Trade fairs are still very important in the Middle Kingdom. Particularly in B2B marketing, they form an important entry point for customer communication - especially when it comes to generating WeChat contacts.
The Chinese social media app WeChat has so many features that it already replaces the Internet for some users: chatting with friends, video chat, exchanging opinions in groups, sharing pictures, following companies and shopping are just some of the features that WeChat brings together. With WeChat Pay, the app has even become a popular service for cashless and secure payment. But there is another aspect that makes the app valuable for companies: The app is used by its users both for private purposes and for professional networking. WeChat hence combines the features of Facebook, PayPal and LinkedIn in a single app. But what exactly does this have to do with trade fair marketing?
Quite simply: Trade fairs mostly exist for networking. And contacts are often made using WeChat in China. Instead of exchanging business cards, users exchange IDs for their WeChat accounts to get in touch with each other. It is quite simple: Each user has an individual QR code. They can send this code as an image file or the new contact can simply scan it from the mobile screen. Unlike Facebook, people do not search and find each other using a username or email address on WeChat.
WeChat: Lifelong connection to the customer
Making contacts through WeChat should be one of the main goals of trade fair marketing in China. There is a simple reason for this: in China, most employees change jobs every two years. The email addresses for these contacts thus become worthless as soon as they change employers. However, users keep their WeChat ID throughout their lives. And as dominant as WeChat is in China, one should not assume that the app will lose importance in the foreseeable future.
Successful trade fair marketing should try to build a bridge between exhibition booth and WeChat profile. Marketers therefore need to attract users to their exhibition stand with attention-grabbing actions and motivate them to use their smartphone and WeChat.
Successful trade fair marketing should therefore try to build the bridge between booth and WeChat. You have to generate attention for your booth with exciting promotions and once visitors are there you should motivate them to use their smartphone or WeChat. Take a raffle as an example for this. Ask visitors an estimation question that they answer online. A QR code takes them to a WeChat page where they can enter their estimate to win a prize. Of course, users have to give their consent to connect to your WeChat profile in advance. Afterwards, you can communicate directly with the contacts generated in this way via the WeChat App and also receive basic demographic data of the users.
Trade fair marketing with WeChat: Further uses
WeChat can also be used for other purposes in trade fair marketing. Trade fair invitations can be sent to existing contacts in advance. Mini-programs can be used to create trade fair vouchers as well. Anyone wishing to provide trade fair vouchers to their contacts can also generate new contacts when existing contacts share the promotion within the app with their contacts. In addition, WeChat can of course also be used to attract visitors by using QR codes at the exhibition center that inform visitors about promotions at the exhibition stand and show visitors the way.
Read more about Digital Marketing in China.
