How to generate leads with WeChat ads

How to Generate Leads with WeChat Ads

With China being the largest e-commerce market worldwide and second-largest economy in the world, it is no wonder that domestic and international brands want a piece of this cake.

One way to generate leads in the Chinese market is through WeChat – the app that basically every Chinese citizen uses on a daily basis. But not just any leads. WeChat is ideal for generating high-quality leads and sales leads for global B2B and B2C businesses. Are you curious?

The China marketing and lead generation experts at WeChat Advertising show you step by step how to generate leads with WeChat ads and beyond. Learn from our on-the-ground experience and get inspired by real-life examples.

Let’s get started.

WeChat & Ad Types

Before we dive into the details. Let’s recap why WeChat is one of the best ways to generate (sales) leads in China.

  • 1.3 billion monthly active users – China’s largest social media platform
  • “Swiss pocket knife” of apps with integrated social, shopping, payment, ticketing, and more
  • From private to business, across all industries, age groups and Tiers – everyone in China uses WeChat!
  • Hyper-targeting options to reach your ideal target audience based on demographics, behavior, location, interests, and more

WeChat is a great way to connect with Chinese people as email is normally not frequently checked – neither personal nor work emails. Therefore, email newsletters and general outreach messages often fall flat. It’s plain and simple: WeChat is the leading communication platform for brands in China!

Paid Ads on WeChat

In summary, these are the ad types on WeChat and their key attributes:

  • Moments Ads: Most used, similar to Facebook news feed, organic look & feel
  • Official Account Ads (Banner Ads): Impactful, show up in articles of other Official Accounts (well-known, industry-related)
  • Video Account Ads (Channels Ads): Potential to go viral
  • Mini Program Ads: High user engagement, small app within WeChat
  • Search Ads: Main source of organic traffic

Now, on to the question at hand: what’s in it for global brands?

How Brands Can Benefit from WeChat Advertising

There are many ways that brands can benefit from WeChat and China marketing: 

  • Raising brand awareness
  • App downloads
  • E-commerce purchases
  • Generating leads
  • And more

To provide more detailed information on specific pain points that companies face, we look at specific challenges and how to solve them. Therefore, in this article, we specifically focus on how to generate sales leads with WeChat ads.

Who is it for?

We’ve seen different types of organizations use WeChat to generate leads, such as:

  • B2B providers of services or technology
  • Overseas universities and schools (B2C)
  • Luxury brands targeting HNWI (B2C)
  • Healthcare and wellness providers (B2C)

And how is this done step by step?

The Funnel

Once an official WeChat account is set up, brands can start running ads. Although it is possible to run WeChat ads with a Service and a Subscription account, a Service account is recommended as it offers more options and features.

1. Run WeChat ads – with a clear CTA

  • Fill out a form – within WeChat
  • Chat – on WeChat
  • Comment, like, share the ad

2. Nurture leads

  • Send a welcome message
  • Segment leads: create personalized content to address pain points
  • Send a message: relevant content, introduce product/service, invite to event, ask questions
  • Follow-up messages: individual or automated

3. Convert leads

  • Signup, purchase, etc.

4. After-sales

  • Customer support
  • Feedback
  • Customer retention

What’s great about WeChat ads is that embedded lead forms can be used. Users can fill these out without leaving the WeChat app. This makes it easy to capture user information like email or a phone number.

Example: H5 page for our client 慕尼黑工业大学亚洲校区 TUM-Asia

WeChat H5 page

Domestic and international companies usually have a WeChat-enabled CRM for their (global) team, and may or may not get the Chinese lead data entered there.

How to Generate Leads with WeChat Ads

Based on our experience, these are the best types of WeChat ads for generating sales leads:

  1. Moments Ads
  2. Official Account Ads
  3. Mini Program Ads
  4. Influencer Collaborations

Let’s find out what this looks like in detail.

1. Moments Ads

This most popular WeChat ad type is highly effective.

Example: WeChat Moments Ad for Caterpillar

WeChat Moments Ads

2. Official Account Ads

For brands, having an official WeChat Account (Service or Subscription) is basically a must. They add authenticity to the brand and allow direct communication with customers and prospects.

Example: WeChat Official Account Ad for Disneyland Shanghai

Note that the ad is at the bottom – we pointed arrows at it for you. At the top, there is also a red box, which is not an advertisement. 

WeChat Official Account Ads

3. Mini Program Ads

Lightweight, in-app mini programs offer additional services and features that add value to the user. This can be an interactive lead form with a quiz, a virtual product tour, and more.

Example: Mini Program ad for Jingdong

WeChat Mini Program Ad

4. Influencer Collaborations

Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) are very popular in China, where trust and authenticity are among the highest values. Brands can leverage this potential to gain high-quality leads from interactive promotions, e.g. live streaming and in-app purchases or CTAs.

