatures

This simply means including QR code along with a signature at the bottom of every email that goes out to clients.

Product packaging

Include QR code on product packaging. It works even better for products that require after sale service which can be delivered via WeChat too.

Invoices and receipts

Printing QR code on invoices and receipts that customers keep gives them another chance to scan it.

Displays at trade shows

Trade shows provide ample opportunities to place WeChat QR code on any flat surface such as walls, stands, reception counters etc.

Email marketing newsletters

Run email marketing campaigns targeting specific audiences and centered on WeChat account. For any other email marketing such as periodic newsletters, make sure to include WeChat QR code as well.

Printed materials: brochures, datasheets

Consider placing QR codes on company prospectus, brochures, datasheets etc. Every QR code placement is another opportunity for someone to scan it giving you another way of getting WeChat subscribers.

Posters and billboards

A simple roll up posters with an offer and a large QR code is the simplest and cost effective way to promote your WeChat official account to large crowds. Every type of poster should display your WeChat QR code.

Business cards

Make sure that every employee’s name card has your WeChat account QR code printed on it as prominently as possible (some companies dedicate the entire flip side to it).

Other social media channels

Although some rival social media networks have rules against posting WeChat accounts QR codes, others are not as strict. Users often place their WeChat QR code in the background to make it visible to visitors while not necessarily breaking posting rules.

Company cars

If your company owns cars, vans or buses, consider placing QR code along with your branding such as company name or telephone number.

Video

If you use a promotional video for your products, consider placing QR code in a still frame at the end while giving enough time for a viewer to scan it. Alternatively, QR code could also remain visible during video playback if placed in the frame corner but it should be large enough and in high resolution to be scannable.

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On the other hand, many foreign brands, who want to jump in on WeChat, don’t realize that the platform comes with the number of limitations. While in some cases and if done right, WeChat marketing can be incredibly effective, in other cases the results can be quite disappointing.

5 Common Misconceptions about WeChat Marketing

#1 Followers will find you

Unlike other popular social networks, WeChat’s private nature makes discovery quite difficult. WeChat’s own search function only allows looking for an account containing the exact match to a specific word. Even with that, the search results are often inaccurate. There are only a few ways you can acquire a follower:

• Have them scan your QR code placed on other media (website, banner ad, print, billboard etc.);
• Have someone forward a link to your account on WeChat to their friends (essentially word of mouth);
• Having someone to post a nice comment about you in their feed (moments) with the link to your account (KOL);
• In-app advertising – more about it below;

Here is more about getting WeChat followers organically.

#2 No one else can use my brand

Many popular brands who are just getting around starting their WeChat marketing campaigns in China often find out that someone else is already using their brand name and logo. Once an account has been created by someone it can be quite hard to have WeChat remove it. However, ignoring the problem is not a good idea either.

If, following the complaint, the owner of “squatter” account is refusing to comply by changing their WeChat account’s name and logo, it is possible to file a complaint to Tencent by filing proper paperwork. To be successful, the legitimate brand owner has to prove their ownership of the trademark in China which is the whole new topic. More on registering trademarks in China can be found in one of my favorite resources online at China Law Blog.

#3 In-app mobile advertising within WeChat is effective

In fact, advertising within WeChat is notoriously ineffective while also extremely expensive. Click through rate (CTR) of such ads is usually quite low for a number of reasons. The main problem is that once clicked, the user than will be taken out of the app elsewhere, usually to a built-in WeChat browser. Since most people don’t casually browse WeChat but have some purpose while using it, they wouldn’t typically abandon their activity in the middle to be redirected elsewhere.

The ads within user’s Moments (WeChat’s version of feed), are also rarely relevant and are not displayed consistently. Here is my other post about the issues with WeChat advertising.

#4 Recycling of posts from my other social media channels will do just fine on WeChat

Although, it could be an effective strategy to reuse content from other social media channels or blogs for WeChat, the posts are often not optimized for this platform. For example, articles that are too long or those relying too much on the graphics may not render well on WeChat’s smartphone screen.

