The Brand New WECHAT Video Account
WeChat has a nearly full user base, and it also covers people who have not been covered by Douyin, Kuaishou and other products. Enterprises use it as one of the main battlefields to acquire users.
This is destined that each of its actions will cause the industry to think.
This article will discuss the following questions: 1) why the video number should be launched; 2) the standard vibrato or B station; 3) where is the value to the user; 4) whether it is a bonus or a bubble; 5) future opportunities and Where is the space.
The full text is 5000 words, and it takes about 12 minutes to read. You can also jump directly to the part you are interested in to read.
1. Why do WeChat make a video account
The video number is a short content creation platform launched by WeChat. It can send 60s videos and 9 pictures. The entrance is on the WeChat discovery page. It is currently in grayscale testing. There are two types of grayscale tests: grayscale for published content and grayscale for video number entry.
Rich WeChat content ecology
From the perspective of WeChat, short content and video numbers are an important part of enriching and improving the content ecology of WeChat.
The WeChat public account has always had a pain point, lacking related reading and long-tail reading, and recently the official has taken two major actions: one is the video number sharing video can be associated with the public account article, the second is the end of the public account article will have related articles recommended , Click on more articles to enter the list of recommended articles.
A self-media person tried to use the video number to stream the public article, and then set the public article to pay, which resulted in 3000+ paying people and over 10,000 paid income.
It can be seen that, for some creators who have no mass but focus on content, the video number is an excellent free channel for obtaining customers.
Create a new ecology that records life
From a higher perspective, the video number is to create a new ecology that records real life.
Everyone knows that the WeChat team and even Tencent have never stopped observing short video products. In the past few years, various products have been launched on the short video track, but they have been “hanged” by competitors.
For example, WeChat, all kinds of top-stream support (the drainage entrance has also been added in the WeChat circle of friends) has achieved 50 million daily lives, but the standard vibrato has reached 300 million (early 400 million in early 2020); for example, in WeChat in 19 years I do n’t know how many people are watching the instant video on the circle of friends; there are yoo videos and dinner videos that have long been removed.
However, Tencent never gave up. In the WeChat public class in 2020, Zhang Xiaolong stated that WeChat will launch short content, because short content is content that everyone can create, and expression is everyone’s natural need.
“ The original idea of the public platform was to replace SMS as a mass-distribution tool based on connecting brands and subscribers, and to effectively avoid spam. But we accidentally turned it into an article as a carrier of content, making other short content The form is not presented, which makes us have a certain lack of short content.
We value content that everyone can create. The reason why the circle of friends sends photos and videos by default is because I had a knowledge at that time. For a billion people, it was not easy for everyone to send text, but everyone can do it.
Relative to the official account, we lack a carrier that everyone can create. Because everyone cannot be required to write articles every day. — Zhang Xiaolong 2020 micro-channel open class “
What is short content? The 140-word Weibo is short content, as is an instagram photo, a small vibrato video, and a WeChat Moments.
I understand what Zhang Xiaolong said about short content, not just short video, but more about “creating lightweight content with less time and lower cost”, and the video number is not short content. The ultimate form.
Second, what is the value to users
The value must be there, at least for people who have creative needs, it is a good thing. However, as of now, it is mainly a group of “creators” who are carnival, and have not seen any value to ordinary users.
Difficult point 1: User habits are not developed
Watching a video is different from watching a text. Watching a video has a threshold: users can open WeChat to reply to messages, swipe a circle of friends, or browse articles at any time, but they cannot watch videos at any time.
From the user’s usage habits, the psychological expectation of opening WeChat is “anytime”, but in certain scenarios, the user’s behavior of watching the video number is blocked. For example, you can reply to a WeChat during a meeting but cannot play a video .
On the other hand, the vibrato and quick hands, the scene is unique, the user will only open it when watching the video, and there is no behavior that is blocked.
Difficult 2: What needs are met is unknown
When you have a lot of time and want to watch some videos, do you choose to brush vibrato, station B, or other film and television products?
Presumably, you will choose the appropriate and familiar platform according to your current needs. For example, Douyin is to kill time and meet entertainment needs. Station B may look at content such as popular science. What can your video number meet your needs? It is still unknown.
Difficult point 3: The degree to which the demand is met is unknown
From the user’s perspective, can you see what you want to see on the video number? Can socially recommended content meet your needs? These are unknown. The only clear thing is that you have another channel to watch the video.
