"Invalid private domain" is more terrible than not having a private domain!

The invalid private domain mentioned in this article is the private domain operation investment that only achieves the KPI of user quantity but fails to retain customers. The author points out the reasons and proposes a systematic method. Standardized processes and professional teams are feasible ideas for establishing an effective private domain. Come and have a look.

Today, almost all companies are doing business and must have a "private domain".

Official accounts, communities, mini-programs, corporate WeChat, live broadcast rooms, small shops... Although everyone is using similar tools and platforms, the operating results are very different.

Many companies have public accounts, social networks, and dedicated WeChat customer service staff, but the results are few and far between. What should we do? We can’t bear to give up, but we dare not invest. Without a clear direction, we just keep dragging our feet.

I call this kind of "private domain" "invalid private domain".

"Ineffective private domain" is more terrifying than not having a private domain. It is the most hidden "vampire" of an enterprise, which gradually erodes the various resources of the enterprise, including manpower, financial resources, time, and strategic determination and confidence in the future.

What is scary is that this kind of "ineffective private domain" is extremely common today. "Nine out of ten private domains are useless and most of them are useless" has almost become the most true portrayal.

01 Why is your private domain "invalid"?

Almost all companies do this in their private domain:

First, attract traffic in the public domain, add users as WeChat friends, or directly import them into the community, and then guide users to follow the official account and register as members of the mini program. The order may change, but the basic steps are mostly the same. The first step of the original accumulation of private domain traffic is completed in this way.

Next, since the "fish" has entered the "pond", it's time to cast the net to catch them. Sales or operations start posting advertisements in WeChat Moments, sending coupons in groups, and updating articles on public accounts every day. Posting content, looking at data, and watching conversions every day is "private domain operation."

Is that wrong? It seems to be right.

Then why did it become an “invalid private domain”?

1. Too much emphasis on traffic generation and insufficient operational investment

Many companies have a way of thinking that the more traffic, the more conversions. Under the goal of "the more the better", brands seem to be doing private domain operations, but in fact the focus is on diversion, and the private domain is regarded as a change in the location of traffic. It seems that as long as the traffic in the public domain enters the private domain pool, everything will be fine, but the later operation is often ignored.

In many stores, we see that shopping guides use coupons and gifts to guide customers to join groups, follow public accounts, and become members. However, after adding followers, the operation does not keep up. There is no one to manage the group, the staff has no time to maintain users, and the public account is rarely updated. Only when coupons are distributed in the group will someone take them, and there is no interaction at other times.

In this way, it seems that there are more and more people in the private domain, and the number of fans is rising steadily, but these private domain users are ultimately just numbers in the KPI assessment form and cannot generate actual value for the company . They may even block social networks, unfollow public accounts, and intercept brand text messages, making it impossible for you to reach them.

2. Too much emphasis on harvesting, and insufficient relationship building

In contrast to the lack of operational actions, the operational methods are too focused on conversion harvesting, frequent one-way output of advertising content, lack of interaction, and failure to establish a good relationship with users.

In the era of traffic dividends, companies tend to treat users as "leeks", and the relationship with users is "buying and selling". You have needs, I have products, one hand pays, the other hand delivers. Once the goods are sold, you and I are no longer friends. Then they harvest the next wave of leeks, coldly.

However, this idea does not work in the era of inventory.

As the cost of acquiring customers gradually increases, every customer becomes more valuable. The core reason why companies want to do private domain is to "build good relationships" and first turn users from "outsiders" into "insiders" to shorten the distance between users and brands. When the relationship is close, trust is built, and customers are willing to buy, buy frequently, and buy for a long time.

If, in the matter of user management, the company only thinks about sales and harvesting, and immediately seeks exposure and promotes products, without the willingness and ability to treat users as friends, then users will vote with their feet. It doesn't matter who you buy from? You can buy from whoever is cheaper, so why should you buy from yours?

3. Over-reliance on celebrity store employees, and failure to expand private domain capabilities

Some companies have been able to achieve "single-point success" in private domain operations, with several stores or groups operating particularly well, with good relationships, good reputation, and good sales. This has given companies hope and the future of private domains.

However, when the company wanted to go one step further and achieve "full blossoming", it found that it encountered difficulties. After careful analysis, it was because such private domain operations were overly dependent on a star clerk. Only he/she could do it well. Others could not learn it or be taught it.

In the end, users' loyalty to this clerk is higher than their loyalty to the brand. Instead of maximizing benefits in private domain operations, the company may face huge risks.

This phenomenon used to be very common in the training industry. Star teachers obtained students through companies, and after establishing trust with clients, it was easy for them to take clients away from the companies.

In the retail industry, this situation is becoming more and more common. If some star employees do a good job in the private domain with their own abilities, it is easy for them to leave the company, take their customers to other companies, or even start their own business.

The inability to bind customer assets to brands and the inability to control and replicate private domain operation capabilities are serious crises faced by many companies.

02 How to solve the problem of “invalid private domain”?

There are many reasons for "ineffective private domain", and each company's situation is different. However, the deviation of "thinking consciousness" is the underlying reason why almost all companies fall into the private domain misunderstanding.

