Did WeChat killed Emailing in China ?
Email marketing has been a go-to strategy for generating leads towards your business. It’s also one of the best ways to connect with your customers.
But in China, WeChat marketing seems to be a more effective way of getting more leads.
While both marketing strategies are effective, which one do you think is best for you?
And do you think that, in Chian, WeChat is killing email campaigns?
WeChat Marketing
We all know that WeChat is China’s most popular smartphone application today.
Users can send messages, pictures, and videos, and chat with a group of friends. It also offers professional functions like expense tracking, flight booking, and online payment. Even booking a doctor appointment and ordering food online are possible on this app.
Discover more about WeChat here
There’s almost no limit to what a WeChat user can do with the app!
Because of its features and popularity, many entrepreneurs also use it to reach out to potential customers. There are about 100,000 companies who have business accounts on the app and 80% of their employees are using it.
Here are two types of business accounts that you can use.
- Subscription accounts can post once a day. These posts get archived in WeChat user’s subscription account folder. If you want regular communications with your customers, this is perfect for you.
- Service accounts. Restricted to four messages per month, but there are extra features you can use. Those messages appear among the other contacts. You can create a mobile site and even your own WeChat application within the app.
Learn how to Post English Content in your Official WeChat Account here.
A good example for this is China Southern Airlines. They offer membership cards, check-in services, and ticket booking all in one place. They also added a mobile game to entertain their customers.
Pros
Millions of users get access to your account.
WeChat is one of the most used social media platforms in China, with close to 900 million daily active users. 61% of WeChat users in China open the mobile app at least 10 times a day.
Promote your brand using QR codes
Promoting and gaining new customers are also possible with using this code. Put your brand’s QR code on your products and offer discounts, freebies, souvenirs, or free wifi pass.
Customer engagement and product promotion
Companies often hold campaigns on their official WeChat accounts.
Coca-Cola Hong Kong used mini games within WeChat to engage with their consumers. They rewarded the WeChat users with special offers from 7-Eleven stores. They even gave away 65-inch TVs to lucky winners!
Thousands of China-based companies offer even more creative examples to create users engagement.
With proper strategy, you can encourage customer engagement while promoting your product.
Easy payments
WeChat Wallet lets users link bank accounts and cards to their WeChat accounts. Online and offline purchases are quick and easy within the app. “HongBao” (Red pocket) also created overwhelming transactions last Chinese New Year.
Cons
Some users can get overwhelmed with messages and ads.
They lose interest when they flooded with useless videos, audio clips, GIFs, and texts. It gets more complicated for companies to get real followers. So brands should also consider reviewing their content before pushing it on WeChat.
Email marketing
Despite the rise of social media, email marketing remains indispensable. While less popular in China, it still is one of the best marketing tools brand can use to generate leads.
Pros
Easy to personalize
Email can be personalized to cater to a specific audience.
This makes it a great tool that lets you connect with different types of customers.
The key is to know and understand your target audience’s needsSome want to receive discounts or new product alerts. Others don’t mind reading newsletters every week.
Relationships determine buying behaviors, and people won’t buy unless you’ve gained their trust.
Sales emailing funnels are becoming very popular and easy to set. The funnel lets you automate your interactions with your customers and drive them to your ultimate goal: a sale.
Easy to operate
Email marketing campaigns are easy to design and use.
You can schedule the sending to ensure your optimized results. Most professionals also prefer using emails. It also helps you get access to targeted audiences, like those located in offices with access to desktops.
Cons
Most Chinese, especially millennials, claim that they don’t open their emails anymore. They spend most of their times on social media apps and mobile games. They only check their email box if someone tells them that they sent them a mail.
The rise of social media and apps like WeChat may have lowered email consumption in China and all over the world. But email marketing still proves to be one of the most powerful marketing tools existing today.
Whichever you choose, the key to growing your business and getting more leads is consistency.
Keep in mind that growing the number of your subscribers is not enough. Your content should also add value to their business and your services should also deliver its promise.
Now, that’s the most effective marketing strategy.
Article originally published on NextStepHub.com
