Today is the last day of 2018. Thank you for your reading and supporting our blog this year!
Over the year, we received many inquiries from many different countries about WeChat advertising and official accounts.
Here, we’ll answer 4 of the most frequently asked questions.
Should I try WeChat advertising?
If you want to promote your brand in the Chinese market, WeChat advertising is one of the leading channels for social marketing in China. The WeChat advantage includes:
- Access to the top social users in China
- Wide reach and demographic base, from teenagers to the elderly
- Audience targeting through the orientation feature
- Options for different budgets
- User-friendly advertising display
- High engagement and conversion rates
- Accurate reporting
We recommend 3 forms of WeChat advertising:
WeChat Moments Ads
WeChat Moments ads are suitable for mature brands, B2C industries, and e-commerce.
WeChat Official Account Banner Ads
WeChat official account banner ads are suitable for mature and new brands, B2C and B2B industries, and e-commerce.
WeChat KOL Marketing
WeChat KOL marketing is suitable for mature and new brands, B2C and B2B industries, and e-commerce.
Learn more:
As an overseas company, can I advertise on WeChat?
As an overseas company, you can advertise on WeChat. However, there are stipulations. For example, there are some industries that are best suited for WeChat advertising, some industries that are banned from WeChat advertising altogether, and some special industries that must meet certain criteria before advertising on WeChat.
Overseas Industries Best Suited for WeChat Advertising
- E-commerce (relates to the entire advertising platform)
- Tourism (excluding casinos)
- Digital appliances/electronics
- Parent and child commerce (excluding milk powder)
- Food (excluding health food)
- Wine
- Transportation
- Domestic/life services (excluding gambling, such as casinos, horse racing, etc., and home services)
WeChat advertising is suitable for the following overseas industries—only if brands have an established reputation in the local market:
- Apparel
- Shoes and bags
- Jewellery and watches
- Skin care and makeup
- Daily necessities
- Outdoor and sporting goods
Overseas Industries Banned from WeChat Advertising
- Web portals
- Merchants (relates generally to advertising merchants)
- Healthcare
- Tobacco products
- Business services
- Legal services
- Personal overseas WeChat official accounts
Special Overseas Industries: Must Meet Particular Conditions Before Advertising
Education
Special support is provided for overseas universities approved by the Ministry of Education. Here’s a list of approved overseas universities.
Banking
At present, only banks with domestic branches can advertise on WeChat. All banks must meet the following criteria:
- Qualification certificate of domestic branch or office
- Material and landing page are used only for brand promotion, not transactions
- Seal or signature of the letter of commitment
Real Estate
WeChat advertising supports only the overseas real estate business of domestic entities.
Online and Telecommunication Services
WeChat advertising supports overseas companies that provide operator services in China. These companies must have the “Basic Telecommunications Business Operation Permit” or the “Value-added Telecommunications Business Operation Permit,” which is issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.
Gaming
Gaming companies must meet the following criteria for WeChat advertising:
- Proof of registration/approval (imported games must provide approval documents from the Ministry of Culture)
- Game version number (the version must be approved by the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television)
Agencies and Associations
Agencies and associations must strictly abide by the relevant provisions of the Law on the Administration of Domestic Activities of Non-Governmental Organizations Outside the People’s Republic of China and must provide a seal or signature of the letter of commitment.
Learn more:
What are the requirements for WeChat account application and verification?
- Local business license/company number and country of company registration
- An operator passport number and issuing date
- Office address of the applicant
- Desired display name
- Desired name of the WeChat ID
- Email address for the purpose of registration
- Account type: subscription or service
- A short introduction to your business
- Profile picture
- local landline phone number of your company (for a verification call from Tencent)
Learn more:
Can my overseas business license be used to register for WeChat official accounts?
Below is a list of countries from which an overseas business license is accepted to register for WeChat official service accounts.