One of the keys for WeChat marketing is figuring out the posts format that is just right in both size and layout. The graphics should be clear enough while displayed as a thumbnail in multiple picture posts while not looking pixelized when extended to the full screen. That would require some tweaking and testing to get everything right.

Also, if there are external links, they should lead to properly responsive pages that are optimized for mobile.

#5 WeChat marketing allows accurate targeting

We wish that one was true. Unfortunately, it is quite difficult to segment WeChat marketing messages, which is also true for its advertising. On the most basic level, the followers can be segmented only by their location and gender. Even the location is based on whatever WeChat subscriber has set and not on the actual geolocation. Whenever a more granular approach is needed,  each individual follower can be tagged and grouped. This would allow sending more targeted messages to a specific audience.

Such segmentation can be either manual – often an extremely time and labor consuming effort, or automated with some 3rd party backend platform customization. The biggest disadvantage of the platform, as compared to other popular social media channels, is its lack of tools to target followers based on their behavior, a crucial component in many effective digital marketing strategies.

In conclusion, while WeChat can be a powerful marketing tool in China, it’s important to realize what it can and cannot do. The best use of WeChat would be to deploy it as a one of the marketing elements, closely integrated with other channels, not in isolation.

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In an earlier post on WeChat marketing we’ve discussed limitations of WeChat based advertising and its low ROI. Therefore, acquiring subscribers organically remains a much more cost effective way to grow your brand following.

WeChat marketing can be tricky but there are some ways to make it work. In addition to the list from the last week, here are five more tips:

Share content for free gift

An example of effective WeChat marketing is encouraging customers to share a piece of content from your account in their WeChat moment. For example, a restaurant could offer its patrons a free desert or a discount off the bill if they present proof of sharing a photo of a restaurant or a meal with their friends.

WeChat marketing with virtual loyalty card

Offering a virtual loyalty card in WeChat is another way to get more followers and can also become an effective WeChat marketing strategy. Owners of such loyalty cards can have their QR code scanned at the location for discounts or points collection. Here is an example of such virtual card used by Wagas, a popular western restaurant in China:

Free wifi to WeChat followers

WeChat official accounts now have a feature that allows displaying the closest Wi-Fi network directly in users contacts. This feature works great with businesses that have a physical location, such as stores and restaurants. Prompting users to connect to a free Wi-Fi in exchange for a basic info or signing up as a follower is another opportunity for effective WeChat marketing.

Get creative with QR codes

QR codes have just one drawback – they are ugly! Having a tiny logo in the center still doesn’t doesn’t improve their visual appeal. Fortunately, thanks to the new technology developed by Israeli company Visualead, it doesn’t have to be that way anymore.

Visualead provides online QR generator to combine a QR code with any imagery, such as a logo or a picture. Here is an example of such QR which is perfectly scannable, just like its boring black and white equivalent:

Don’t delay communicating with followers

There is a feature of WeChat official accounts that is known as “48 hours rule”. It means that you only have 48 hours to engage with a follower directly after he/she subscribed to your channel or communicated to it via sending a message. It’s important not to miss the opportunity to connect with a new follower within that time frame. Offering a targeted content such as a coupon or a personalized invitation to an event would keep new followers engaged and minimize chances of losing them.

Every new follower is a potential sales lead and it is in your interest to keep that lead hot. After all, unsubscribing from a WeChat channel is always just “a swipe” away.

Stay tuned for our upcoming posts on how to use KOLs to grow your WeChat followers base.

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One of the key distinctive characteristics of this platform is its private nature. This feature also makes the discovery difficult.

For example, if one is looking for a particular product on Facebook or Weibo, it is relatively easy to get relevant results quickly. With WeChat, searching for a particular product or event would most likely return nothing unless you know the exact name of the WeChat account, or, at least, the brand name.

This makes scanning QR code the only reliable way to get the followers. This, in turn, comes down to two factors that have to be put in place – the availability and unambiguity of QR codes on one hand and giving a good reason to scan it on the other.

