HOW DO WECHAT MINI-PROGRAMS BOAST KOL SALES CAMPAIGNS?

In the time we live in, it is very important for the brands to promote their products and services not only via mainstream advertising but also via social media personalities who have a large number of following. Such influential accounts are called Key Opinion Leaders or KOLs. These are powerful influencers who use their voice to promote products and services across social media platforms like WeChat. While Weibo only allows 140 characters to be posted in one post, WeChat allows these KOLs to post fully fledged posts with all the required details about the products or the services making it a comprehensive post. WeChat KOL is indeed a good choice for the companies and brands to promote their products and services.

How do they fare on WeChat?

You might be wondering about WeChat KOL marketing cost. Well, the system by which KOLs are paid is pretty tricky over the WeChat. Unlike other social media platforms which are available across the world, WeChat provides a comprehensive advertisement system for the companies to use. Generally, any company that has the base in China can spend ¥50,000 RMB in WeChat advertising while the companies with a base in abroad are allowed to spend ¥10,000 RMB. The cost of the advertising entirely depends on the location on which the companies want their ads to publish and that can vary from ¥50 RMB to ¥180 RMB. By taking other options in an account like demographics etc, the cost can vary dramatically.

Type of WeChat accounts

When we talk about KOLs, we also need to understand the importance of the type of accounts these influencers are holding. There are mainly two types of accounts that WeChat is offering right now. These type of accounts are Subscription and Service accounts. If you are looking to advertise on WeChat via KOLs, you should know the difference. First of all, subscription accounts have less visibility but they can do one post a day. On the other hand, the service accounts have high visibility but they can only do four posts in a month.

Secondly, when we talk about subscription accounts, though they have lesser visibility, the reach is much higher as they are constantly interacting with the followers with new posts which is not possible with a service account. Service accounts are best fitted for the companies and brands and not for the general public or KOLs.

Different type of campaigns done by KOLs

There are four major types of campaigns done by KOLs on WeChat. The companies choose the type of campaigns according to their requirements and budget.

Advertorials and product placements: This is the most common type of campaign run by the KOLs over WeChat. The KOLs write the post or the article in their usual way while emphasizing on the product or the service in the post. Say, if they post about “Top 5 phones for 2018” they will write a general article while praising the particular model of the phone more to make sure it steals the limelight in the article.

Product Reviews: This is the easiest way to promote any product for the company. The companies choose specific KOLs to review their products and post an article or a video about it. These product reviews are used by all type of companies like electronics, makeup, healthcare and many others.

Interactive campaigns by KOLs: In such campaigns, the KOLs post an article or a post to engage with the followers and ask them to post photos or videos in the replies. In the majority of the cases, the randomly chosen user(s) from the replies get rewards as well to make sure there is a maximum interaction between the KOL and the followers.

Sponsored Articles: In such campaigns, the KOLs provide a direct sale link for the followers from where they can buy the product or the services after only a few clicks. Such campaigns are more direct and make it easier for the followers as well to understand that it is a paid post.

Direct Sales Generation from WeChat Mini Programs

While KOLs are making it easier for the companies to promote their services and products over WeChat, the platform has also made it easier for the companies to interact directly with the customers. The WeChat mini-programs are apps which can be run within WeChat without any need for additional installation. These apps or mini-programs are revolutionizing the market in China as it provides easier ways for the customers to buy products and services.

All major Chinese, as well as international brands that are active in China, have these programs so that customers do not have to shift to another app to buy the products or services. For example, the KFC mini program allows you to buy food within WeChat and you do not need to install the basic app for the company to do so. The programs work perfectly as e-commerce stores and also provide QR codes to complete the purchase.

Minting the benefits of the mini-programs, many KOLs have launched their own mini-programs to increase direct sales. Such mini-programs provide information about a variety of products to the followers and let them make a purchase from within the app.

Examples of WeChat mini program KOL driven high sales

Though it seems unrealistic to a few, launching own mini program has made it much easier and beneficiary for the KOLs to generate sales. Some of the most famous KOLs with mini-programs are:

Shiliu Po: One of the most famous fashions KOL in WeChat, Shiliu Po had recently launched a mini program. Within the first hour, the mini-program got over 100,000 page views.

