How to operate private domain? 7 ways to operate private domain!

Private domains are very popular, but the information on the market is numerous and messy. Few people take a global perspective to systematically sort out the logic and content of private domains, or take a business perspective to clarify the logic and content of private domains.

This article starts from the products, users, IP, traffic, touchpoints, conversions, and organizations of private domain operations , and sorts them out one by one for industry insiders who want to do private domain operations.

1. Products

The prerequisite for doing business is to have products. Our products can be services, or something specific such as food, clothing, housing and transportation. To do business in the private domain, we also need products, and even "exclusive products" for the private domain.

For example, leading players such as ChaCha Guazi and Baiguoyuan have all made such product plans.

Because only "exclusiveness" can make private domain users feel the unique "channel value" externally, and internally, it can also compete with the GMV of other channels.

For example, the typical Feihe milk powder, its private domain base "Feihe Star Mom Club" has a unique product logic within the Star Mom Club mini program.

Xingma Club has an embedded "Xingxianxuan" mall, which is positioned as a points redemption mall for members. The products in the mall are selected based on the potential needs of mothers in all aspects, but the only product that is not sold is Feihe's flagship product - milk powder.

Why did Feihe do this?

This is because it can not only ensure the profits of Feihe's e-commerce department and dealers and prevent business conflicts caused by different internal systems, but also meet other service needs of the mothers.

So, as a private domain operator, how should private domain products be planned specifically? After conducting research and analysis on more than 100 brands’ private domains, I concluded the following rules:

The first type is drainage products.

The purpose of traffic-generating products is to attract users to join the private domain. For example, McDonald’s private domain traffic-generating product is the custard triangle pie, and Wumart’s private domain traffic-generating product is a 100-yuan coupon lottery.

In terms of product type, it can be physical products, virtual vouchers, or online courses, which are determined based on the industry, target population, and demand points.

The second type is profit goods.

Profitable products are the main products of social marketing. They are used to make up for the cost losses caused by traffic-generating products and to expand the revenue of private channels.

The third type is expansion products.

There are two types of extended products: one is brand peripherals that are not for sale, and the other is products jointly produced with other brands.

The purpose of expanding products is to enrich the product categories within the group and keep users in the group feeling fresh. For example, a single wine community is always selling wine day after day, and users will get annoyed after seeing it for a long time.

If we target this group of people and collaborate with partners in different industries on "traffic + products" around their "food, clothing, housing, transportation and entertainment", we can achieve the effect of 1+1>2.

For example, in KFC’s corporate WeChat group, in addition to daily sales of its own products, it also sells the "Children's Ice and Snow Sports Science Picture Book Collector's Edition".

Another example is Three Squirrels, a leading snack brand, which has teamed up with Mango Moment, Blue Moon, Jiejie Le, and Quanmianshidai to carry out various joint activities to meet the group members' needs for food, supplies, and entertainment.

2. User

Users are the core of our private domain channels. Where do users see private domain touchpoints? How to see private domain touchpoints? What is the user’s behavioral path after entering the private domain? How do private domain touchpoints flow in the user behavior path?

All of this requires drawing a "user private journey map".

Taking Delicious Life as an example, how is its private domain user journey map designed?

First, after users place an order using the Delicious Life payment app, they will be guided to follow Delicious Life’s official account, completing the first step of private domain traffic diversion: entering the official account touchpoint;

Then, in the menu bar, users are attracted by the "grab a free meal" gimmick, and after clicking, the "join the group and win a free meal" activity page pops up.

Scan the QR code to enter the enterprise WeChat group of the "corresponding city" and complete the second step of private domain drainage: enter the enterprise WeChat group touchpoint.

And this is just the "flow-inducing stage" for users to enter the private domain. It is just the three touch points and one gameplay of the "flow-inducing stage", and the "user private domain journey map" that is built into a system

It is much larger and more systematic than what is shown.

Once we have figured out how users enter the private domain, how to make users feel the value becomes the biggest factor in the success or failure of the private domain.

Many people have more or less done private domain work, attracting traffic, creating groups, sending private messages, posting to Moments, and even sending red envelopes to activate users, but after all these operations, they haven't made any splash.

The core of the core is that users do not resonate with your touchpoints, content, and form. To them, it even becomes harassment. The most direct result is that the group becomes a dead group and WeChat friends are deleted.

So how to solve this problem? We need to figure out where the problem lies first?

Please think about this: Which group you are in is the most active?

(For example: family group, company work group, parent group)

Please think about this: Why do you pay attention to the information of these groups?

(For example: useful, valuable, strong communication)

When we think about the above two questions clearly, we actually grasp the underlying logic of highly active groups: strong connection + strong demand.

As a private domain operator or a merchant who wants to do private domain, we may not be able to make users strongly associated and pay attention to our information every day.

However, it is certainly possible to highlight the value of private domains, but how can we make private domains valuable?

First: You need to know who your users are, what their demands and pain points are, their and even their friends and family’s occupations, cities, hobbies…

Second: Different users should be segmented according to their demands, stickiness, interaction/consumption frequency, gender, region, industry, occupation, age...

Third: Carry out private domain activities continuously and in a targeted manner. Only by doing things can users stick to you, only by doing things can users know you, and only by doing things can users think of you when they want to buy.

In addition to user portraits and stratification, private domain process SOPs must be available, such as: daily operation SOP design, public opinion monitoring and processing mechanism, automatic welcome message setting, etc.

3. IP

Why do private domains need to build IP? In fact, there is a natural barrier between brands and consumers.

Consumers will feel that brands are always trying to "sell things" to them. Consumers want to break through all the middlemen.

