5 mistakes to avoid on WeChat

February 13, 2018

China has over 720 million internet users who use social media platforms like WeChat and Weibo. Chinese social media is unique and brands have to understand the needs of the local audience to deliver relevant content, increase engagement and drive sales.

 

Brands are yet to fully understand the multiple social media platforms due to its dynamic nature. Due to this reason, it has become extremely easy for brands to make mistakes on social media that can have a negative impact on their business.

 

Here are a few common mistakes that you must definitely avoid –

 

Turning a blind eye to PR crisis

 

With the rise of social media, there was also a simultaneous increase in PR crises. Users openly express their thoughts, feedback, or even rant about any dissatisfactory experience! The problem arises when a brand fails to address negative feedback from users. Plenty of times, brands resort to ignoring and deleting negative comments or responding with the most robotic reply. These actions only intensify the public discontent.

 

Buying fake results

 

This is a common error that is committed across social media platforms all over the world. Brands pay service providers and third parties to help increase their followers or article views through bots. The data that follows is not a true reflection of the brand’s social media presence. While these methods may seem fruitful in the short run, it only hurts the brand image in the long run when exposed by users.

 

Choosing the wrong KoL/Influencers

 

KoLs and Influencers are extremely useful for building the brand credibility, visibility and engagement on social media. However, sufficient research must be done in advance to understand the requirements and choose an influencer who would be the perfect fit for the brand. Careless selection will negatively impact the brand and degrade its image.

 

Lack of overall strategy

 

A single brand advertises on multiple social media platforms. The look and feel of each and every platform is different. There is even varying user behaviour on each of these platforms. Therefore, brands must have a solid social media strategy in place to prevent unfocused marketing efforts.

 

Not adapting to the revising rules & regulations

 

Everything in social media changes in a split second. The Chinese Government constantly reviews and updates the online rules and regulations. Brands must keep an eye out for these changing rules or it might lead to serious repercussions for their business.

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How WeChat boost E-commerce in China?

February 9, 2018

WeChat is one of the most widely used apps in China. With over 900 million users, the app has been making waves in China with their constant innovations and updates!

 

It’s only natural that the most popular app has somehow affected the purchase behavior of users online.

 

Let’s see how WeChat has impacted the Digital consumer trends –

 

Mobile

 

Mobile has become the most popular device for online shopping in China. Around 84% of consumers have made their purchases from a mobile device in 2017 whereas it was 71% in 2015.Since the majority of the sales are made on mobile, brands must be able to advertise and engage with users on the platforms they frequent the most.  

 

Social Media

 

In an era where social media is everything, it plays a huge role in affecting the purchase behavior of users. Brands are starting to understand the true potential of social media and they are focusing their energies towards reaching out to potential customers on digital. 51% of consumers open push notifications sent from a brand’s official WeChat account. 27% consumers indicate that they tend to buy more after receiving those notifications.

 

E-commerce

 

The demand for E-commerce in China has been increasing rapidly and acts as a key catalyst for retail. Infact, the growth in E-commerce has been surpassing the growth in offline retail. Last year, online sales grew by 28% whereas, offline sales only increased by 5%.

 

E-commerce across borders

 

E-commerce is not only seeing an increase within China, but also in international purchases. The percentage of customers that buy from overseas website have risen from 34% in 2015 to 64% in 2017. Young shoppers from 18-35 years are the leading force behind this surge.

 

With this huge untapped potential for rise in E-commerce, it would be interesting to see how brands are leveraging WeChat to achieve their goals.

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How WeChat is replacing your wallet in China?

January 17, 2018

China has announced a new Digital ID system where the residents can link their National Identity Card to the popular messaging and social media app, WeChat, through facial recognition. The app currently has over 980 million monthly active users in China.

 

The new ID system has been introduced as a pilot programme in the Nansha district of Guangzhou. The program came into existence after the joint efforts of the Ministry of Public Security, Tencent’s WeChat team and various other banks and government departments.

