Have you heard of WeChat? It is a free messaging app that is used by over half a billion people ( according to the iTunes app store ). It began in China a few years ago and is the #1 way that Chinese keep in touch. As with everything in the Chinese market, something small becomes bigger quite quickly!
When you use WeChat, you can exchange text messages, photos, videos, leave voice messages and call for free anywhere in the world. So this makes this app a perfect way to create and build relationships with Chinese tour operators and tour guides. When you show that you are reaching them where they are, they are typically very impressed.
Steps to start with WeChat
- Download the app. It’s available for iphones and androids.
- Create your profile and upload a picture of yourself. Since you are using this tool as a way to build conversations, make it easy for them to remember who you are. Fill out your profile with your region. The ‘What’s up’ section is a place for short phrase. Use it to mention your attraction!
- Upload a cover photo. I use one of my workplace. You can change it easily
- I have some business cards printed in Mandarin and I have put my WeChat ID along with the WeChat logo on the card. All the tour guides and operators that I hand them to are always suprised and impressed!
Here is a screen shot of my current home page. As you can see, each post gets time stamped.
To make a post, click on the camera icon. You will see choices.
- Sight is for videos. They are less than 10 seconds,
- Take photo – self explanatory
- Choose from photos – the app will access the photos on your phone.
In all these instances, you can add text for a description. I have posted photos of new items in our galleries, groups of tour guides standing at our entrance, and fun pictures from outside work so my contacts get to know me a bit better.
You can take photos of anything that would be of interest to tour companies. If you have a group coming to visit, make sure you take group pictures and post them. Its great to show that you already have groups coming.
Adding Contacts
When I first started adding contacts, the guides would take my phone, click some buttons and connect us. But its easy to do it yourself as well. WeChat has QR codes for each profile, so when you show your QR code to someone, they take a photo within the app and you are automatically connected. You can find your unique QR code on your profile. If someone shows your their QR code, that is easy as well. Go to Contacts ( at the bottom of your screen) and then click the person+ icon in the upper right corner. On the list you will see ‘scan QR code’. Click that and a QR code reader will come up. Hold it over your friend’s QR code and it will scan it and add them as a friend. Easy!
Another WeChat tip
I will leave you with one more hint that has helped me immensely! I was getting many new contacts, and forgetting where I met them. Many also write their name in Mandarin so its hard to know who it is. Priceless hint: go to your new contacts profile. In the upper right hand corner, click on the three dots. Click on ‘set remarks and tags’. Where their name is, you can edit and add information. For tour guides, I often enter their company name. For operators, I add where I met them. And if their profile is in Mandarin, I just add their americanized name.
Using WeChat has been a worthwhile learning curve for me. Attractions looking to obtain more business from this market would be smart to dive in and become familiar with all this app can do for you.
WeChat Training
Interested in having your destination become WeChat ready? I offer trainings that will help your attractions understand the importance of the Chinese market and learn how to use WeChat to build the business. Contact me at sally@sallydavisberry.com for more information.