Publishing ads on WeChat is a huge opportunity for brands looking to widen their reach and increase awareness. In this guide, we will introduce to you what WeChat Ads are all about and how you can effectively leverage them for your growth.

What is WeChat Advertising?

WeChat advertising is part of Tencent Ad Solutions that enable businesses to broadcast promotions and advertisements on two major segments on WeChat – Moment feed and on your official WeChat account.

In general, this advertising program intends to increase your followers on WeChat, drive website traffic, and yield app downloads.

How Does WeChat Ads Work?

To advertise on WeChat, you must first do these three steps:

1. Verify your official account
2. Check your eligibility first and register as an advertiser
3. Top up your ad account

Once you’re all set up, here’s how advertisements are processed from campaign goal-setting to review.

Ineligible for WeChat Ads

However, not all brands are allowed to run WeChat ads. Particularly, companies or brands belonging to the following categories* are restricted to advertise:

• Overseas real estate investment and leasing
• Medical
• Bird’s nest, sea cucumber, and similar food products
• Tobacco
• Casinos

* This is not an exhaustive list. All cases will depend on the WeChat review results.

Types of WeChat Ads

WeChat has two main ad types:

• Moments Ads
• Official Account Ads

In addition, determining the most suitable ad type for your campaign depends on your goal. If you want to know which type is best for you, schedule a quick chat with us.

Ads on WeChat Moments

WeChat Moments Ads are native ads displayed on a user’s Moments feed with an ‘AD’ label in the upper right corner. Generally, this ad type is designed to build awareness or generate impressions.

It had a great start back when it was launched in early 2015. For instance, Coca Cola and Mercedes-Benz were the pioneers among 25 brands that participated in the first-ever testing campaign.

Presently, with the development of WeChat Moments Ads, brands can easily display their promotional campaigns without breaking a sweat.

Furthermore, WeChat Moments ads are equivalent to Facebook ads as it appears on the user’s timeline (or Moments on WeChat).

Moments Ads have two formats:

• Regular Ads
• Basic Card Ads

This ad type uses cost-per-impression (CPM) bidding and also runs on two creatives type – image (banner) or video.

Advertising on WeChat Official Accounts

On the other hand, ads intended for official accounts on WeChat appear as articles on the account itself. This method displays a banner photo with a call-to-action button and brand information.

Its goal is to generate clicks and leads with its strategic placements.

Ads for WeChat Official Account (OA) have two major formats:

• In-article ads
• Bottom ads

This advertising method uses cost-per-click (CPC) bidding and also comes in two formats – image (banner) or video.

To further demonstrate how WeChat ads work, here are some case studies you can refer to. Click the links below.

• WeChat Ads: How ST Signature Tapped Customers in China
• ICONSIAM Banks on WeChat Ads to Promote Cross Border Ecommerce
• Singapore’s EAIM Chooses WeChat in Reaching Out to China

Get Started on WeChat Ads with Digital 38

WeChat ads is a thriving trend due to its massive reach. With an active user base reaching up to 1.25 billion, it indeed serves as a great opportunity for advertisers to promote a page, website, or app within WeChat.

And as a WeChat Official Sales Partner, Digital 38 can support you in your WeChat marketing solutions for your brand.

This includes WeChat Official Account setup and verification, Moments and Official Account advertising, mini program development, and WeChat Pay integration.

Contact us today, and schedule a quick chat with our team soon.