YuXiaoGe: Yet another famous KOL who launched a mini-program but here the concept was different. Instead of launching only one program, the KOL emphasized on multiple KOL for different purposes and it made it much easier for the KOL to not only provide specific information and sale links to the followers but also to track the sales.

Conclusion

When you are trying to establish your base in China or want to promote the already established business in China over the internet, there is no better way to do it other than WeChat KOL promotions. The penetration that WeChat can provide to your brand is unmatchable via any other platform. KOLs make it much easier for the brands to reach out millions of people at a very affordable price and that too only in a few clicks.

HOW MUCH IS THE TOTAL COST TO MAKE AN APP FOR A SMALL BUSINESS?

Apps are popular these days, so it’ll definitely be a good move to create a mobile app to further promote your brand. However, creating an app isn’t as easy as you may think. Making your own app entails a lot of planning and a lot of budgeting.

You especially have to pay attention to the cost because it can be expensive to build an app, depending on how high tech or functional you want it to be. If you’re a novice or beginner at app creation, here is a guide on the estimated cost that you need to shell out.

Given below are cost factors that you have to take into consideration, as well as the actual costs of the development.

THE BUSINESS MODEL

The first thing that you have to consider is your business model. How will the app fit into your business model? If it can compliment your brand, then it’ll be easy to market the app. If it’s a bit hard to fit in, you might need to do some thinking as to how you’ll make it fit.

THE KIND OF APP

How high tech do you want your app to be? Obviously, the more low tech the app, the cheaper it will be. To get an idea of how the costing is like, check out the estimated costs for Android apps below:

• Basic App- up to $35,000
• Standard App- $40,000 to $55,000
• Semi High-Tech Apps- $55,000 to $100,000 (depending on the functions)
• Very High Tech Apps- $100,000 and higher

These are the costs for Android apps. Let’s check out the ones for iOS or Apple apps.

• Table Based Apps- $1,000 to $4,000
• Database Apps- $5,000 to $50,000
• Gaming Apps- Up to $250,000 (depending on quality and functions of the game)

THE FUNCTIONS

Next, you have to consider the functions of the app. There are so many functions that you can choose from. As long as you tell the developer what you want, the developer will be the one to quote you. However, below are some of the most common functions that you can add along with their respective costs:

• In-app purchases: Around $3,000
• Internet services: $1,000 to $5,000
• Share Functions: $500 to $1,500;
• SDKs: $50 to $200

The cost of other functions may vary depending on the developer.

THE DESIGN

The design would entail both the front and the backend of the app (what the consumer sees and what you see from the back). You have to work with your development team when including all the functions and development to create the final app design.

THE MANPOWER

You have two options with regard to manpower— you can create your own team of developers, or you can outsource a development company (or a freelance developer) to create the app for you. If you want to create your own team, you’ll need:

• Operations Manager to supervise the development
• The Coding Team to do the actual development structure
• The QA Engineer to test all the protocols
• The UX Specialist to help determine what people would want in the app

If you want to get a development company, check out some of the costs below for three development companies:

• Applico- $100,000 to $300,000
• Fueled- $100,000 to $500,000
• Savvy Apps- $100,000 to $500,000

If you want to get a freelancer, you would most likely be charged by the hour. Here are some estimated rates:

• Native Apps- $35 to 100 per hour
• Cross-Platform Apps- $16 to 60 per hour
• Hybrid Apps- $20 to $100 per hour

CONCLUSION

As you can see, it’s possible to spend over half a million dollars on the development of a regular app. However, it is also possible to spend much less like just a little below $100,000 depending on what you want your app to be like. All you have to do is to create your main vision first and work from there. You’ll be able to see the costs along the way. From there, you can start shaving off costs and functions that you won’t need.

Take note that all these costs are estimates and may differ from the actual figures.

SHOULD I CHOOSE A SITE BUILDER OR WORDPRESS FOR MY WEDDING BUSINESS WEBSITE?

Almost every service provided in the wedding industry needs an online presence. Professionals rightly wonder which type of site they should opt for. The most frequent dilemma is deciding between WordPress and other website builders.

SO, YOU ASK: WHICH ONE IS BETTER FOR YOUR WEDDING PROJECT, A SITE BUILDER OR WORDPRESS?

