Have you ever thought about creating your own WeChat official account to share news, promote products, and connect with more people? If so, you’ve come to the right place!
For those who don’t know, an official account on the Chinese messaging app WeChat is an extension of your company, brand or business.
With over 1.26 billion active users, it provides an opportunity for increased brand awareness and greater levels of engagement with customers.
This can lead to increased sales or leads, plus valuable customer feedback that can help develop future products and services.
However, not everyone knows how to set up an official account on WeChat – here’s our simple guide on how to go about it.
With this step-by-step guide on creating a WeChat account, you can gain more followers and effectively promote your business.
Why is it essential to create an official account on WeChat
First, if you’re a brand or business, getting an official account means having your own space on social media.
Second, using an official account is one of several ways to better engage with your customers and prospects online.
Finally, an official account provides you with access to useful features that make connecting with users easier than ever before.
Once you have created an official account for your company, it can take just minutes to reach customers (if you know what you are doing, that is.)
For these reasons—and many others—it makes sense for any business serious about reaching customers on Chinese social media platforms to set up an account immediately.
If done correctly from day one, WeChat can be a powerful marketing tool for any organization looking for greater reach and engagement in China or elsewhere (keep reading!).
Setting up your own WeChat official account
1. Register your account on the WeChat Official Account platform
The first thing you’ll need to do is click Register Now on the top right corner.
Here, you’ll pick the Service Account, the only service account type available for foreign businesses.
That will let your customers know how to reach you.
By sharing content with your WeChat account followers, they can easily get the information they need from you and your brand.
2. Fill in the registration form
This is where you put in your email, which should not be connected to another WeChat official account (or any other non-official one), and you put in your password.
If you choose to register as a Service Account, you’ll next be asked to confirm your choice.
3. Register your Official account
When creating an account, you will have to fill in.
-your company information,
-including name,
-company registration number and phone number,
-the administrator’s personal information, etc.
This is required for identity verification and can only be changed after verification.
It is safe, though, because your data will not display on your public profile page.
You may also set up two-step authentication on your account if you want extra security or require users to verify their phone numbers before following.
4. Fill in your WeChat official account info
In this step, you will choose a name for your WeChat Official Account and confirm the country where your business operates from.
Be sure to explain your business in Chinese to ensure that your audience really understands what you do.
5. Verify your WeChat Official Account
In order to set up an official account on WeChat, you’ll first need to verify your identity.
This is important because unverified accounts will be deleted after 30 days.
You can also get a verification tick on your profile that lets your followers know you’re an authentic source.
To do that, you have to enable your account at the WeChat Official accounts platform.
Got to WeChat verification -> Setting -> Enable.
6. Download the verification letter
After you’ve clicked ‘Enable,’ the process is as easy as downloading the verification letter and beginning the application.
There you will have to verify all the information you have already uploaded.
How to do that?
You need to print out the verification letter, sign it and scan it before sending it back.
You need to sign it by a legal representative of your team and by the contact person.
7. Upload documents for verification
To verify your company, you’ll need to provide the following documents in English:
-your company’s name,
-company registration number,
-company address and business license,
-a copy of the verification letter completed in the previous step
-and copies of identification from the point of contact.
8. Confirm your account
When you get to this stage, you’ll be asked to confirm the name of your WeChat Official Account.
You can choose any name as long as it isn’t a trademarked name held by anyone else or an already registered account on WeChat.
Want an invoice for your registration fee?
Click e-invoice, and you’ll receive it within 10 days of your account being verified.
You pay the registration fee (99$ per year), and that’s pretty much it.
If you upload everything correctly, you should have your WeChat official account ready in several weeks.
Conclusion
So, as you can see, having a WeChat Official Account is actually quite easy.
Having an Official Account gives you a lot of opportunities for engagement with potential customers, which makes it easier than ever before for people around China to engage with your brand.
To conclude, as long as what you want out of your Official Account fits into WeChat’s regulations and doesn’t break any laws, setting up one couldn’t be simpler!
If you want to delegate this task so that your registration won’t be rejected, you can contact VI-MEDIA. We also offer different WeChat official account management services.
