WeChat Channels is a short video platform and the most powerful answer to Douyin (Douyin is what in the western country we call Tiktok). It is located inside WeChat and you can access it from the ‘Discover’ option.
WeChat Channel is a feature that everyone can use to create and post short video content: video are mainly shorter than 5 mins. And users can click on “Like”, leave comments, or share to Moments or their friends via chatting, and even put it on the article page of the WeChat Official Account.
Its monthly activity of video accounts has exceeded 200 million since the launch of the feature.
Different from WeChat’s other offerings, Channel is fully connected to the entire WeChat ecosystem – it can be connected to people, content, and business (through a business Official Account, Mini-program, and Store) in the most seamless way.
There are four ways to push videos within a Channel account and let users see them.
1. Liked by WeChat friends
2. Trending videos
3. Followed accounts
4. Geo-located content based on location
These four features ensure that you do not need to follow an official account to see content from the account. This is for sure a game changer for all businesses – Channel connecting all video content in so many ways means that your content is no longer only for WeChat friends, shown in your ‘Moments’, or followers of the account.
Your contents now have the potential to reach the entire 1.2 billion WeChat users!
How brands can use WeChat Channels?
WeChat Channels can help brands reach the target audience who haven’t subscribed to the account, with high-quality content and to increase the effect of brand exposure.
Do you know how?
• Friends’ recommendation – If I engage with your video and click “Like” on it, that video will be recommended to my WeChat friends, even if they do not follow your Wechat official account;
• Similar video recommendation: if I often watch some type of video, or engage with them, the WeChat Channel will recommend me other similar high-quality content. Many luxury brands, such as Gucci, Prada, and Louis Vuitton, have released a series of videos featuring their own brands on Channels already;
• Full interaction on all WeChat platforms: WeChat Channels, WeChat Official Account, and WeChat Mini Program can be connected to each other: the video you publish on Channels can be inserted in the Official Account’s post, the Mini Program can be added to Official Account, and the link of Official Account’s article can be added to Channels’ content. In this way no matter how the user reaches your brand on WeChat… he can get more interaction and discover more about your products and services.
Why do companies need WeChat Channels?
If the potential and possibility to reach 1.2 billion WeChat users is not enough for you…
Here are more reasons:
1. Chinese consumers prefer video content over any other content. According to Statista, there are 927m online video users with a 93.7% penetration rate of online video use with an estimated revenue of 131bn Chinese Yen in China’s online video industry;
2. Reinforced shopping experience with video content – You can link a WeChat minishop/miniprogram to the channel and sell directly through it. Or, you can even add a link from other shops such as JD, Pinduoduo etc;
3. Not just pre-made videos – WeChat Channel can also be used for live streaming and at the same time sell your products through live streaming;
4. Red envelop can be used to help promote the channel;
5. Bring more traffic to your official account – by linking Channel to your official account, more followers/reads will be generated in your account.
How to open a WeChat Channel
We hope you have realized the power and capabilities of the WeChat Channel at this point.
If you are not convinced, we are sure you are a little bit intrigued… If you are convinced, how to get started can seem a bit overwhelming.
Don’t you worry! DAG China will be holding your hands throughout the entire process.
Here are the services DAG China provides:
⁃ Open your business WeChat Channel account while connecting your Official Account to your business Channels
⁃ Strategize, plan and create all video content
⁃ Media planning & advertising
Contact us at infodag[@]dagcom.com for more information!
