WalkTheChat

WeChat Official Account: a simple guide

WeChat Official Accounts are drawing a lot of interest these days, as WeChat has risen to dominate the Chinese social media space (Chinese users spend ⅓ of their smartphone time on WeChat).

We will address the following questions:

What are WeChat Official Accounts?

WeChat Official Accounts are the WeChat equivalent of a Facebook page: they are an interface a brand can use to:

Most WeChat Official Accounts appear in the “Chat” section of WeChat. This is the section of WeChat which is most similar to WhatsApp / Messenger. Upon sending notifications, WeChat Official Accounts are brought to the top (we’ll see nuances about this topic in the section regarding different types of accounts)

Users can then open the account to access a conversation interface where they can either click on push notifications or access information through the bottom menu interface

How do users find WeChat Official Accounts?

There are several ways WeChat users can find and follow WeChat official accounts.

  1. Finding an account from the WeChat social timeline (also called WeChat Moments)

The most common way of acquiring new followers on WeChat is through WeChat Moments (the WeChat equivalent of the Facebook timeline). Upon clicking on your article, users can access your account page by clicking the name of your account at the top of the article.

2. Scanning a QR code

Unlike in Western countries, QR codes are a very popular way to access content. WeChat users can scan QR code which is included in web pages or articles within WeChat (by long-pressing the QR code) or offline by using WeChat’s embedded QR code scanner.

QR codes are perfect for any offline use: they can be added inside your stores, on your products, during your events. They are also ideal for online conversion, for instance at the bottom of an article written about your brand by a Key Opinion Leader (KOL)

3. Search

WeChat contains a search tool for Official Accounts. However, this tool is not very “fuzzy” (you have to write the name of the account fairly accurately) and is not really used for discovery. It is most useful if users are already familiar with your brand and trying to find it on WeChat by typing its name.

4. Shared name card

You can share the name card of a WeChat Official Account in order for a friend to follow it. The name card can be shared directly with a specific friend, or to a group. It can’t, however, be shared on your timeline.

5. Offline payments

After a user completes a payment with WeChat Payment offline, it is possible to invite them to follow your WeChat Official Account

6. Advertising

WeChat ads include a feature enabling to have a “One click follow” button enabling users to follow a WeChat Official Account. This is a powerful way to get initial traction through Cost Per Click advertising

What are the different types of WeChat Official Accounts?

There exist several types of WeChat Official Accounts:

As Enterprise Accounts are mostly used for internal management, and WeChat mini-programs are struggling to find relevant use-cases, most companies will usually gravitate around either Subscription or Service account.

In-depth comparison of WeChat Subscription and Service accounts

Service accounts generally have more advanced API functions than Subscription accounts:

To put it simply, the only real advantage of WeChat Subscription account is their ability to post articles on a more frequent (daily) basis.

The general rule of thumb to pick a WeChat Official Account is, therefore, the following:

Creating a WeChat Official Account

Creating a WeChat Official Account with an overseas company:

In order to abide by the local regulations in terms of media content, WeChat makes it difficult for foreign companies to create WeChat Official Accounts.

There are two main options for foreign companies wanting to have an account on WeChat.

Option 1: using your own oversea business license (go through a special application process). Tencent has a case-by-case application process for companies wanting to create a WeChat Official Account. It’s a longer application procedure (about 2-4 weeks) and costs a $99 verification fee. It however has the great advantage of enabling you to create an account entirely controller by your oversea structure. This process removes the risk of temporarily relying on a third party structure which has control over your followers (reach out via info@walkthechat.com to learn more)

WalktheChat can help you go through this process for a $1,000 USD fee for account creation and verification on the first year, and a $500 USD of re-verification fee for subsequent years.

To request WalktheChat services to create the account on your behalf, please contact us via this link.

Pros

Cons

Contact info@walkthechat.com for the latest regulation

Option 2: use a 3rd-party Chinese license to create the account. In this case, your account will have your name, description and logo, but will still be linked to the legal entity which created the account. This is a good way to get started fast. If things go well and you decide to later create a company in China (which will then be able to create a new account), you’ll be able to transfer your followers to your new account.

Pros

Cons

See below for a step-by-step Official Account creation guide.