Here are some ways to achieve both:

Publish QR code on your sites and social media

Every online channel that you company owns has should display QR code to your WeChat account as prominently as possible. Some sites go as far as setting it up in the header area or as a floating widget that always stays in view while scrolling. At the very minimum, the QR code should be at the footer that shows up on every page of the site.

Here is the screenshot from Starbucks Chinese website:

Add WeChat QR to company newsletters

Make sure to add QR code to all of your email communications, especially newsletters. It can be combined with announcing special offers that are available only to brand’s WeChat followers. Such placement is another example of making QR code available and giving your reader a reason to scan it.

Also, keep in mind that emails are often viewed on mobile phones where QR code can be saved as a picture and loaded to WeChat application later on.

QR code on packaging

Including QR code on product packaging is another great opportunity for WeChat marketing. For example, scanning a code could connect a user to a customer service provided via WeChat official channel or offer a discount or a coupon for this or other product.

Run WeChat marketing campaigns in print

Traditional newspapers and magazines can be another great venue to place QR code at. They can also be combined with offers and discounts – an efficient way to entice people to scan it and become your brand’s follower. Of course, printed media can be utilized in both large scale, such as posters and billboards, as well as be as small as a business card.

WeChat marketing at events

Events, such as trade shows, conferences and product launches provide ample opportunities to place WeChat QRs and encourage visitors to scan them. A simple roll up posters with an offer and a large QR code is the simplest and cost effective way to promote your WeChat official account to large crowds. Keep in mind, however, that if you are going to offer a free gift to everyone who scans your code, you’ll get a lot of followers quickly but may lose large part of them as soon as they get a free gift. Setting up some type of a lucky draw would be a more cost effective way to go with.

Stay tuned for the second part of the list with 5 more tips which is coming up next week.

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WeChat official account ads are displayed in the form of a banner appearing at the bottom of a WeChat article published at another WeChat Official Account.

Who can use the WeChat official account ads?

At present, all types of accounts are eligible to run official WeChat account ads and there are no limits on the industry types like in the case of WeChat Moments ads.

Running WeChat account ads may also be significantly cheaper compared to WeChat Moments ads – the minimum required to start is set to RMB 1,000 (~USD 150).

There are also two models available: CPM and CPC. CPM prices range between RMB 5 and 25 depending on the city type and ad type (video ads are more expensive).

CPC is bidding based with the minimum bid set at RMB 0.5 but would most likely be much higher than the minimum, especially for highly competitive industries.

Minimum daily budget is set to RMB 50 for text/image ads and RMB 200 for videos.

Here are some of the examples of WeChat official accounts advertising banners:

How does it work?

– A qualified WeChat publisher publishes an article on their WeChat account;
– The banner ad will be shown at the bottom of the relevant articles;
– User can interact with the ad through a button, although they can’t like or comment on it (users can still like or comment on the article itself);
– Ad banner contains a logo, account name and headline, or a picture, or a video;
– The button can link to a webpage (HTML5) hosted on Tencent’s server;
– The banner ads can drive users to follow WeChat Official Account, download an app, claim coupon code, buy a product, signup link or lead to a customized landing page.

Targeting

Targeting options for WeChat official accounts advertising are identical to WeChat Moments ads. Currently, WeChat targeting options are as follows:

Location:

The locations are defined in 3 levels: core cities, large cities and everything else:

Core cities: Beijing, Shanghai

Large cities: Guangzhou, Chengdu, Shenzhen, Hangzhou, Wuhan, Suzhou,
Chongqing, Nanjing, Tianjin, Xi’an, Guiyang, Changsha, Qingdao,
Ningbo, Zhengzhou, Dalian, Xiamen, Jinan, Harbin, Fuzhou

*Note that WeChat official account ads will not be served to overseas users, only those residing in the Mainland.

Gender & Age:

Gender (male/female) and various age brackets from 5 to 60+ years old

Industry specific or user’s interests:

Advertisers can define an industry category and subcategory while setting up a campaign.

