WeChat: Getting Started

The success of your official WeChat account hinges on your ability to produce and publish engaging, quality content on a regular basis. Similar to Instagram, WeChat’s “Moments” gives you the opportunity to post photos with commentary. Ask yourself:

• What “Moments” are the most meaningful and influential among our prospective students?
  
• What are your institution’s day-to-day moments that appeal to this audience?
  
• What do your current students from China love most about your classes, campus, and culture, and how can you curate these valued moments?

If you’re recruiting Chinese students, you probably already have a WeChat presence. But if you don’t, this is what you can do:

Step 1: Create your WeChat official account. 
Applying for a verified WeChat Official account also can be a confusing and challenging process. If you’re told you need a local address inside China and you aren't willing (or able)  to set up an office there, then you could work with a reliable partner to support your China marketing plans. If that’s the case, Study in the USA can help with creating a WeChat registered for your institution.

Step 2: Create content based on alumni success stories
Successful alumni are the university’s best advertisements. Consider approaching some key alumni about becoming ambassadors for the university and telling their success stories for WeChat posts and videos (as well as for other assets like the university’s website and alumni magazine). Not only is this very flattering for the alumni in question, but these real-life stories are very powerful ways of connecting with prospective students and showing them what might be possible if they choose to enroll in your institution.

Step 3: Create WeChat groups where alumni, reps, or current students can advise prospective students
The other benefit of alumni is they’ve gone through exactly what prospective and current students are going through now, and are therefore excellent sources of information and advice. You could use WeChat to set up groups where prospective students could pose questions directly to alumni about, for instance, the application process, the university experience, or where current students could seek advice about employment or postgraduate education.

WeChat is critical to reaching prospective students, so having an account is a crucial aspect of your marketing strategy in China. And using it effectively will increase your chances of success in this market.

​This post was compiled in conjunction with our partner, China i2i Group.