How to use WeChat information flow advertising?

I believe that many people have seen advertisements in WeChat’s information flow in their Moments, but the advertisements everyone sees are different. Some are from “BMW”, some are from “Coca-Cola”, and some are from “VIVO”. After WeChat launched the internal test of advertising, people kept joking in the circle of friends that there are different levels of advertising pushed by WeChat. Those who can receive the "BMW" advertisement are "rich" users, while those who unfortunately receive the "Coca-Cola" advertisement are defined as "loser" users by the system.

Information flow advertising is nothing new. On Facebook and Twitter abroad, information flow advertising has become the mainstream form of advertising. Information flow ads can also be seen everywhere on domestic news clients and Weibo. It’s just that other platforms don’t have as large a user base as WeChat, as much online time, and as high a level of attention. Therefore, once WeChat launched information flow advertising, it received unprecedented attention and interaction, exceeding everyone’s imagination of mobile advertising .

Today, data claiming to be from the official WeChat showed that as of 12:00 noon on the 26th, BMW's total exposure within 16 hours of going online was close to 46 million, and users clicked on the BMW logo, clicked "like" and commented more than 7 million times. As of 9 a.m. on the 27th, VIVO had been online for 36 hours, with a total exposure of 155 million. Users clicked on the BMW logo, clicked "like" and commented more than 7.2 million times, and the official WeChat account added 220,000 followers.

1. The principle of WeChat information flow advertising

Now the question is, WeChat also pushes advertisements, so why do some people receive BMWs while others receive Coca-Cola? What are the so-called “big data methods” used by WeChat?

In fact, WeChat’s Moments ads are very similar to the “ Fans Link ” first launched by Weibo, in which some products and brands appear in the user’s information flow. It’s just that the following mechanisms of Weibo and WeChat are different. Weibo is one-way following, while WeChat is two-way following, but the principles are the same.

The so-called WeChat Moments advertising is actually that you are suddenly added as a "friend" by the system, and this "uninvited guest" appears in other people's information flows at the same time. If other people happen to be friends with you, then you will see his likes, comments and reposts. Some people have been complaining, why so many likes and comments are harassing to users, why doesn’t the system turn off “interaction”?

In Heima's opinion, there are two reasons why the system does not shut down: first, the mechanism of WeChat advertising is to treat advertising users as a "friend", so this "friend" enjoys the same treatment as each of our users, and the interaction mechanism is also the same. Turning off "interaction" is equivalent to turning off everyone's interaction. You can imagine what kind of situation this will be. Second, interactive data such as likes and comments will likely become the mainstream method of advertising billing, and the amount of interaction will be directly linked to advertising fees. In this way, the interaction will not be turned off, because WeChat still hopes to make money based on "interaction volume"?

2. User screening for WeChat information flow ads

After talking about the principles of WeChat information flow advertising, let’s talk about its users’ choices. Why do some people receive BMW advertisements while others can only see Coca-Cola? Although it is claimed that big data methods are used, from my personal judgment, the current selection of WeChat advertising audiences still adopts the simplest method, which is to label users. The most direct indicators for "labeling" people are region, gender, age, device, friend relationships and interest maps.

1. Region

This is easy to understand. Everyone's login location is recorded on the server. Where you often log in basically defines your permanent area. When advertising, advertisers can choose based on region. For example, if I own a property in Beijing, I can choose to target users in Beijing. If user targeting is turned on, I can even target users in Chaoyang District.

2. Gender

This is relatively easy to define and can be found in your user profile. Different advertisements can be pushed according to gender.

3. Age

This is also easy to understand, as age information is also included in the user profile. The population can also be divided according to different age groups.

4. Equipment

This is also an indicator that is easy to obtain, which is what kind of mobile phone you are using. If you use an iPhone 6, no matter whether you sold your kidney to buy it or somewhere else, at least it shows that you have more purchasing power than those who use ordinary Android phones.

5. Friendship

The friend relationship data of each of our users is also stored on WeChat’s server. If all your friends are “rich” people, then there is a greater possibility that you are also rich. However, compared with the first four indicators, the determination of "friendship" is more complicated.

6. Interest Graph

The most difficult way to obtain this indicator is to determine it through search or input method. For example, if you often search for a word in WeChat, the system will record this word and link it to your interests based on this keyword. Furthermore, when you use the "input method", the system will also record the "vocabulary" you frequently input as data for analyzing your "interest map". Of course, the text in your circle of friends can also be used as material for analyzing your interests, but because Chinese characters are profound and extensive, it is too difficult to do emotional semantic analysis.

In addition to the above six indicators, there are of course "WeChat public accounts you follow", data on clicked ads, and even the underlying data of QQ numbers. However, those indicators are difficult to extract and analyze on a large scale, and therefore difficult to use as indicators for precise advertising delivery. In Heima Ge’s opinion, although WeChat currently has a huge number of users and has accumulated a huge amount of data, it is still difficult to achieve truly precise delivery in a short period of time because the data is not currently “labeled”. It is estimated that the next step, the "labeling" management of WeChat data will be the top priority.

3. Billing Methods for WeChat Information Stream Ads

Currently, there are roughly two ways to bill information flow ads: one is billing based on exposure, and the other is billing based on interaction. WeChat information flow ads are no exception to these two billing methods.

1. CPM

The so-called CPM charge is charged by exposure, which is similar to the original cost per thousand of print advertising. That is, when each active fan sees the advertisement, a certain amount of money is charged for every thousand times, and the charge is accumulated with the bidding.

2. By CPE

It means paying according to the amount of effective interaction, and the price is accumulated with bidding. (Effective interactions include: likes, comments, reposts, favorites, and short link clicks). In Heima Ge’s opinion, because WeChat has a huge number of users and a large amount of interaction, there is a high possibility of using CPE for billing.

4. Advertising Format

Although the WeChat ads of BMW, Coca-Cola and VIVO have received unprecedented attention, the advertising formats are relatively simple, all of which are display ads, lacking some creativity and interactivity. During the internal test, everyone may find it novel and will participate in the interaction whenever there is an advertisement. However, when there are too many advertisements, everyone will get tired of it. Therefore, when brands place advertisements on WeChat , they must not only be “rich and willful” but also work hard on creativity and interactive mechanisms.

In Heima's opinion, WeChat information flow advertising will have three forms in the future:

1. Brand display

Just like the advertising formats of BMW, Coca-Cola and VIVO, the advertisements are mainly based on brand display. This kind of advertising is only done by companies that are rich, willful and have no KPI pressure. ,

2. Diversion type

It is estimated that some game companies will invest in advertisements similar to Guangdiantong , which attract you with some eye-catching language and then jump to the game or APP installation page.

3. Game type

The most common form of advertising in the circle of friends is some H5 games, which complete brand communication during the game and interaction, and at the same time inspire users to share to their own circle of friends and relationship chains.

4. Affordable

Didi Dache can be said to have used this form of advertising to the extreme. If Didi Dache, which is rich and willful, uses information flow advertising to send red envelopes, you can imagine what the situation will be. The biggest advantage of Didi Taxi’s WeChat red envelopes is that they stimulate users to share through vouchers and discount coupons, truly allowing users to spread the word.

In Heima Ge’s opinion, with the increase in WeChat information flow advertising, the effectiveness of brand and traffic-directing advertising will become worse and worse. However, the gaming and affordable types will be more lasting and will further stimulate users' enthusiasm for participation. After all, the core of social marketing is "immersion in relationship chains", and social relationship chains are the real strength of Tencent.