Mini Programs Take Off: 4 Steps to Build a Growth Engine from 0 to 1

This article mainly analyzes the potential for the development of WeChat Mini Programs from two aspects: whether it is still worthwhile to develop them and how to realize commercial realization. I hope it will be of some inspiration to you.

Last year, the mini program game “Sheep Sheep” dominated the WeChat Moments and Weibo hot searches, with DAU exceeding 10 million in a few weeks, and eventually it was said to have made a profit of 1 billion. The last time such a national mini program appeared was “Jump Jump” 6 years ago.

Looking back at 2017, mini programs emerged and frequently dominated the screens, and were entrusted with an important task: to become a new growth point for various businesses. A few years later, there are more than 10 million WeChat mini programs online. With the ups and downs, many developers and companies are still blindly entering the market or waiting and watching in confusion: Is WeChat mini program still worth doing? How to monetize it after it is done?

Today, we will explore: How to build a WeChat Mini Program growth system from scratch and provide key strategies and steps. Whether you are an entrepreneur, product manager or marketer, you can get valuable dry goods.

Without further ado, let's go straight to the main text. Enjoy:

1. Issues that need to be determined before growing a mini program

1. Is WeChat Mini Program still worth developing?

As an extension of mobile applications, WeChat Mini Programs have become one of the first choices for many companies and individual entrepreneurs. However, with the rapid development of mobile Internet and the intensification of competition, some people may question: Is WeChat Mini Program still worth doing?

The answer is yes . WeChat mini programs still have huge potential and appeal, and the high-quality mini programs on the Aladdin mini program list are all-encompassing and have their own merits.

(1) Huge user base

WeChat is one of the largest social platforms in China, with hundreds of millions of active users. Through WeChat Mini Programs, we can directly reach this huge user base, increase brand exposure and user acquisition efficiency.

(2) Convenient user experience

WeChat Mini Programs do not need to be downloaded and installed. Users can open and use them directly in WeChat, saving users' storage space and download time. Compared with H5, which is subject to many browser restrictions, Mini Programs are more beautiful, smooth, and rich in experience, and can even compete with APPs.

(3) Rich functions and ecosystem

WeChat Mini Programs provide a wealth of development interfaces and functional components, enabling developers to build Mini Programs with complete functions and excellent user experience. In addition, the WeChat Mini Program ecosystem also provides a wide range of developer tools, community support, and promotion channels, providing developers with more opportunities and resources.

(4) Diversified business models

WeChat Mini Programs are not only applicable to e-commerce and service industries, but can also be applied to various fields such as education, tourism, and entertainment. Whether it is online shopping, appointment services, or content sharing, WeChat Mini Programs provide enterprises and individuals with diverse business models and profit opportunities.

2. How to monetize WeChat mini programs?

Only by starting from the end and thinking about the monetization link can the product have long-term vitality. The following are several common monetization strategies:

(1) Advertising monetization

You can work with advertising platforms to embed ads into the pages of mini programs and earn revenue based on the number of clicks or impressions of the ads. This requires balancing the relationship between user experience and advertising revenue, ensuring that ads do not interfere too much with the user experience. For example: Sheep a sheep.

(2) E-commerce sales

It is also a common way to monetize by turning mini programs into e-commerce platforms, selling goods or services, and obtaining sales profits from them. E-commerce sales can be achieved through cooperation with suppliers or self-operation. For example: JD.com and Pinduoduo mini programs.

(3) Membership system

Establish a membership system and provide premium membership services or privileges. By providing users with unique value and special treatment, attract users to purchase memberships and generate income from membership fees. For example: Jiedian Mini Program.

(4) Providing value-added services

In addition to basic functions, some value-added services can be developed and provided, such as data analysis, promotion services, customized functions, etc., to meet the special needs of users. These value-added services can be charged corresponding fees and generate income from them. For example: WeChat service market.

(5) Authorization and cooperation

If a mini program has unique content or functions, it can be licensed to other platforms or companies, or it can be promoted and monetized through cooperation with other companies. This method can realize monetization through licensing fees, cooperation income or brand promotion.

It should be noted that before choosing a monetization method suitable for your mini program, you need to fully understand the needs and behavioral habits of the target user group and make a choice based on the characteristics and advantages of the mini program.

2. Analysis of successful cases of mini program growth

1. Pinduoduo enters the Fifth Ring Road - taking social fission to the extreme

At the end of 2017, Pinduoduo launched a WeChat mini program, becoming one of the first to try it out. In just 18 months, the mini program reached 97 million monthly active users, helping Pinduoduo to move beyond the Fifth Ring Road and grab a piece of the e-commerce pie.

Pinduoduo's rapid rise is inseparable from its endless fission activities. On the natural social advantage soil of WeChat, it also left behind the legend of its "fission myth": activities such as "Daily Cut a Knife" and "One Point to Win a Treasure " hit the weaknesses of human nature and attacked fiercely. Some cases even forced WeChat to modify its dissemination rules, but it still has reference value today.