Asia
- Afghanistan
- Armenia
- Azerbaijan
- Bahrain
- Bangladesh
- Bhutan
- Brunei
- Cambodia
- China Mainland
- East Timor
- Georgia
- Hong Kong China
- India
- Indonesia
- Iran
- Iraq
- Israel
- Japan
- Jordan
- Kazakhstan
- Korea
- Kuwait
- Kyrgyzstan
- Laos
- Lebanon
- Macao China
- Malaysia
- Maldives
- Mongolia
- Myanmar
- Nepal
- North Korea
- Oman
- Pakistan
- Palestine
- Philippines
- Qatar
- Saudi Arabia
- Singapore
- Sri Lanka
- Syria
- Taiwan China
- Tajikistan
- Thailand
- Turkey
- Turkmenistan
- United Arab Emirates
- Uzbekistan
- Vietnam
- Yemen
Europe
- Aland Islands
- Albania
- Andorra
- Angola
- Austria
- Belarus
- Belgium
- Bosnia
- British Isle of Man
- Bulgaria
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Faroe Islands
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Gibraltar
- Greece
- Guernsey
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Ireland
- Italy
- Jersey
- Latvia
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Macedonia
- Malta
- Moldova
- Monaco
- Montenegro
- Netherlands
- Norway
- Poland
- Portugal
- Romania
- Russia
- San Marino
- Serbia
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Svalbard and Jan Mayen
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Ukraine
- United Kingdom
- Vatican
Americas
- Anguilla
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Argentina
- Aruba
- Bahamas
- Barbados
- Belize
- Bermuda
- Bolivia
- Brazil
- Canada
- Chile
- Colombia
- Costa Rica
- Cuba
- Dominic
- Dominican Republic
- Ecuador
- Falkland Islands (Malvinas)
- French Guiana
- Greenland
- Grenada
- Guadeloupe
- Guatemala
- Guyana
- Haiti
- Honduras
- Jamaica
- Martinique
- Mexico
- Montserrat
- Nicaragua
- Panama
- Paraguay
- Peru
- Puerto Rico
- Saint Kitts and Nevis
- Saint Lucia
- Saint Pierre and Miquelon
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- Salvador
- Small island outside the United States
- South Georgia and South Sandwich Island
- Suriname
- The British Virgin Islands
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Turks and Caicos Islands
- United States
- United States Virgin Islands
- Uruguay
- Venezuela
Africa
- Algeria
- Antilles
- Benin
- Botswana
- British Indian Ocean Territory
- Burkina Faso
- Burundi
- Cameroon
- Cape Verde
- Cayman Islands
- Central African Republic
- Chad
- Comoros
- Cote d’Ivoire
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Djibouti
- Egypt
- Equatorial Guinea
- Eritrea
- Ethiopia
- Gabon
- Gambia
- Ghana
- Guinea-Bissau
- Kenya
- Lesotho
- Liberia
- Libya
- Madagascar
- Malawi
- Mali
- Mauritania
- Mauritius
- Mayotte
- Morocco
- Mozambique
- Namibia
- Netherlands
- Niger
- Nigeria
- Republic of Congo
- Reunion
- Rwanda
- Sao Tome and Principe
- Senegal
- Seychelles
- Sierra Leone
- Somalia
- South Africa
- Helena
- Sudan
- Swaziland
- Tanzania
- Togo
- Tunisia
- Uganda
- Western Sahara
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
Oceania & Antarctica
- American Samoa
- Australia
- Bouvet Island
- Christmas Island
- Cocos (Keeling) Islands
- Cook Island
- Federated States of Micronesia
- Fiji
- French Polynesia
- French Southern Territories
- Guam
- Guinea
- Heard Island and McDonald Island
- Kiribati
- Marshall Islands
- Nauru
- New Caledonia
- New Zealand
- Niue
- Norfolk Island
- Northern Mariana Islands
- Palau
- Papua New Guinea
- Pitcairn
- Samoa
- Solomon Islands
- Tokelau
- Tonga
- Tuvalu
- Vanuatu
- Wallis and Futuna
Learn more:
- WeChat accepts Foreign Business License for Official Service Accounts
- WeChat limits the number of official account registrations
