This article aims to answer frequently asked questions about WeChat Official Accounts, covering everything from account types, features, registration, and best practices.

What is a WeChat Official Account?

Image from Michaelsoft

A WeChat Official Account is a business account on the WeChat platform that allows organizations to connect with users, share content, and provide services. It serves as a bridge between businesses and their target audience, enabling direct communication and engagement.

What are the Types of WeChat Official Accounts?

There are two main types of WeChat Official Accounts:

Image from Croud

Subscription Accounts: These accounts are suitable for businesses focused on content delivery. They offer a daily broadcast feature and are displayed in the "Subscriptions" folder, providing users with regular updates.

Service Accounts: Designed for businesses aiming to provide services, these accounts offer advanced features such as WeChat Pay and APIs. Service Accounts have a more prominent presence in users' chat lists.

What are the Key Features of WeChat Official Accounts?

Messaging: Direct communication with users through text, images, and voice messages.

Broadcast Messages: Subscription Accounts can send one broadcast message per day to all followers.

WeChat Pay: WeChat Pay is the in-app digital wallet of WeChat. Users can conveniently make person-to-person transactions, pay bills, and make purchases within the app or at supported physical stores.

Service Accounts can integrate WeChat Pay for transactions within the app.

Example of WeChat Mini Program. Image from Respond.io

Mini Programs Integration: Mini Programs are small applications embedded within the WeChat platform, offering a wide range of functionalities like e-commerce, membership cards, games, and bike rentals. Businesses using Mini Programs for campaigns can distribute coupons that users redeem for discounts on in-app purchases.

Both account types can integrate Mini Programs to enhance functionality.

Advanced APIs: Service Accounts can utilize advanced APIs for enhanced customization.

How to Create a WeChat Official Account?

To set up a WeChat Service Account, go to the WeChat Official Account Platform on your computer and click "Register now" at the top.

Choose the Service Account option, and note that the account type cannot be altered once created.

Make a user account using a secure email address, which will be your access point to the admin panel. Ensure the email isn't associated with an existing WeChat Business Account. Enter the verification code sent to your email.

Choose your country. The necessary legal documents vary slightly based on the country where the company is registered.

Provide the company and admin identification details, including the officially registered name and registration number of your company, along with the name, mobile number, and passport ID number of the account operator.

Select an account name and offer a brief description. Simply create the account name, add a short description, and you're ready to proceed.

Done! Your WeChat Official Account is now created. You’ll then receive a verification notification in your email.

What are the Best Practices for WeChat Official Accounts?

Keep your Audience Engaged

Regularly update your Official Account with engaging and relevant content to keep followers interested and use high-quality visuals and multimedia elements to enhance the visual appeal of your account.

Encourage user interaction through polls, surveys, and Q&A sessions to foster a sense of community.

Tencent Surveys is a mini program that allows users to generate a poll or a short questionnaire. Image from TropicalHainan

Use WeChat QR Codes

Image from QRTiger

WeChat QR codes can turn offline traffic, such as store foot traffic, into followers of your WeChat Official Account. They can also be utilized on websites or in emails to provide customers with a way to engage in a chat with you.

Ensure your website is optimized for China

Links are often shared via WeChat or directly embedded in its content, and are often viewed directly inside WeChat’s in-app browser. As such, it is critical to make sure that your website is one that works well, fast, and consistently for visitors in China.

Website performance for China includes mobile responsiveness, fast loading times, and compatibility with Chinese browsers - including the WeChat in-app browser

This is where Chinafy adds value as an optimization tool specialized for global websites to load in China. Chinafy is the only China web compatibility solution that identifies, modifies, and substitutes incompatible resources to ensure they load quickly and completely in China. It also identifies slow resources and accelerates them as needed.

Not sure whether your website works inside WeChat? Click Get Started to evaluate your website with Chinafy