Example: 包先生Mr. Bags (Tao Liang), famous Chinese fashion and handbags influencer

WeChat influencer collaboration

Targeting Strategies for Lead Generation on WeChat

When setting up WeChat ads, precisely targeting your ideal audience is key to success. These are the general targeting options on WeChat:

  • Demographics: age, gender, education level, location, and much more
  • Behavior: app usage, purchase history, etc.
  • Interests: e.g. a fashion brand might advertise to someone who reads fashion-related articles
  • Lookalike Audiences: target users with similar behavior and interests like existing customers 
  • Retargeting: based on previous interactions

Now, let’s take a closer look at what all this looks like in real life.

Case Study: B2B – CrimsonLogic

CrimsonLogic is a leading SaaS company combining innovative new tech and expert knowledge of global trade laws and regulations. They wanted to expand in the Chinese market, increase the number of inquiries and brand awareness. For this, CrimsonLogic consulted Nanjing Marketing Group.

Using a 1,030 USD budget, we got the WeChat campaign running, and attracted B2B leads. The promotion generated 7 high-quality leads, with a cost-per-lead of 147 USD.

The WeChat campaign included:

  • WeChat Moments ads to target Chinese B2B companies in foreign trade, import and export, and e-commerce industries
  • Multiple ad copies and H5 pages to sign up B2B companies through contact forms
  • Setup and provision of WeChat customer service
  • Independent creatives and H5 pages for an offline event

WeChat Moments ad

WeChat campaign

WeChat H5 page

WeChat campaign

H5 page

WeChat campaign

Tips: Optimize WeChat Ads for Lead Generation

To generate high-quality sales leads, high-quality WeChat campaigns are an excellent tool. Here’s what’s important based on the WeChat algorithm and our experience:

Content is Key

Your content must be disruptive, funny, and/or eye-catching to stand out. High-quality images and videos are key for this – remember to use as few words as possible on images/videos!

Leverage Retargeting

Using retargeting and follow-up ads (discounts, etc.) is effective, because the interest has already been sparked.

Clear CTA

Be precise in what you want the user to do, for example, sign up or download app.

Use Lead Magnets

Offer something with real value in exchange for the user’s details. This can be e-books, webinars, free consultations, and so on.

A/B Test Ads

Test visuals, CTAs, and targeting options.

Budgeting & Bidding Strategies

Take a look at this in-depth article on WeChat ad types and pricing.

Analyze & Improve

Use KPIs like click-through rate (CTR), conversion rate, cost per lead (CPL), and the engagement rate. Make adjustments where needed.

Note: Besides generating leads, ads increase followers, who often, over time, turn into leads, and convert to sales.

This brings us to the end of this article on how to generate sales leads with WeChat ads for global B2B service providers and overseas education institutions.

The Takeaway – How To Generate Leads with WeChat Ads

WeChat is the place to be for brands to spread their message and sell their products and services. Reach more than 1.3 billion users with organic content or paid ads that offer precise targeting.

As such, WeChat ads are predestined for generating sales leads, particularly for foreign B2B service providers and B2C education institutions.

Here are our top tips to generate sales leads with WeChat ads:

Define your target audience

Who are the decision makers? Tailor your message to them, for example, for overseas education institutions, parents of Chinese students should be addressed as decision makers.

Choose the best ad format

At WeChat Advertising, we have excellent experience and top results for our clients with Moments Ads, supported by Official Account ads.

Localize your message

Beyond translation, tailoring your message and images to the target market is important, especially in China. For example, we recommend adding success studies with real-life results as they foster authenticity and trust. ROI-focused messages like “Save 50% on logistics costs with our services.” also do well. 

You can also consider adding rewards and other ways your brand stands out. For example, among top 10 universities worldwide or winner of customer satisfaction award.

Offer strong lead magnets

Whitepapers, free consultation, industry reports, webinars, and so on are excellent tools to drive users to your funnel and convert them further down the line. WeChat QR codes are excellent for directing netizens where you want them.

Use a WeChat CRM

Ensure that you have a WeChat CRM in place to capture and nurture leads over time. For education, consider follow-up messaging around deadlines, webinars, or personalized content based on the lead’s interests.

Apply retargeting campaigns

Identify dropout points and improve them, for example, by offering additional services like a free consultation. WeChat Pixel, a tracking tool similar to Facebook Pixel, can help with this.

Leverage WeChat mini programs

Offer practical additional features. This could be a university admission guide or product tutorial.

Offer WeChat Pay

Offering this digital payment method increases the closing rate in the Chinese market.

Use WeChat Ads Manager 

Track KPIs and adjust your strategy as needed.

Now, are you ready to get started?

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