Getting your first WeChat followers can be tricky in the beginning. Here are 6 tips to help you take the first steps.
1) Prepare yourself before creating your account
If you have not created your WeChat Official account yet, you need to plan the kind of audience you want to target, the type of message you want to convey, and the image of you or your brand you want to display. You need to be clear on that in order to have the most coherent WeChat account possible.
The best way for this step is to attend offline events that have the same target audience that you are looking for. You need to connect with these potential readers by adding them on WeChat, engaging in conversation, etc. The more you know about them, the more relevant you will be in your posts. Plus, the more you connect with these people, the more they will recommend you and share your content.
After doing this preparation, you can think about a schedule you prefer for your content, to post it on a regular basis (every day, twice a day, etc.).
Now you can launch your WeChat account. It is better to make several posts at the beginning (2 or 3 for example) since it will give the readers a glimpse of what your content will look like. If it matches their personality, they have more chance to follow you. So, pay attention to those first posts, be original and authentic, since they are like a showcase to you.
2) QR codes are the key!
China is crazy for WeChat QR codes. They are on Mobikes, you can pay for your coffee with them, etc.
So, you need to put them on your website and on your offline materials if you have some (packaging, restaurant menus, brochures, etc.). It works even better if you regularly offer special deals, coupons, or compelling content.
You also need to leave your WeChat account information (or QR Code) on other content you publish online.
3) Get traffic from your other social media accounts
In relation to the previous part, many of the big WeChat accounts used their Weibo account to drive people to sign up on their WeChat accounts.
If you have existing social accounts, this will help promote your WeChat account. It works better if your users gain additional value by following you in more than one place, which means you need to differentiate your content according to the social media platform.
Weibo and WeChat are very different platforms, and many users use both platforms. WeChat is better for subscribing to news and engaging individual users. But Weibo is better for viral content or buzz. Be careful because Weibo doesn’t allow WeChat QR codes in photos anymore, you can only add your WeChat ID.
4) You should work with KOLs
WeChat KOL (Key Opinion Leader) is a term that refers to people who are active on WeChat and have built a large, engaged community around a certain topic or niche. WeChat analytics solution is a good method to help you identify your influencers.
Having the right KOL recommends your account can be a good way to gain targeted readers. When a WeChat KOL posts, recommends, or promotes something, the communities to which they are addressing are more likely to seek out those products and services and try them for themselves.
However, the average price range to get help from a WeChat Key Opinion Leader had increased regularly. Accounts with 50,000 followers can charge you a minimum of 500RMB ($70) or more. Just remember that even if you pay them a good amount, they won’t promise you any results, either conversion rate or the number of sales.
A better solution can be KOLs creating unique, well-written, and valuable articles, rather than just recommending your account. This provides much better value to readers and forms a stronger connection with them. Although it is still expensive, you will need to invest at this early stage of your WeChat account.
5) HTML5 pages are more attractive
HTML5 WeChat pages allow you to blend text, images, video & interactive elements to create a more engaging and comfortable user experience.
Several brands, like Burberry, perfectly use the different features offered by HTML5 like the shake, click or rub functionalities to form a very artistic and engaging experience, more likely to bring them followers and drive social sharing.

6) buy followers is not useful
You can find ads on Taobao promising 50,000 WeChat followers for 1 Yuan, but the result would only be 50,000 bots. Your community would not be engaged and your content would not be shared.
If you want to invest in new followers, you can pay to get help from a KOL (as we said before), or you can buy ads on WeChat, but never buy direct followers!
To conclude, it can be hard to gain your first followers. The key is thus to connect with your potential consumers. You need to listen to them, respect them, and adapt your marketing and your products to their needs. You need to put time and effort into interacting with people.
Buying ads or KOL exposure can help you to gain visibility, but the better your content, the easier it is to spread your message.
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7 comments
Panta
It is really hart to get chinese business licence required for wechat.
Courtney
Hello,
I’m in America and would like to promote myself as a VIPKID teacher. How would I connect with a KOL in China? I’ve never heard of this term before.
Benjamin
Thanks for your articles. In this article you mention “Discounts and rewards for followers who share content on their moments feed and actively promote the account”. My question is… how does the company know that followers are sharing content on their moments feed and promoting the account?
Olivier
you have to create group or ask them to send you the Copyscreen.
Olivier
You can know from the backup how many people already shared the article already, nothing more.
Nathalie
Great article! i just research information about how to increase fans on wechat . nice blog i read 20 articles today