WeChat CRM: Why You Need One and Best Practices

Brands should not be caught off guard by WeChat’s changing user habits. With more users becoming selective about what they read and view, it is crucial for brands to have a solid CRM strategy in order not only to understand their customer base but also to keep them engaged with constant content updates via newsletters or push notifications on the app’s platform

WeChat CRM is a powerful way for brands to connect with Chinese consumers, but it can be difficult to get started. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the basics of WeChat CRM, why you need one and how to set it up. We’ll also give you some tips on how to make the most of your WeChat CRM.

What Are WeChat CRM Integration Tools? 

Before going into what a social CRM platform is, it’s important to understand what a basic CRM platform does. A CRM platform or customer relationship platform facilitates consumer correspondences or communications with a brand.  

In the case of WeChat, it’s a type of platform that bridges a consumer and a brand. CRM platforms give customers a user experience that goes beyond an impersonal buyer-merchant relationship. For what it does, a CRM platform develops customer relationships. As a result, this leads to better conversion rates and more potential customers. 

WeChat CRM tools usually include functionalities that facilitate communications between merchants and their existing customers. Of course, keeping customers buying and happy is only part of what you’d want a WeChat CRM for. WeChat CRM integration tools also have features that enable a brand to reach a broader audience. 

In short, WeChat CRM tools aid in communication with existing and potential customers. In doing so, it leads to better conversion rates by generating a positive customer experience. 

What Is a Social CRM?

In general, CRMs are often standalone platforms that brands can launch across various channels. While they are often launched on a company’s site it’s always recommended to go beyond this since you can gain more leads and potential customers. 

This is where a social CRM comes in. 

Social CRMs or SCRMs have all the functionalities and benefits of regular CRM platforms with added data integrations of social media channels. 

Here’s How an sCRM Works:

Whenever a customer interacts with a brand using social media, data is generated. The data contains information on items or products checked and purchases, which paints a comprehensive picture of a customer’s behavior on social media. The data also yields valuable information on how a customer uses social media to communicate with a brand. 

The data generated by the customer’s social media activity enables a brand to better engage customers on social media. By using SCRM platforms, brands can develop more targeted strategies and campaigns aimed at high-value leads. Ultimately, this maximizes conversion rates and makes for positive user experiences. 

“Can’t I Just Engage Customers in China with Content?” 

The quick answer to this question is both “yes” and “no.” Indeed, there’s a place for using content as a way to promote a brand in China. In fact, a content-based campaign is a must if a brand promotes itself on a platform like Zhihu. 

However, on a platform like WeChat, it’s better to ease customers into a sales funnel from the get-go. Successful brands in China have done this with strategies and campaigns based on developing customer relationships. 

Establishing relationships with customers can be challenging on two fronts. First, there’s competition on WeChat and other platforms in China. Second, the Chinese consumer market consists of billions of potential customers. 

When it comes to the hurdle of building a relationship with a customer, the solutions are usually CRM integrations on WeChat. WeChat CRM integrations are indispensable in not just building new customer relationships. They’re also a must for any business looking to maximize conversions by targeting a specific audience. 

What Are the Advantages of a WeChat CRM? 

Communication aside, the ultimate value proposition of a WeChat CRM integration is enhancing a customer journey or experience. With the right integrations, not only can businesses deliver superior customer experiences — but they can also lead customers through the buyer’s journey and encourage them to come back again and again. 

Aside from that, here are the other benefits of integrating CRMs with WeChat: 

Analytics that Yield Valuable Customer Data

Customer data forms the foundation for any effective marketing campaign in China. While data is obtainable for marketers in the country through big data companies, obtaining such data can be challenging for foreign brands. 

A WeChat CRM integration gives brands access to analytics that can guide a marketing campaign. Even better, such an integration reveals crucial customer data all in one place. For this reason, foreign brands won’t need to jump through numerous hoops to get data. 

A Solution to Targeting Specific Audiences on WeChat

SCRMs on WeChat have integrations that track WeChat users and how they interface with a brand using the platform. The data generated gives marketers a valuable starting point for their marketing strategies in China. 

WeChat CRMs or SCRMs can then allow brands to interact with a specific target audience in a way that takes stock of this data. For example, WeChat Banners can allow brands to send personalized messages to specific customers who clicked on their banner ad.   

Features Optimized for the Chinese Customer

Chinese consumers prefer speedy and frictionless transactions and correspondence, which is why a WeChat CRM is crucial when dealing with customers on the mainland. 

WeChat integrations abound with features and functionalities that deliver positive customer experiences. For example, Chinese consumers have fallen in love with QR-based checkout processes, which are accessible through WeChat CRMs like Parllay. 