2. Tongcheng becomes the first mini program stock - deeply cultivating the WeChat ecosystem

In September 2018, Tongcheng Travel Mini Program topped the WeChat Mini Program Monthly Active List for the first time, and has long been among the top WeChat Mini Program Monthly Active List. In November of the same year, Tongcheng Travel successfully landed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange with the halo of "the first Mini Program stock".

According to the information disclosed in the prospectus, Tencent is the largest shareholder of Tongcheng-Elong, holding 24.92% of the shares. Based on the 27.9 million mobile and 13.7 million PC monthly active users disclosed in the prospectus, nearly two-thirds of Tongcheng-Elong's users rely on Tencent for traffic.

In 2021, Tongcheng Travel's average monthly active users were 257 million, a year-on-year increase of 34.2%. Among them, 80.7% of monthly active users came from WeChat mini programs.

How to cultivate the WeChat ecosystem? Tongcheng Travel has adopted the following strategies:

(1) All in WeChat Mini Programs for Core Business

Whether it is the operation of public accounts or the development of mini-programs, companies invest their efforts in enriching the WeChat ecosystem because they are interested in WeChat's traffic. It is difficult for apps alone to attract traffic from WeChat, and the "use it and leave" feature of mini-programs provides apps with a lever to leverage traffic.

Tongcheng Travel Mini Program puts the "booking" function in the App into the Mini Program, simplifies complex functions, shortens the user path on the Mini Program, and promotes direct orders.

(2) Settling into the service area grid and expanding more channel cooperation

Tongcheng Travel has also connected the two entrances of "train tickets and air tickets" and "hotels" in WeChat Wallet, and reached cooperation with multiple platforms under Tencent, such as Souyisou, QQ Music, QQ Browser, Tencent Video, etc.

(3) Taking advantage of the situation to create a hit product, the air ticket blind box activity ignited the market

During the Qingming Festival this year, the 98 yuan air ticket blind box launched by Tongcheng Travel attracted more than 20 million users to enter the event page to buy it as soon as it was released. It was successively on the hot search list of Weibo and Douyin, which not only attracted the attention of authoritative media such as CCTV, but also triggered many online travel platforms to imitate it.

Three, four steps to build a growth engine for mini programs from 0 to 1

Step 1: Internal drainage, cold start is no longer cold

First, you can promote the mini program internally among the company’s other products or services , such as promoting and linking the mini program on apps, websites, official accounts, or other platforms to attract existing users to try the mini program.

Secondly, you can attract users to actively convert into mini program users by providing unique mini program features or discounts .

For example, milk tea shops often place mini-program codes at the ordering counter to guide users to place orders online. While providing pickup reminders, they also keep users in their products, facilitating secondary reach and conversion.

Step 2: External marketing: leaning on a big tree for shade

On social media, you can attract user attention and participation by posting attractive content, hosting online events, and collaborating with influencers .

At the same time, by optimizing the search engine ranking of the mini program , its exposure and visibility can be improved.

In addition, you can attract more potential users to understand and use the mini program by placing advertisements, such as purchasing keyword ads on search engines or making targeted placements on social media .

For example, the short drama mini program that has been popular recently cuts the drama into slices and places information flow ads on platforms such as Douyin and Kuaishou. After users click on the ad, they will jump directly to the WeChat mini program. The first 5-10 episodes are free to watch, and subsequent content needs to be paid.

Step 3: Promote social activities and let the product spread itself

By introducing social elements such as interaction between users, sharing functions and community building, user stickiness and engagement can be increased.

In addition, user-generated content, such as user reviews, order sharing, and sharing, can be used to increase interaction and trust between users. Through social promotion, the influence and user base of the mini program can be expanded.

For example, Meipian, the number one app on the social networking site, can be used to generate albums from photos. As soon as the user finishes creating an album, it guides the user to share it with friends. Although it is just a simple function, it has attracted a large number of users by lowering the threshold for creation because it meets the user's need to share their lives.

Step 4: Continue fission to make up for the shortcomings of retention

Through high-quality user experience, personalized recommendations and reward mechanisms , users are encouraged to actively share and invite others to use mini programs.

In addition, the fission effect of users can be tracked and motivated by introducing invitation codes, promotion links , etc. Continuous fission can help mini programs quickly expand their user base and make up for the natural retention shortcomings of mini programs. Please refer to the above Pinduoduo case analysis.

4. Final Thoughts

The best opportunity to develop mini programs was 6 years ago, and the second best opportunity is now.

On the road to mini programs taking off, it is important and feasible to build a growth engine from 0 to 1: through internal traffic, external marketing, social activation and continuous fission, companies can attract more users, increase user engagement and loyalty, thereby achieving rapid growth and successful monetization of mini programs.

In fact, each mini program has its own unique characteristics and target user groups, so when implementing these strategies, it is necessary to adjust and optimize them according to the actual situation. At the same time, continuous data analysis and user feedback are also key.

Author: Add fish and meat

WeChat public account: Notes on adding fish and meat