Creating a WeChat Official Account with a local Chinese company:

Most of WeChat Official Accounts are created using a local Chinese Business License (on the WeChat Official Account website: https://mp.weixin.qq.com)

The main requirements to create such an account are:

This creation process usually takes around 1 to 2 weeks and the only cost (if you handle it on your own) is a 300 RMB verification fee (about $50 USD)

See below for a step-by-step Official Account creation guide.

Step-by-step guide for WeChat Official Account Creation

What do I need?

  1. Email: Use for registration
  2. Chinese business license 营业执照 (a scanned color copy, or a photocopy with business seals)
  3. Organization certificate 组织机构代码证
  4. Company’s Chinese landline phone number (may receive a verification call from Tencent)
  5. A Chinese account operator (with a WeChat account that enabled WeChat payment)
  6. Chinese staff’s Chinese ID number 
  7. Chinese staff’s cell phone number 
  8. Name of the WeChat account (The name cannot contain space or symbol. It can only be English letters, Chinese charters, or numbers. Some sensitive words may have a restriction.  For example, country name, popular brand name. The name must be unique.)
  9. Short account description
  10. Profile picture
  11. The Chinese bank account, bank name, and bank address. The bank account name must match the name on the Chinese business license. You should be able to check the bank statement of this bank because Tencent will send a deposit with 6 digit verification code to this account. 
  12. Type of account (Service account or Subscription account)

WeChat Official Account Creation

Step 1.

Go to https://mp.weixin.qq.com/ and click on register

Step 2.

Choose the type of Official Account that you want to create. The general rule is, if the content is the core of your business, choose Subscription, otherwise, choose a service account. See the section above for more detail.

Step 3.

Enter email information and click on 注册 button to register an account.

Step 4.

Check your email (including the spam mailbox) to search for a verification email. Click on the link to verify your email address.

Step 5.

After you click on the link, you will be taken to a page to choose the types of the account.

Step 6.

A warning mentions that once you choose the types of the Official Account, you cannot change afterward. (If you choose a subscription account, it’s possible to upgrade the account to a service account. But if you choose a service account, you cannot change the account type of subscription account.)

Step 7.

Choose the type of organization.

Step 8.

Enter the company information

Step 9.

You will have two options to verify your bank account.

Option 1:

You will need to make a transfer (usually with less than 1RMB) from your company’s bank to Tencent. With this option, you don’t have to verify your Official Account.

Option 2: 

Tencent will make a transfer to your bank account, and you will need to check in your bank account to find a verification number in the note of the transaction.  In this case, you will need to verify your Official Account within 30 days in order to keep your official account.

Step 10.

Enter the information of the account operator.

Step 11.

Confirm company name

Step 12.

Enter the Account name information.

Tencent has a lot of restrictions on that name you can use. The Official Account’s name must also be unique.

Step 13.

Click on the confirm button.

Step 14.

Depending on what you choose in Step 9, you will either need to send a specific amount to Tencent to verify your bank account (option 1), or you can continue with the Official Account verification steps.

Good job for creating your Official Account!

 

WeChat Official Account Verification

A verified account looks more professional. Some of the advanced features are only available after the account has been verified (such as WeChat Payment, WeChat geo-location).

Here is how you can verify your Official Account

Step 1.

Go to WeChat admin backend, go to account setting (公众号设置) on the left side menu. Click on the blue button next to WeChat verification (微信认证).

Click on the green button to start the verification process.

Step 2. 

Verify either through text message or the Account operator’s Chinese ID.

Step 3. 

Click on agree with WeChat terms of use.

Step 4. 

Fill out the form.

Step 5.

Enter the name of your Official Account

Step 6. 

Enter the Fapiao information.

Step 7. 

Make the payment for 300 RMB verification fee with your WeChat payment account. 

Step 8.

Good job for making to this step!

Tencent will pass your application to a third party verification company. They will call the account operator to verify the information within 1-5 business days.  Make sure the account operator knows the full legal name of the company, the company’s registered address and other information related to the Official Account.

That’s it!  After the verification call, congratulations, your Official Account will be verified. Now you can start posting articles on your account.

Conclusion

WeChat Official Accounts are an essential part of the marketing strategy of any strategy wanting to enter China. They’re used anywhere from product packaging to online campaigns. Although the creation process is more complex for oversea companies, it is nonetheless possible and a must-do in order to engage with Chinese customers in a meaningful and efficient way.

Need your own WeChat Official Account?