The fastest and most direct way to sell products to consumers is to sell them directly to consumers. However, there are two factors that determine when consumers decide to buy something:

1) Sense of value

2) Trust

If a brand’s products have no usage value or even emotional value to consumers, it is highly likely that they will find it difficult to close a sale.

Another thing is trust. Only when consumers have trust in the brand/product can their decision-making cycle and order amount be shortened.

By creating a personal IP, IP, as the "middleman" connecting brands and consumers, can help brands convey a sense of value and trust through personalization.

For example, Perfect Diary’s "Xiao Wanzi" has created an exquisite and lovely beauty expert from positioning to content. Through Xiao Wanzi, a link is established with Perfect Diary’s consumers, and value and trust are generated through the link.

How does Perfect Diary create its IP?

One is the portrayal of realism. Chibi Maruko's profile picture, WeChat Moments cover, WeChat Moments content, product posters, etc. are all unified and realistic images, which greatly enhances users' trust in the IP.

The second is the accurate positioning of the IP character. The character of "Xiao Wanzi" is a beauty expert, portraying a beauty KOC who loves beauty.

This positioning not only brings the brand closer to users, but also drives product sales and enhances the stickiness and sales attributes of the IP personality.

The third is the portrayal of sense of value. Through various fan benefits and strategy sharing, users are given a strong sense of value, which greatly enhances their trust and stickiness to the character.

4. Traffic

Regarding traffic, especially "private domain traffic", we discuss two core issues:

1) Where does private domain traffic come from?

2) How to obtain private domain traffic?

First of all, where to get it from? Before figuring this out, please think about where our traffic is?

Let’s briefly talk about it from the two dimensions of online and offline.

Online: takeaway orders, mall orders

Offline: store traffic, cross-industry replacement

We can convert online traffic through package cards, AI outbound calls, etc.

We can convert offline traffic through store touchpoints, such as roll-up banners, floor stickers, table stickers, waiters, cashiers, payment applets, etc.

The second question is, how to obtain traffic?

Generally, there are the following ways, and we can make adjustments according to actual conditions.

①Discounts for new stores decrease with the number of days they open;

② Example of half price for the second cone: McDonald’s half price for the second cone

③Example of timed discounts: Aunt Qian “does not sell overnight meat”

④ The first 100 customers will receive gifts when they come to the store. Example: 50% off for the first table, 60% off for the second table…

⑤ Three people get one free. Suitable for: barber shops, beauty shops, ticket shops

⑥Bawang meal coupon activity is suitable for: new store opening

⑦ The cutest height difference with 12% off Suitable for: Valentine's Day, 18cm height difference with 12% off

⑧ 10% off example: old customers leave their mobile phone number, and friends can get discounts when they come and tell them their numbers

⑨ Recommend new customers and both parties will get a 50% discount Example: Luckin Coffee

⑩Game ranking discount event

All traffic collection channels can be directed to employees’ corporate WeChat for unified management.

5. Contact

Tencent's private domain touchpoints include the following channels:

1) Official Account

2) WeChat for Business

3) Enterprise WeChat Group

4) WeChat Moments

5) WeChat Mini Program

6) Video Account

Generally speaking, the official account can serve as the "official website" of an enterprise in the mobile era. In addition to product promotion, the official account can also aggregate functions such as interaction, ordering, and payment.

However, as the opening rate of public accounts continues to decline, consumers’ motivation and frequency of attention and opening have all declined significantly;

With the emergence of WeChat for Business, companies now have an officially supported "marketing outlet". Once customers are directed to WeChat for Business, companies can closely reach users through social groups, Moments, 1V1 private messages, etc.

WeChat mini programs and video accounts can serve as powerful touchpoints for private domain conversions.

6. Conversion

For the boss, any investment requires output, and private domain is no exception. The ultimate goal of private domain is conversion.

However, if you think that the way to play in the private domain is the same as the way to play in the traffic investment, then I’m sorry, I need to pour some cold water on you first.

If we compare the traditional delivery logic to Western medicine, the effect will be seen quickly after taking it, but the conversion in the private domain is more like Chinese medicine, which takes a long time to take effect but is better for the body (consumers).

Private domain conversion has always been a difficult problem in the industry, but no matter how difficult the problem is, there are strategies to solve it. So let us first think about: What are the factors that affect private domain conversion transactions? And increase the closing rate?

1) Why customers buy: because they need it, because they are influenced by it, and because they trust it

2) What customers buy: solutions, future vision, personal brand

3) Customers’ reasons for buying: magnify pain points, awaken emotions, and take immediate action

Taking the simple example of circle of friends marketing, let’s see how Perfect Diary and Miniso do it?

In addition to the circle of friends, in fact, the private domain WeChat groups, mini programs, and 1V1 touchpoints all have conversion methodologies. Generally speaking, the conversion rate will be higher if these touchpoints are promoted in conjunction with each other and sold in waves!

7. Organization

After we have clarified the private domain strategy and approach, building an organization becomes the last step in the private domain!

because,

All ideas need organization to be implemented!

All execution requires organization to cooperate!

All results need to be shared by the organization!

So, as a company boss, what kind of private domain team should you form to ensure effective implementation? There are three things to do here:

1) Recruit people who know the industry;

2) Recruit people who are willing to work together;

3) Establish reasonable incentive rules.

Summary

1. Private domain is equivalent to a startup project.

Those who want to join the game need to have a clear understanding, firm resilience, sufficient funds and an efficient team;

2. Private domain is a slow and meticulous project.

Abundant accumulation will lead to a sudden release, from quantitative change to qualitative change, from foundation to high building.

3. Private domain is a job that requires a professional team.

Professionals do professional things, form a professional team, avoid the pitfalls others have stepped on, and copy others' successful methodologies. This is already half the battle to success.