International businesses are increasingly looking to expand their online presence by building strong social media communities around popular platforms like WeChat and LINE. These communities provide a way for businesses to interact with customers and followers, and can be a powerful tool for marketing and branding.

In this article, we will provide you with some strategies for building a successful WeChat and LINE community and growing followers.

Why should WeChat and LINE be picked in China and Japan?

Before you can start building a community on WeChat and LINE, you first need to understand the applications themselves.

WeChat

This app is a Chinese multipurpose messaging, social media and mobile payment app developed by Tencent. With over 1 billion active user accounts, the app is becoming the biggest social media platform in China and one of the top 10 biggest social networks in the world. With that said, businesses can really take advantage of WeChat’s huge user base by creating communities around specific topics or industries.

WeChat offers three types of official accounts for businesses: subscription, service, and enterprise (work) accounts. Each type has their own role, as subscription accounts target external markets, service accounts offer services to customers, and enterprise accounts are specialized for internal communication and management. So, setting up an official account on WeChat is very important as it allows businesses to accurately share their information with their clientele.

LINE

Now let’s talk about LINE. This is a very popular messaging app in Japan with over 84 million monthly active users (MAUs). LINE is an essential tool for businesses looking to advertise in the Japanese market, as it allows them to grow their presence across the app and engage with their audience. There are two main ways to use LINE for business: through LINE Official Accounts and LINE Ads.

LINE Official Accounts allow businesses to create a profile on the platform, post content, and communicate directly with customers. LINE Ads are advertisements that appear in users’ feeds or as sponsored stickers. Both of these features provide businesses with an effective way to reach their target audience. Additionally, LINE also plays a crucial role in the social infrastructure of Japan, providing many capabilities that make it an invaluable tool for businesses.

So, the reason businesses should consider building a community around WeChat or Line is because they offer a variety of features that can be very helpful in reaching and engaging with your target audience. Additionally, these platforms are very popular in their respective countries, so building a strong community is likely to be successful.

Best Practices for Using WeChat and LINE Advertising and Marketing Tools

As WeChat and LINE offer great features for business, it is important to understand how to best use these tools in order to reach and engage with your target audience.

There are ways to effectively use WeChat for advertising and marketing in China. First, brands should consider offering VIP cards through the app. This type of loyalty program can help to allay customer concerns and boost business.

Businesses can also use data SML tools to improve their strategies. These tools allow brands to set up alerts for keywords when social media users mention them, and extract data that can be used to identify trends, target audiences, and optimize content. Additionally, businesses should also try to use WeChatMoments Ads, which allow advertisers to include their name and profile picture along with copywriting of no more than 40 characters (or 4 lines).

In Japan, LINE offers a number of advertising and marketing tools that can be very helpful for businesses. For starters, LINE Ads can be used to reach a wide audience as they are displayed in users’ feeds and as sponsored stickers. It provides advertisers access to different ad formats, targeting tools, and ad location options across Line’s services. To use this, businesses should first create an account and set up groups and ad accounts. They should then upload media and install LINE Tags, before setting up the ad itself.

Overall, both WeChat and LINE offer a variety of great features that can be very helpful in reaching and engaging with your target audience. It is important to understand how to best use these tools in order to reach your goals.

What are the Benefits of WeChat and LINE Marketing?

There are several benefits to using WeChat and LINE marketing tools for businesses. These include the following:

Reach a Wider Audience

Popular Social media platforms such as Whatsapp, Facebook, LinkedIn are not as popular as WeChat in China with 73.7% of Chinese internet users accessing it frequently, and 68% of Japan’s total population access LINE. Customers in Japan and mostly in China, trust people who use their ingrown or local apps more than people who use popular Western apps. This makes WeChat and LINE a great choice for businesses looking to target their local markets.

Boost Brand Awareness

Both WeChat and LINE have a large user base, which makes them powerful marketing tools. This allows businesses to boost brand awareness and reach a wider audience. Additionally, businesses can use WeChat and LINE’s marketing tools to drive traffic to their website or blog, which can also lead to increased sales.

Increase Engagement and Conversions

These two apps offer engagement tools that allow businesses to boost conversions by providing customers with valuable content. This could include offers, coupons, or product information.

In addition, WeChat offers Sponsored Messages, which are Ads that are specifically targeted at users who have engaged with a business in the past. This allows businesses to increase their return on investment (ROI) by targeting their most engaged customers.

Integrate with Third-party Apps For Work

WeChat and LINE offer a range of integration options that allow businesses to integrate a variety of third-party apps for work. This allows businesses to improve work efficiency by consolidating all customer service and work-related functions into one platform. From here, businesses can easily respond to customer queries and provide solutions.

What are the Potential Challenges of using WeChat and LINE?

There are several potential challenges of using WeChat and LINE marketing tools for businesses. These include the following:

Registration Difficulty

Registering an official WeChat account for an overseas business in China can be a challenge. The process involves several steps, including inputting detailed information such as the company’s full name, registration number, and address. Additionally, there is a management fee of approximately $500 per year for each account created. Companies must also adhere to WeChat’s terms and conditions when registering an official account. Overall, registering a legal company in China to get started on WeChat requires careful consideration of the process and associated costs.

Adaptation in Using the Apps

As these apps are not widely used in other countries, businesses may have to adapt their marketing strategy when using WeChat and LINE. For example, businesses that are primarily targeting Western customers may have to adjust their content to be more relevant to the Chinese and Japanese markets. The process of adapting to a new platform can be time-consuming and costly, so businesses should be prepared for this before beginning their marketing efforts.

User Concerns About Security

Users may have concerns about their personal data and privacy when using WeChat and LINE. As a result, businesses should make sure to clearly state their data privacy policies and reassure users that their data will be protected.

Final Thoughts

With the popularity of WeChat and LINE, it is important for businesses to understand how to use these messaging apps to improve their marketing efforts. Whether you are new to marketing or are looking to improve your current strategy, using WeChat and LINE’s marketing tools can be a valuable addition.