Also, Chinese consumers are very particular about the resolution of issues and complaints. WeChat CRMs and sCRMs have many automated messaging options that can help streamline the resolution process. Along with that, these automated messaging integrations allow brands to entertain customer complaints until a representative is available. 

Offline Marketing

Brands that wish to reach the most customers need to maintain an online and offline presence. With just WeChat, this might not be possible. However, with some of the CRM integrations available for this mega-app, offline marketing is possible. 

Offline marketing with WeChat CRM is possible because of O2O functionalities. O2O or online-to-offline functionalities attract customers online but point them in the direction of a physical store or a live event. This blends together online and offline channels, adding legitimacy to a brand as well as more potential customers. 

How to Integrate a CRM into Your WeChat Account

Integrating a CRM in WeChat won’t be the same for all businesses. With this in mind, your WeChat CRM integration needs to start from an understanding of your business — a thorough one, at that. 

From there, here is how to integrate a CRM into your WeChat Account: 

1. Identify What Your Business Needs

A CRM isn’t just for your customers although they receive many of the benefits conferred by one. Rather, a CRM is also for your business especially if you’re brand has scaled to a degree. 

Identifying your business needs can go a long way in determining the best CRM or SCRM for you. As a foreign brand, you can discuss this with an agency or team in China that is well-versed in optimizing WeChat for businesses. 

2. Zero in on Your Target Audience

Your target audience will guide your CRM or SCRM integration process. Certain demographics will favor different touchpoints of interaction. For example, if your audience consists of social media users, then an SCRM would trump a regular CRM for WeChat. 

In addition, you’ll also need to determine the location of your audience. Chinese cities are rated based on their urban development and population, so the most densely-populated and urbanized ones are tier-one cities. Users from these cities are the ones you’ll generally want to aim for if you want the broadest reach. From there, you can start to ask who in these cities will benefit most from what you have to offer. 

By knowing your audience, you’ll be able to make better-informed decisions about your integrations. 

3. Choose Your Integrations and Automations

Who makes up your audience? If your audience will be the average WeChat user, then you’ll need these integrations as a minimum: 

• QR-based checkouts
• Automated messaging
• O2O integrations and apps
• Customer service integrations
• Social media integration

4. Choose the Right WeChat CRM Integration Tool

After determining what you need, you’ll have to select the right tools that have most or all of your desired features. Depending on how well you know your way around WeChat, you might need a Chinese marketing team on the ground doing the integration. 

Here are some CRM integration tools to help get you started: 

• Jing: This integration tool is excellent for getting valuable lead data on WeChat. Jing uses API integration, gathering and tracking interactions between a brand and customers. Jing has most of the features you’ll need in a WeChat CRM, making it one of the most well-equipped of all CRMs. 
• Parllay: Parllay is an excellent WeChat CRM integration tool for developing an intuitive UI and a smooth customer experience. Parllay comes equipped with numerous eCommerce integrations that also include QR-based checkouts and payments. Though not the CRM’s flagship feature, the data analytics feature provides valuable data for guiding marketing campaigns and interactions. 
• Knight CRM: If your brand or company is already using CRM like HubSpot and Salesforce, then you’ll need a WeChat CRM integration that links with these. Knight is a WeChat CRM that connects to Salesforce, making the learning curve less steep for foreign teams. Knight CRM also connects online stores to brick-and-mortar ones, helping you with O2O marketing.  
• Weimob: The developers of Weimob created the CRM specifically for WeChat integration, catering to nearly all marketing needs. From automated messaging to targeted analytics, Weimob can help you reach audiences and retain them as customers. Weimob also has backend features that give you full control of your online store. 
• Youzan: Wechat CRM and Wechat Store services. Youzan is particularly well-rounded when it comes to WeChat marketing and well appreciated by many businesses.

5. Test Your New CRM Integration

Once your integrations are in place, you’ll have to see how consumers respond, so KPIs and analytics will be key. Of course, if you’ve delegated your WeChat CRM integration to an agency, they can take care of this step in the process for you. Whatever their findings are, always make it a point to improve in areas like checkout and customer service. 

WeChat CRM: to conclude

WeChat CRM is essential for businesses because it allows you to keep track of all your WeChat contacts in one place, as well as manage and send messages to them. With WeChat CRM, you can also keep an eye on your marketing campaigns and performance analytics, so you can fine-tune your marketing strategy accordingly. Additionally, WeChat CRM makes it easy to identify and target high-value customers for specific marketing campaigns. Overall, WeChat CRM provides a powerful and convenient way for businesses to manage their WeChat contacts and marketing activities.

Want to set up your own WeChat sCRM?

The importance of customer relationship management cannot be overstated. Successful businesses need to take their customers’ needs into consideration when designing WeChat CRM systems so that they can provide the best possible service and experience for all parties involved!

Contact us, we have solutions for you!