Here is an example of defining an industry and choosing an available subcategory:

WeChat would immediately show how many users are in each of the chosen combination of criteria.

Marital Status:

Single, married, newly married or raising a child
Education level:

PhD, master, bachelor, high school, primary school

WeChat behavior:

Currently following your public account, already using your app, collected a WeChat coupon from ads within the past year, and showed interest in your previous ads during the past year.

In the past, WeChat official account advertising has been criticized for low CTR and the lack of control on the advertiser’s part. At the moment, WeChat is the one deciding on which accounts ads should be served. Advertisers have no way controlling and specifying exactly where their ads should appear.

Those advertisers who would like to specify exactly with which accounts they would like to advertise often consider KOL (key opinion leaders) route rather than WeChat official account advertising.

Follow the link below to learn about the other type of WeChat advertising:

>> WeChat Moment ads

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Who can use WeChat Moments ads?

There is a list of specific industries that are allowed to place WeChat Moments ads. Those definition are fairly broad and include food and beverage, catering industry, automotive industry, gaming, travel, internet services etc. They currently exclude smaller and niche industries.

WeChat moments ads also come with a price tag: the minimum threshold is currently set to RMB 50K (~USD 7,400). WeChat Moments ads are only served on CPM basis.

CPM cost range from CNY 50 to 180, depending on the geographic targeting and type of ads served. Serving WeChat Moments ads in so called core cities (Beijing and Shanghai) is more expensive and CPM for video ads is higher than text/image ads.

WeChat Moments ads daily budget should be set to at least RMB 1,000.

How does it work?

WeChat Moments ads include the following elements:

– Brand name and profile picture;
– Ad description (up to 40 characters);
– Max 6 pictures or 6-15 seconds short videos;
– Link to a webpage (HTML5) hosted on Tencent’s server;
– Users can also interact with the ad by “liking” it and commenting on it.

Users will see up to one WeChat Moment ad every 48 hours. The ad will disappear within 6 hours if the user didn’t interact with it. Users can also choose “not interested” option to prevent this ad as well as similar WeChat Moments ad from reappearing in the future.

On the other hand, if users interacts with the ad, this will increase the likelihood of their friends receiving the same ad. This feature increases the chances for this particular ad to have viral effect.

Targeting

Advertisers can setup different targeting criteria for serving WeChat Moments ads to a specific audience. Currently, WeChat targeting options are as follows:

Location:

The locations are defined in 3 levels: core cities, large cities and everything else:

Core cities: Beijing, Shanghai

Large cities: Guangzhou, Chengdu, Shenzhen, Hangzhou, Wuhan, Suzhou,
Chongqing, Nanjing, Tianjin, Xi’an, Guiyang, Changsha, Qingdao,
Ningbo, Zhengzhou, Dalian, Xiamen, Jinan, Harbin, Fuzhou

*Note that WeChat Moments ads will not be served to overseas users, only those residing in the Mainland.

Gender & Age:

Gender (male/female) and various age brackets from 5 to 60+ years old

Industry specific or user’s interests:

Companies can choose to advertise to 18 industries and 122 sub-categories. The 18 core categories include: education, travel, finance, cars, real estate, furniture, fashion, F&B, personal services, professional services, cosmetics, home electronics, sports, health, child education, bags, watches, shoes, jewelry, politics and law, luxury goods, drinks, internet, entertainment.

Marital Status:

Single, married, newly married or raising a child

Education level:

PhD, master, bachelor, high school, primary school

WeChat behavior:

Currently following your public account, already using your app, collected a WeChat coupon from ads within the past year, and showed interest in your previous ads during the past year. Those users who have indicated that they are not interested in your content will be removed.

Follow the link below to learn about the other type of WeChat advertising:

>> WeChat official accounts ads

The post WeChat Advertising Overview: WeChat Moments Ads first appeared on Sampi.co.

The post WeChat Advertising Overview: WeChat Moments Ads appeared first on Sampi.co.