 

This system opens up a whole new monetary portal for the tech giant Tencent as China’s ID cards are used for almost anything and everything. Residents use it for hotel check-ins, train bookings, bank account openings and the list goes on! If this pilot programme proves to be successful, Tencent might finally have what it takes to overtake its close rival Alibaba.

 

The pilot programme is compartmentalised into 2 divisions. The first ID offers a limited access function and the second one provides a more advanced access function.

 

The limited or the light version can be obtained through facial recognition in the WeChat application and can be used for low-security functions like verifying identity for hotel bookings. But the upgraded or the full version must be obtained by visiting an offline terminal and scanning the physical ID card. This edition can be used for high security functions like registering a business.

 

With Tencent starting to become a huge part of the governmental functions, it would be interesting to see what the future holds for WeChat.

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How WeChat fights fake news with artificial intelligence?

January 2, 2018

In this era where social media rules everything, the creators of the all these platforms are constantly battling with the circling of fake news. This problem of fake news has drastically increased over the past few months with the increase of number of users in these platforms.

 

And it is no surprise that China’s tech giant Tencent is also facing this problem. Tencent’s signature application, WeChat, has around 1 billion users and it weeds out around 15 fake stories per second which makes it 1,000 stories per minute. This alarming rate of the fake news has alerted the developers of the platform to build strong softwares or utilize third party apps that can help find the fake articles and remove them instantly.

 

Tencent uses third-party fact checkers to help them eliminate the fake articles and information. They work with over 1,300 experts and institutions to fight the spread of fake information across all its major platforms including WeChat. Around 800 authorised third-party organisations have helped Tencent to shut down 180,000 accounts that published fake news on WeChat.

 

Additionally, the tech giant also uses another tool called WeSeer that enables them to monitor and keep an eye on the authenticity of content. It is a powerful software that can that can predict which articles are likely to go viral in the next hour, locate the key accounts driving the spread of information, identify stories of interest and break down readership by different segments, e.g., location, age and community. It has also launched a mini-app in WeChat to help users identify the authenticity of information circulating on the platform.

 

The company strongly believes that by making their AI more smart and  more efficient in identifying and digesting information, it will prove to be a stronger method to eliminate the hoax articles and news.

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WeChat becomes Macau’s favorite APP

December 28, 2017

We’re all aware of how WeChat is one of the leading applications in China. The popularity of this app knows no bounds and now it has slowly started to make its way to other places.

 

Based on a recent survey conducted by Macau University of Science and Technology, Sun Yat-Sen University,  Communication Association of Macau and the Macau Creative Intelligence Development and Research Association, WeChat has become Macau’s most used new media application!

 

The survey set out to get the feedback of over 1,000 Macau residents in October and November. Out of the residents surveyed, around 72% of residents were regular users of WeChat in comparison to other popular social media apps like Facebook and Weibo. Around 52% of the people in the survey use Facebook.

Among the people surveyed, 90% of the users in new media are under the age of 50.

More than one third of the interviewees spend an average of one hour daily checking and using WeChat. Whereas, 19% and 12% of interviewees spend more than 3 hours and 2 hours on the app respectively.

Irrespective of the type of job and income level ,approximately 70 percent of people use WeChat the most out of any other application.

With these statistics, WeChat is definitely on the right path to becoming a popular app in different countries.

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Travelling just became easy – WeChat Introduces CityExperience Mini Program

December 15, 2017

We all know WeChat as one of the greatest Chinese apps that is constantly trying to innovate and provide solutions to the user from the comfort of their smartphone, and now, they’ve just come up another solution to make travelling a piece of cake!

 

WeChat has partnered up with Tourism Australia, VisitBritain and Dubai Tourism to provide a hassle-free travel experience for the users of the app. These Tourism boards, along with the help of WeChat, helped develop digital maps of the locations that can be accessed by the users. These programs were presented at the ‘WeChat Mini Program CityExperience Showcase’ event in Shanghai.

 

What can you do and find on the CityExperience Mini Program?

 

Currently, the program has immersive digital guides for London, Dubai and Sydney. This map provides landmarks, places to eat, shop and see. It is everything a traveller could ask for! And better yet, the map also displays photos of the place/store and on tapping on the photo, you can see an overview of the location with necessary contact details. The Mini Program also helps you find places that are closest to you.