So what will you see in the video number? You will see what your friends like to watch. For example, several classmates have upgraded to become mothers, and they are crazy about baby in the video number, they like each other, your video number becomes a “transfer station”,
Based on social recommendation is so ruthless, the friend’s preference is regarded as a key element to recommend you, but your friend’s preference does not necessarily represent your preference.
Third, the difference between video acount and vibrato
Many people think that the video number is to “beat” Douyin, fast hands, and grab their market and users.
I think these are two types of products, because Douyin and Kuaishou dominate in the field of short video, so everyone will forcefully compare them. In fact, WeChat may not mean to fight with Douyin and Kushou.
Douyin and Kuaishou are typical products on the short video ecological chain, and micro signals are not necessarily. I am more inclined to believe that WeChat’s “drunner’s intention is not wine”, which seems to be seizing the short video market, but in fact is a supplement to WeChat’s ecology, only evolved in WeChat’s own product philosophy.
Secondly, Douyin and video numbers are very different in terms of product tonality, product design, recommendation mechanism, product ecology, etc.
Product positioning: real life and good life
Douyin’s slogan is to record a good life, and the video number’s slogan is to record a real life.
Literally, Douyin wants users to share the “beautiful clips” of life, and the video number wants users to record “real life.”
Looking at the product positioning, Douyin is more focused on the video creation platform + video consumption platform. It uses video and creativity to shoot content. The positioning emphasizes “creating with video”; the video number is more inclined to “life precipitation”, using pictures or Record your life in the form of video.
Product tonality: Douyin is small, video number is alley
Douyin and video numbers have completely different feelings. Douyin is like a small bar, lively and lively, everyone is very happy; video number is like an alley, life is full of joy, human joy, everything is available.
Based on the past practices of WeChat, WeChat and public accounts, the official will not intervene in the operation, only to formulate basic rules, just like an alley, just how you want to go shopping, without disruption. Douyin is not the case, the official operating attributes are very strong, and often organize topics and challenges for the participation of the whole people, like a warm-up event in the bar, which will obviously lead the atmosphere to the more tonal qualities that the official hopes.
Product design: stop and stop
Compare WeChat to a supermarket. The video number is equivalent to adding the category of “cooked food”. You can buy whatever you need and leave after buying. Douyin is more like a game hall. I hope you “can’t stop”.
From the perspective of product design, Douyin is a vertical version and full screen, emphasizing a sense of immersion, a typical kill time product. Its core value is to retain users. The longer a user sees it, the more opportunities it has for commercialization, and the higher the commercial value.
In contrast, the video number adheres to WeChat’s consistent “sexual indifference” style: the content is presented in a horizontal version and information flow form, which is calmer, and there is no operating mechanism set up to “retain” users. The overall product design is very simple, only for simple shooting, adding subtitles and uploading, very simple, obviously there is no intention to let users “addicted to this”.
From the side view, WeChat only provides a function and channel for sending and watching short videos, but the essence is that users are expected to “go away after use.”
Recommendation mechanism: machine recommendation and social recommendation
Douyin is mainly based on machine recommendations, and video numbers are mainly based on social recommendations.
“ The difference between these two is very obvious: you accidentally read a shampoo in the supermarket, the shopping guide has always recommended you shampoo, you recommend shampoo everywhere you go. You go to another supermarket, standing your 10 Friends, they each took a product and told you they just bought this. “
The advantage of machine recommendation is that you can label all the content you have seen, so as to form your personal favorite label, and recommend content for you based on this. The content recommended in this way is more and more comprehensive, but it will also cause a new problem: the content is homogenized seriously.
“For example, if you order a video of a chicken eating anchor, the machine will always recommend you a video of eating chicken. The more you watch him, the more you recommend it. Finally, you will find that you can only watch” chicken eating funny “videos in this product. It will cause your “visual fatigue”. “
WeChat avoids this kind of embarrassment. Every video number is recommended, and it is often written that many friends have seen it and so on. This is the concept of social recommendation.
Of course, the video number also has some labeling algorithms. For example, there is no socially recommended content around us. WeChat official will also recommend some popular content or WeChat official popular science video to ensure that every user has content to watch.