Private domain is not a hot spot or a short-term trend. If companies want to find the answer to "how to do a good job in private domain operations", the most important thing is to first get out of the misconceptions, then change the extensive approach, and finally return to the scientific "intensive cultivation" .

First of all, in terms of thinking and consciousness, if enterprises only regard private domain as the change of traffic position, then their understanding of private domain traffic is not enough. The most difficult thing in the Internet era is not to reach and obtain traffic, but to establish a continuous and reliable trust relationship with users. The establishment of such a relationship is a long-term practice.

This requires long-term cultivation of users, continuous provision of value to users, keeping them interested in the product, and increasing repeat purchases. Therefore, the real private domain traffic operation is a complete set of systematic combination tactics.

Here, based on the consulting projects I have done for enterprises in the past, I will explain in detail through the following two cases how to establish a private domain operation system and realize a sustainable and replicable self-circulating system.

1. Characteristics of the maternal and infant brand industry: high repurchase rate and high user communication desire

When I got involved in this company, their private domain project had been going on for more than half a year, and they hadn’t even successfully opened a pilot store. After in-depth research, I found that their private domain operations were riddled with holes and lacked a lot.

For example: lack of a complete private domain architecture team, lack of IP self-portraits, random adding of fans without standard content, no standardized data analysis... If these operational problems are not resolved and the single-store pilot is not successful, there can be no talk of nationwide replication.

I solved this problem in 4 steps:

1. Research and diagnosis: Understand the current status of the company's private domain, and understand how private domain operators, managers, and store managers view the issue of private domain;
2. Cognitive training: Provide training to the above-mentioned relevant personnel to achieve unity and consistency at the cognitive level;
3. Solution design: After understanding the specific situation, analyze the problem and provide a solution;
4. Coaching: After conducting a systematic diagnosis for the company, we prescribe the right medicine and start implementing the plan.

Finally, the “5 1” project was implemented to establish a private domain operation system:

• A private domain strategy: unified understanding, from the CEO to senior management, and then to regional heads, to reach a consensus on the strategy.
• One organizational structure: unify the structure of the private domain team, clarify the specific functions of the headquarters and stores, and form a standard system.
• A set of operating processes: Establish a complete set of operating processes from public domain to private domain, IP to links.
• A set of assessment standards: Establish specific assessment standards for teams and positions, and make objective evaluations of employees.
• A set of data reports: Understand what each team member is doing through specific data and find out whether there are any deviations from the established plan.

After 15 days of implementation, the private domains of the 10 pilot stores achieved sales of 300,000, the number of private domain fans increased 10 times, the fan-adding rate of the stores reached 50%, and the private domain teams were able to operate automatically.

With these foundations, they quickly expanded and replicated to stores across the country. In 2020, their private domain user scale reached 1.3 million, and their market value increased sixfold.

Therefore, chain brands like these will inevitably expand across the country. At this time, they must have a systematic method, standardized processes and a professional team to have replicable capabilities.

2. Characteristics of the jewelry brand industry: high unit price and low repurchase rate

This company has done very well in its private domain, with its revenue increasing 50 times in four years and sales of nearly 300 million yuan in 2019. Judging from the data results, it is very successful.

Even so, they also encountered problems and bottlenecks. The activity of private domains was gradually declining, the loss of old customers was increasing, and the boss felt more and more tired. Obviously, this was not what they wanted. The boss was eager to know how to operate sustainably.

To solve their sustainability problems? We also conducted a research and diagnosis. We found these problems:

The first is the IP problem. The founder is the IP, but there is a lack of a clear IP self-portrait and a standardized template. When the company creates related IP content, it is unable to form a unified style and tone.

How to solve it?

First, establish a clear positioning and standardized template for the creation of this IP; then, establish style standards for IP-related content and distribute them to employees to do; finally, combine products and categories of different price points to build different IP matrices and form a synergy.

The second is the team problem. The company lacks specialized content operators, private domain operators, and customer service, and has no standardized operating procedures.

How to solve it?

Recruit relevant operation personnel and establish a standardized training system to improve the work efficiency of new employees. For example, in customer service positions, establish relevant standard scripts, and in community operation positions, establish a complete set of standardized operating procedures.

The third is the problem of user growth system. Enterprises lack super user management, user management is not refined enough, and there is a lack of user growth system and data analysis.

How to solve it?

Help enterprises establish a super user system and use a set of system tools to improve overall efficiency. For example, develop a SaaS system specifically for managing users, facilitating data statistics and adjustment of operational strategies.

I also optimized and adjusted around the system method and standard process to establish a self-operating system. In this way, they can operate sustainably. During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, they still maintained a 20% growth.

03 Conclusion

The management of private domain traffic is not based on the short-term harvesting logic of WeChat business, but the ability to provide long-term value to users. The essence of private domain traffic is not only the change of traffic location, but also the continuous management of customers and the management of long-term relationships between enterprises and customers.

Through the two cases I shared, we can see that in order to avoid "ineffective private domain" and truly achieve replicable and sustainable private domain growth, companies must have a systematic approach, standardized processes and a professional team. All three are indispensable.

Author: Yan Tao

Source: WeChat public account "Yan Tao Sanshou (ID: yantao-219)"