8020 launches WeChat service

For any travel business targeting Chinese customers, the WeChat social media platform – central to the lives and online spending of more than 1bn monthly users – is vitally important. Unfortunately, creating a corporate WeChat account is very complicated, especially if you don’t speak Chinese and your business lacks a physical presence in China. However, a new service from 8020 makes it easy for non-Chinese companies to set-up on WeChat and maintain an engaging and relevant presence.

As we have written previously, WeChat is a social media phenomenon that is woven into almost every aspect of its users’ lives. This single app has become the go-to channel for chatting and messaging, sharing images and videos, ordering food, purchasing travel and much more.

Here are some of the killer stats that show WeChat’s dominance in China:

• 1.08 billion monthly active users (Q3 2018)
• The fifth most-used app in the world
• 45 billion WeChat messages sent on a daily basis over 2018
• 410 million audio and video calls per day
• Market penetration in China at 79%
• 1 million WeChat mini programs are used by 600 million people
• 170 million WeChat mini program users per day
• 900 million users of WeChat Pay on a monthly basis
• 30 million active users of WeChat at Work, 1.5 million enterprises
• 83% use the general app for work
• WeChat drove $50 billion into the Chinese economy in 2017

Although the travel marketing opportunity on WeChat is immense, getting your business onto the platform is far from straightforward. Even if you are able to read and write in the Chinese language, the need to have a locally registered business is a significant obstacle for many businesses. Some try to circumvent this by paying a local intermediary to launch their WeChat account under the intermediary’s own name, but this tactic is immediately obvious to users who are reluctant to use brands without an authentic, self-branded WeChat presence.

We are delighted that 8020 is now able to solve this problem for clients. By working with digital marketing experts in China, we can manage your set-up process to create a self-branded WeChat presence in full compliance with the requirements of WeChat’s owner Tencent.

Furthermore, we can advise you on a strategy to get the most from your WeChat investment and provide ongoing maintenance, advice and content creation to help you attract and engage China’s consumers.

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For more advice on getting the best for WeChat, read our FAQs.

If you would like to discuss how 8020 can help you tap the Chinese market, get in touch.