Understanding the way these platforms work can provide you with an answer or at least, help you gain insight into their very nature. Unlike Squarespace or Weebly, which are website builders, WordPress is actually an open-source platform. That means the commercial restrictions are virtually non-existent and your project can be hosted anywhere. That alone can be a reason enough to prevail in its favor.

SYSTEMS SUCH AS SQUARESPACE AND WORDPRESS ARE EQUALLY ESTEEMED.

Yet, these content management systems do differ in several aspects.

First of all, being in the wedding industry demands creativity. This is where WordPress features outweigh those of Squarespace or Weebly. Its customizability makes it the most popular platform of this kind in the world because thousands of widgets, themes and plugins work visual miracles.

On the other hand, Squarespace offers fewer themes than WordPress does but quantity and quality in this instance come with strings attached. Unlike WordPress, Squarespace is cloud-based and that means everything is pre-installed and downloaded. Squarespace is generally a lot easier to use, especially for people who do not have any or have very little experience in website building.

Being a cloud-based platform, Squarespace comes with a massive drawback, though. All updates and installments are done automatically so the moment the system goes down, your project is likely to go down with it. Conversely, WordPress is being continuously maintained and this can save you a lot of time and nerves.

ON TOP OF THAT, WORDPRESS BRINGS THE CREATIVE EXPERIENCE TO THE MAXIMUM.

The themes (so-called “skins”) WordPress employs support a range of website types – publications, blogs, online stores etc. Along with the plugins – tools for social sharing or e-commerce payment systems, WordPress delivers unparalleled customizability and functionality ideal for building an online wedding project.

SO, IT ALL COMES DOWN TO THE PURPOSE OF YOUR PROJECT.

What is the name of your game? Are you a blogger? Then, the ease of use Squarespace offers could be the right solution.

One thing is irrefutable – Squarespace is characterized by its overall simplicity and usability. But, as with any other business, you want to think ahead and minimize your website’s flaws in the long run. This is exactly why WordPress is a safer bet.

Wedding industry is an ever-growing one. The services you provide need to be presented with a dose of responsibility and professionalism. WordPress is fully-featured and depending on your desired content, the complexity it offers exceeds any other platform.

The bottom line is that with WordPress, you have the upper hand in the business you are trying to pitch. This top-notch web publishing system exceeds any other on the market by enabling unrivaled performances suitable for any kind of online business and weddings are no exception.

THE IMPACT OF VIDEO CONTENT ON SOCIAL MEDIA TODAY

The present era can be referred to as highly ‘socially active.’ By ‘socially active’ we mean that the usage of social media platforms today is at its peak, especially the rise of video content is one of the biggest trends on social media today. There must be only a few who aren’t there on any social media platform; otherwise, the rest of the world is crazily active on social media.

SOCIAL MEDIA VIDEO IS THE MOST VIEWED CONTENT

The number of videos appearing in our newsfeeds on platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, etc. has exponentially increased. As we keep scrolling the newsfeed, a new video appears. Thus, it is pretty much evident that video content is used for almost every purpose, be it marketing a brand, awareness of a societal issue, spreading information, etc. According to TechCrunch’s report for 2016, over 8 billion videos are viewed on Facebook alone in one day and about 100 million hours of video content is viewed on Facebook every day. Big number, isn’t it?

SOCIAL MEDIA VIDEO CONTENT IS MARKETERS’ FIRST PREFERENCE

Social media video content has now become one of the most powerful and effective marketing tools. People in the marketing field have adopted and they practically follow the phrase that says, “actions speak louder than words.” This is true from all depths that what our eyes see leave a deeper influence as compared to using words. Therefore, TV advertisements, promotional videos, campaigning videos have become more and more common as they are the most effective means of brand engagement.

According to Social Media Examiner’s survey, 72% of the marketers think social media video content brings them the best ROI. On average, a social media video’s organic reach is 135 percent more than a static post. Furthermore, we see many videos that are about awareness of a certain issue or are for the welfare of the animals, humans etc. People now know that words cannot be as influential as the videos!

We understand why videos are being used for marketing, promotions, awareness but ever wondered why do we see videos flooding on our newsfeeds on all our social media accounts?