 

With these features, it is no doubt that the CityExperience is the perfect app for Chinese tourists to travel like a boss! And if this picks up, WeChat can partner up with more Tourism Boards in different countries and cover a lot more area. The app not only benefits the users but also the country itself as it helps bring in more revenue from tourism.

 

Have you tried out this feature yet? Do let us know all about your experience in the comments below!

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All you need to know about WeChat’s Open Chatbot platform

November 30, 2017

Tencent, a leading provider of value added internet services in China launched its very own open chatbot platform for developers last September.

 

The open platform aims to provide a simplified process for developers to build chatbots. The application requires an easy 3 step process which is mentioned below :

 

Step 1 – The developer submits the access application where it is reviewed through a manual audit

Step 2 – Post approval, the developer can initiate building their own robots on the platform

Step 3 – Post development, another application has to be submitted for review and can be posted online once it’s approved

 

Over and above the user-friendly application process, the platform also provides a multitude of features that will give the developers an edge over other open robot platforms.

 

Here are a few of those features :

 

  • State of the art image and voice recognition that promises accurate identification
  • A better semantic understanding based on decades on technology and data accumulation
  • Robotic tools that enable dialogue customization
  • Easy access to statistical data and tools
  • Convenient review processes online

This platform has paved the way for development of different bots that can help the user book movie tickets, find restaurants nearby and even book cabs! In the era where technology is booming, a platform like this can definitely lead the path for improved chatbots and online services.

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Thomas Cook Innovates on WeChat with KRDS for its launch in China

November 24, 2017

 

Thomas Cook, the prominent travel services company in the world has opened its doors in Shanghai. Thomas Cook wanted to raise awareness about the brand in the Chinese market and decided to do an innovative campaign during its launch event on September 6th attended by over 100 media professionals from China.

 

Social & Mobile Agency, KRDS Shanghai was roped in due to its sound WeChat expertise to assist with developing a WeChatVirtual Reality experience and a live game ‘Play Together’ (一起玩) to entertain attendees during the luncheon.

 

The Virtual Reality experience was created for the guests to enjoy beautiful locations and views with a VR headset inspiring them to travel while game would serve as an introduction to the story of Thomas Cook’s brand and history.

https://youtu.be/j7sm6FcC_bA

The game begins when users follow the brand, Thomas Cook on WeChat. A code is presented to them which redirects them to the game. The game then randomly pairs up two guests at the event and a question about Thomas Cook is displayed on the game. The player that answers the fastest among the two is awarded points and paired up with another guest. The other player that answered incorrectly is also paired up with a different guest. The scoreboard of the game was also broadcast live on the screen as the attendees paired up with each other in rotations.

 

The game was able to provide the media professionals an overview of Thomas Cook and its launch in Shanghai along with its journey to becoming one of the most renowned travel services companies in the world.

Billy Ko, Head of Marketing & Digital at Thomas Cook commented:

“Introducing a social game at the live event was a great way to liven the atmosphere and served as a fun element. The addition of the VR Experience also was a great way to introduce our brand to China and we thank KRDS for making it happen”

 

Aurélien Ferrie, General Manager, Greater China at KRDS Shanghai added:

“Perfectly leveraging WeChat is key for any brand that comes to China. By creating both a unique VR experience and a live quiz on WeChat, Thomas Cook was able to show the market that they want to go beyond and translate their innovation on to the WeChat platform. We are proud to note their trust in KRDS and our WeChat expertise, to bring this ambition to life” 

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Influence Marketing: How to improve your KOL strategy on WeChat ?

