More than just a social media platform, the community in China use WeChat as a social ecosystem. The reason behind this logic is that the features developed on WeChat are seemingly endless. Beyond the typical social media functions where all the users can text & post daily updates. It can also be used as a payment gateway to pay for almost anything. Brilliant developers slot their apps directly into WeChat and tie them into the social and payment functions, to make it a very sleek and efficient operating system where most of the Chinese spend an entire day without leaving WeChat. Here’s a simple guide if you are looking to choose for the right type of official account for your business:
WeChat Subscription Account
WeChat subscription accounts focus on information and brand communication. They’re like another media channel. Subscription accounts can publish once a day and can only publish 1-6 articles each time.
All updates are sent to the users’ subscription folder and users do not receive push notifications.
Subscription accounts are the only official account type open to individuals such as bloggers, writers or celebrities, which are the best choice for individuals, media and brands that are content-based or information-orientated.
WeChat Service Account
WeChat service accounts provide stronger support for customer service and CRM. They are also sales-oriented in that verified service accounts can apply for WeChat Pay functions and open a WeChat Store.
After verification, service accounts are also allowed access to APIs that enable them to build additional apps and functions such as an Instant Customer Service app or GPS apps that help customers find their offline locations.
When posts are published, service account articles appear in followers’ chat lists as push notifications and are more visible. On the other hand, in order not to annoy or spam users, the posting frequency is lower than a subscription account. A service account can publish only 4 times per month, with 1-6 articles each time.
Service accounts are most suitable for industries with a mass audience or with large customer databases, such as banks, airlines and hotels. Sales-oriented brands that don’t need frequent publishing are also well-suited to service accounts.
The Differences Between WECHAT SUBSCRIPTION account and WECHAT SERVICE account
The type of WeChat Official is defined based on the predefined goals behind the Public Account
3. Mini Program
Mini Program, also known as a WeChat Application Account, is a new function that allows easy development and access to programs within the WeChat system.
Developers can use HTML5 and JavaScript to develop Mini Programs which serve the same functions and uses as an app. The only difference is that “Mini Programs” is developed within the WeChat system so they don’t require downloading and don’t use up valuable memory on users’ phones. Users can access them by scanning the appropriate QR code and can exit at any time.
Generally speaking, Mini Programs are a supportive marketing tool. For business owners, they don’t need to constantly create content or maintain a community. For users, they can get what they need efficiently without following an account or receiving too many messages and posts.
For brands or businesses who want to easily develop a single app, the Mini Program account is the most suitable choice. It’s also recommended to integrate the Mini Program account with another type of WeChat official account (Subscription Account/ Service Account) for the best marketing effect.