Well, this is because the people today rely majorly on their social media accounts. Videos have caused social media platforms to become a place for the marketing of products, awareness of issues around the world. Almost everyone we know, companies, NGOs, individuals, etc., uses social media video content to promote their business. Through uploading videos on such platforms, the message can reach a wider audience all around the world without much effort. And not only that, it is considered as an easier way to influence the minds of the major population of the world.

According to Social Media Examiner’s report for 2016, 60% of the overall social media marketers use video content, about 14% of them used live video feature on Facebook or YouTube. 1 out of every 4 marketers or brands falls behind a video as their cornerstone content.

Social media was introduced for easy communication between friends and family members who live far away and to know what’s going on in their lives but it has now taken an altogether different shape.  Apart from social networking, the social media today has also become a wonderful platform for video marketing, spreading awareness, creating brands and many more activities.

Videos and social media together serve as the best tool to grab the attention of the world. Social media video content has become the king and is ruling all social media platforms. The world is evolving and we see innovative ideas springing up from every corner of the world. Today video content has become the most popular means of conveying messages all around, let us wait and see what the future holds, what new ways will replace the old ones!

IS THERE A NEW PLAYER CHALLENGING WECHAT’S MINI PROGRAMS?

 Is There a New Player Challenging WeChat’s Mini Programs?

Undoubtedly, WeChat became one of the biggest players in the app market garnering about 1 billion users. With the launch of last year’s Mini Programs, WeChat again stayed on top of its game.

But is this going to end sometime soon?

It was recently announced that a collaboration of China’s smartphone manufacturers and some Chinese government bodies are working together to build a similar technology to Mini Programs. While no concrete news has been shown yet, this may be a sign that WeChat is about to experience some tough competition from the new player.

WeChat Mini Programs

For those who don’t know, WeChat Mini Programs are applications (also known as sub-applications) that you can download inside the WeChat system. Mini Programs can be downloaded in the same way that you download regular apps from your Google Play or Apple Store.

The difference between Mini Programs and regular apps is that Mini Programs don’t use up as much data. They are fewer data intensive and still have the same nature as apps. Because of this big difference, many WeChat users switched from the regular app stores to WeChat’s Mini Programs.

The New Player in the Market

Some of the collaborators involved in this new project are Xiaomi Technology Co., Huawei Technologies, Lenovo, Oppo, Vivo, and other Chinese phone manufacturers. The Chinese government body the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology is also involved in this project.

From what we know so far, this new technology is known as “Fast Apps,” and it works in a similar fashion to Mini Programs. They are very lightweight apps that are HTML based and do not need any downloading or installation. Once you click on one of these Fast Apps, it’ll launch right away.

A platform similar to that of a Play Store will be created to store all the Fast Apps. The group plans to make this new platform more efficient and faster for its consumers. This is with the goal of enhancing user experience in mind.

In an interview with Reuters, collaborator Xiaomi mentioned that there are already over a hundred Fast Apps ready for use once the platform is launched. There are also Fast App versions of some of China’s existing apps such as travel app Ctrip. Beside each Fast App is an “instant launch” button next to it. This will allow users to launch the app right away without the need for installation, as we’ve already mentioned beforehand.

How Fast Apps Will Work?

Each of the smartphone manufacturers in the alliance will have their own app store where the consumers can download the Fast Apps. For example, Xiaomi will have its own marketplace known as the Mi App Store while the others will also have theirs. This is quite different from the setup of Google Play Store and the Apple App Store— both of which we are more used to. It works pretty much like the Mini Programs of WeChat where you can get access to instant apps.

What Are Some of the Benefits of Fast Apps?

We’ve already mentioned convenience to be one of the main benefits. What are the other benefits that Fast Apps offer? One other main benefit is that consumers won’t have to worry about compatibility issues with their devices. They can just launch the app from their phone’s respective play store and use it. This is also an advantage for developers because developers won’t have to worry about building different versions just to make certain apps work.

What’s Next for WeChat?

Even with a new threat to their already established brand, WeChat won’t be going down without a fight. First, WeChat is able to make the Mini Programs accessible to even Apple device users, which is an issue that may become problematic for Fast Apps in the future.

Other than that, WeChat has also launched a Mini Program known as CityExperience that targets travelers on business trips. This move can potentially battle the Ctrip Fast App.

