Monday, June 11, 2018

THE BASICS OF A WECHAT OFFICIAL ACCOUNT: WHAT USERS NEED TO KNOW

Overview
WeChat is a social media platform that attracts many users in China. It is equivalent to Facebook in this country. Therefore, Chinese users of this social media site spend ⅓ of their time using their smartphone in browsing WeChat.
Official Accounts of WeChat
Since WeChat is similar to Facebook, users can get people to follow them, forward push notifications, and connect them to a website or eCommerce store.
Official accounts on WeChat are located on the Chat feature of WeChat. The chat section is the same on Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp. When a user sends a notification to an official account, that certain account goes to the top. From there, other users can open that account through a conversation interface. They can click the push notification or get more information from the interface located at the bottom menu.
A Comprehensive Guide to Creating an Official Account on WeChat
Requirements:
  • An email account for registration
  • A scanned colored copy or a photocopy with business seals of a business license in China
  • A certificate from an organization
  • A valid landline number of the company in China
  • An account operator with Chinese citizenship and a WeChat account that can make payments through WeChat
  • Chinese ID number of the staff in China
  • Cell phone number of the staff in China
  • WeChat account name— A space or symbol is not allowed on the account name. Letters of the English
  • Alphabet, Chinese characters, or numbers can be used. Sensitive words such as the name of a country or brand may not be allowed. Thus, the account name should be unique.
  • A brief description of the account
  • Photo
  • The bank account number, bank name, and bank address in China— The name on the bank account should be the same as the business license. There should be access to the bank statement since a deposit with a 6-digit code for verification will be made in this account.
  • The type of account (service or subscription)
Steps on How to Make an Official Account on WeChat
Step 1
Visit https://mp.weixin.qq.com/ and register for an account.
Step 2
Pick out the official account you want to create. If the content is mainly for business, a subscription account is better. If not, a service account can be availed.
Step 3
Type the email information. By clicking 注册, the account will be registered.
Step 4
Go to the email inbox or the spam mailbox and look for a verification email. Open this message, and click the link sent to verify the email address.
Step 5
After clicking the link, you will be redirected to a page where you can choose the type of account you want to create.
Step 6
Be careful in choosing the type of official account you want. If you opt to have a subscription account, it can be upgraded to a service account. However, if you opt to have a service account, you cannot change to a subscription account.
Step 7
Select the organization type and enter the information of the company.
Step 8
In verifying bank accounts, you will see two options. You can either transfer money from your company’s bank or from your personal bank account.
Step 9
Put the information of your account operator and confirm the name of the company.
Step 10
It is time to choose the account name. There are restrictions on what account name users can have, so it is important to think of a unique name. After choosing a name, you can click confirm.
Step 11
If you chose a service account, there might be a need for you to deposit a certain amount to Tencent for bank account confirmation. For subscription account, you will have to verify your official account.
Congratulations! You have your WeChat official account!
Conclusion
Finally, for those who want to do online marketing in China, a WeChat official account is highly vital. From packaging of products to doing online campaigns, this social networking site is used. Thus, it is an effective strategy to advertise. Even though the process of making an account is complicated for those who are abroad, it is worth it. It is because it is an effective and meaningful way to engage customers in China. Remember, China’s population is around 1.4 billion, making it one the biggest market for a business. Hence, making the most of the country’s popular networking site like WeChat is indeed a great strategy.

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