October 13, 2017
It is common knowledge that the Chinese market is full of innovators and marketing noise. When it comes to making purchase decisions, chinese customers are more inclined to following the people they trust to make this decision. Word of mouth therefore, is an important purchase quotient for customers in the Chinese market.
KOL means Key Opinion Leader and this is an important factor right now in the Chinese market space. With the increase of use of social platforms like WeChat and Weibo, there has been a steady increase in influencers or KOL’s in these social media platforms.
The influencers consist primarily of bloggers, celebrities, socialites and columnists.  Most of these influences have a strong base in travel, magazines, journalists, business and so on. There is also another category of influencers called Wanghong which when translated means a web celebrity in Chinese. They are primarily into beauty and lifestyles, dubbed as ‘beauty gurus’.
Influencer marketing in itself is a much popular method to bringing awareness to your product in today’s time as more and more people disregard traditional methods of advertising. These KOL’s not only deliver their influence to the product or brand but are also involved in contributing their creative ideas in the process. A shout-out from a huge influencer is sure to bring new followers or awareness to the brand.
Let’s say you have engaged a popular web celebrity to bring awareness to your products. What do you do from here? There are many options for influencer marketing to meet your objectives. Here are the most popular ones:

1. Sponsored Posts:

A sponsored post is probably the most common method of engaging a KOL to bring awareness or to promote your product or brand. The brand offers their product or services to the KOL who then uses this to create engaging content on their platforms. Sometimes, the brands may also provide the influencer exactly what to say for them to post it.

2. Reviews

Word of mouth is one of the most trusted ways of product decision and this method combines this together. The influencer uses the product from the brand and provides a review on it so its users can understand more about the product and it can influence their purchase decision.

3. Giveaways or Contests

 

The KOL can host a series of competitions on behalf of the brand on their competition, or giveaway certain products of the brand to raise more traffic and awareness to the product. This is a great way to make a content go viral as the user has something to gain at the end of it too.
As we see the rise of active users of social platforms, we can only expect influencer marketing to be on the rise in China!
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5 Steps to make viral content on WeChat

September 28, 2017
WeChat is an important way of life in the Chinese market currently. With more users joining in an exponential rate, it is also a place where marketers come together to sell their products and business in this online marketplace with minimal restrictions. Every day, 12 million articles are written by brands on the platform and every month readers read an entire novel worth of articles by brands. With this competitive edge, how can brands ensure that their content stands out amongst their competitors ? The answer is simple!
To understand this, we must first understand what kind of articlers, users share the most. What makes them viral in nature, where users are mass recommending them to their friends. Understanding this can help us arrive at a guide on creating the best and viral content on the platform.
 

1. Evoke an Emotional Response to the Content:

Often the content that is the most viral, has a personal touch to it. It has the user feel immersed in it, enough for them to share this experience with their friends. Users love to send their friends content that expresses their personal points written in the most efficient and effective way. A great example of this is an account well known for its reviews and movie shows, launched a campaign that created a stir in the mainstream media, The company gave away 100 free tickets to participants who arrived at any airports or Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou within a few hours of it being published. This brings us to the second point:

2. Don’t be afraid to think out of the box

Often marketers are unable to push the limits of their thinking and are confined in a box. Sometimes, the content that goes viral the most is content that does not accept the social or traditional norms and rises up amongst the clutter. Users are more susceptible to share content that they are certain, their friends would have never seen. The ‘wow’ factor is extremely important to create viral content in the WeChat space.

 

3. Focus on storytelling 

 
Each piece of writing must have a story based approach to best explain your brand to the audience. Have one objective and write your stories based on that objective, ensuring not to stray away from the topic. This may confuse users if not done correctly. The content must always be vetted keeping the end user in mind, their feelings, their beliefs etc.

4. Encourage a Conversation

Great viral content is one that forces people to have an internal discussion with themselves. When the ‘dress’ happened on social media, people were torn amongst themselves trying to figure out if the dress was golden or was it blue? The discussions were rampant in office, at school and at the dinner table. Discussions like these are what make the content go viral, in a sense there should be an open ended interpretation sometimes to enable a good conversation.

5. Interaction in Key

Increasing the interactive ability of the content, will largely increase its chances of becoming viral. The content presented must be enjoyable and interesting to read for the audience to encourage their interaction with it. Interactive H5 pages often achieve millions of views in a short span of time.
There are other important points like being concise and to the point. However, these guidelines mentioned above are quite essential to create interesting and shareable content on WeChat!

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