Conclusion

While Fast Apps offer very attractive features to smartphone users, WeChat still remains at its spot with its Mini Programs and shows no signs of moving. The battle will be about which app store gives the best user experience to the consumers. We will just have to wait and see how Fast Apps can fare in the market against Mini Programs.

WORDPRESS VS JOOMLA – THE UNBIASED COMPARISON

Simply creating a website is not enough in today’s time. With the internet getting bigger and better with increasing number of possibilities, it is important to keep the website updated and in sync with the latest technology and designs. The best way to manage the websites is via Content Management Systems that are generally known as the CMS.

WordPress, without a doubt, is the most popular CMS at the moment however it is not the only CMS available in the market. WordPress holds approximately 50%+ market share at the moment followed by second most popular CMS i.e. Joomla. Every CMS has its own pros and cons. It is up to the customer to make the fair decision for the website. We have created a small point-based comparison which will definitely help you in making the decision.

1. Installation

Though there are thousands of experts available who can take care of the installation part for you it is always better to at least try it once. Both WordPress and Joomla are available in the “One Click” script installation section of your hosting service provider’s panel. You can login to your admin panel and install these scripts. But if you want to do it manually, you will find WordPress much easier and simpler in comparison to Joomla. It hardly takes 5 minutes and almost no technical knowledge to install WordPress but in case of Joomla, you need a little bit of knowledge and longer time to install.

Also, once installed, WordPress is fairly simple to use. If you know how to email using Gmail, then you can create and customize your blog or website on WordPress. In case of Joomla, the number of options and much more than WordPress and the navigation is quite confusing for a layman. If you meet fans a Joomla, the most common argument comes from them that it has a lot more options as compared to WordPress but that cannot justify its complexity.

2. Plugins and Themes

In comparison to Joomla, WordPress has way more plugins and themes available for the installation. There is a plugin for every function that a website owner may require. If there is not, you can find someone who can create one for you as well. The number of freelancers who exclusively work on WordPress at an affordable price is unimaginably high. On the other hand, there are few plugins and themes available for Joomla. Also, the number of programmers for Joomla is also very less as compared to WordPress. In case you want to customize the theme or a plugin in WordPress, it is much easier in comparison to Joomla.

3. Search Engine Optimization

Search Engine Optimization or SEO is very important for any website. If we compare the SEO capabilities of both the platforms, it is clear that the basic structure is not good enough for the SEO. However, the basic structure of Joomla is slightly better than WordPress. But with plugins like Yoast which is currently the most popular SEO plugin for WordPress, the game just goes into the hands of WordPress. Easy Fronted SEO or EFSEO is available for Joomla which makes the process easier and simpler for the user but it is still nowhere near the Yoast plugin.

4. Content Management

When we talk about content management in a CMS based website, we talk about adding or editing pages, posts, images and videos. As we have mentioned above, WordPress is more user-friendly and easy-to-use in comparison to Joomla. Adding content to Joomla is little complicated for a layman and it takes time to understand the process while in WordPress you can learn it in minutes.

5. Security

No one wants his or her website to be vulnerable to the hackers. Being the most famous CMS, WordPress is constantly on the target of hackers. However, the team behind the CMS reacts to any reported bug or vulnerability instantly. WordPress also has automated update system which updates the code of the website almost immediately at the time of release. You can also use two-step verification system and automated backups to keep the website more secure.
When we talk about security, Joomla is almost similar to WordPress. The team behind Joomla is very active in responding to any vulnerability in the code and release patches very often. However, there is automated updating system in Joomla. So if you are not checking the admin panel of the website regularly, you may miss updating the code by a huge margin.

6. Support

Both WordPress and Joomla have very strong user community which is always ready to help each other to solve the problems. There are tutorials, handbooks, support forums, docs, videos etc. available which can be helpful at any given time. However, it is not easy to find an expert to work on your Joomla based project at an affordable price.

7. Multi-lingual support

WordPress comes with 53 language support and you can add more with the help of plugins. However, Joomla comes with fully featured language support and you do not need any plugin to create a multi-lingual website.

Conclusion
Though both the CMS are great in their own perspective if we talk about the ease of use and functionality, WordPress wins the race fair square. At any given day, WordPress wins in terms of support, ease of use, functionality, affordability, and size of the global community.