“The video number is not another vibrato and quick hand. From the perspective of content distribution and interactive form, it is more like Weibo, or it can be said that the video number is not like anyone, it is itself. As part of the WeChat ecosystem, video The number carries short content with low threshold, high instantaneousness and no limit on the number of releases, while the public number is relatively long content with relatively high threshold and more limited long content. — — Yang Shujun · Head of a certain brand ”
Product Ecology: The video number itself forms a closed loop
Douyin has its own ecology, and creators can achieve income through e-commerce and advertising on the platform, and consumers can also complete purchases. However, Douyin’s official website can’t operate a fan base, so we still have to transfer to WeChat for private domain traffic.
The video number can be used as a supplement to the public number, or as an independent content distribution platform, and can be mutually drained with the public number. This is an advantage that no other ecology has and is also unmatched by vibrato.
Secondly, the video number itself is in the WeChat ecosystem, and its own social attributes can be linked to the public number (extended links only support the public number), shared with the circle of friends, and in the future may also link applets and WeChat payment. This is a complete ecology, and it forms a closed loop.
4. Is it a bonus or a bubble?
There are bonuses and bubbles, let’s first look at the “change” and “unchange” of the video number.
Principle: long-termism
Whether it is a public account or a small program, or a small game, take a look, WeChat adheres to the principle of “long-termism”, slowly observe, continue to iterate, and evolve in free growth.
For example, when we first started using WeChat, everyone did n’t know what to send in the circle of friends, so they just posted it randomly. After time screening, the circle of friends = life circle has become a base for everyone to share life trends and watch the daily life of friends. The trend of Douyin, funny content, the popular science teaching of station B, the content of second element, the travel content of Ma Honeycomb, including the “entertainment gossip” attribute of Weibo are also so precipitated.
Obviously, the video number also implements this principle.
Now we are in the stage of letting the “creators” grow “barbarously”: let the people who play will play, and after a period of development, there will naturally be some content that will become “the favorite video number for WeChat users.” This batch of content is tagged, and it is possible to determine what content WeChat users like to watch on WeChat.
Subsequent guidance and encouragement can be added to allow more production of this type of content, which also complies with WeChat ecology. From this perspective, you will find that the video number must be bonus.
Change: try public domain
Anyone who knows the operating mechanism of WeChat knows that WeChat has never opened the public domain.
To understand the public domain, you need to first understand the opposite of the public domain. For example, the circle of friends you send can only be seen by your friends; you can only follow the public account actively, and only receive pushes from the public account you follow; WeChat officials have never recommended any public account to you; you click on When you see the article recommended to “take a look”, only your friends can see …
The recommendation of the video number is a system recommendation based on social relations, that is, it has entered the public domain. Your content can be seen by people who are not in the friends list. Its most original and core driving force is still your relationship chain and your friend’s relationship chain. This is a snowballing effect.
Seeing this, you may conclude that this is a bonus. However, if people who like to shoot videos only want to post videos in the circle of friends, non-creators have not found content that matches their needs. Even if they have a billion lives, they will eventually become “empty houses.”
There are bonuses and bubbles, let’s first look at the “change” and “unchange” of the video number.
Principle: long-termism
Whether it is a public account or a small program, or a small game, take a look, WeChat adheres to the principle of “long-termism”, slowly observe, continue to iterate, and evolve in free growth.
For example, when we first started using WeChat, everyone did n’t know what to send in the circle of friends, so they just posted it randomly. After time screening, the circle of friends = life circle has become a base for everyone to share life trends and watch the daily life of friends. The trend of Douyin, funny content, the popular science teaching of station B, the content of second element, the travel content of Ma Honeycomb, including the “entertainment gossip” attribute of Weibo are also so precipitated.
Obviously, the video number also implements this principle.
Now we are in the stage of letting the “creators” grow “barbarously”: let the people who play will play, and after a period of development, there will naturally be some content that will become “the favorite video number for WeChat users.” This batch of content is tagged, and it is possible to determine what content WeChat users like to watch on WeChat.
Subsequent guidance and encouragement can be added to allow more production of this type of content, which also complies with WeChat ecology. From this perspective, you will find that the video number must be bonus.
Change: try public domain
Anyone who knows the operating mechanism of WeChat knows that WeChat has never opened the public domain.
To understand the public domain, you need to first understand the opposite of the public domain. For example, the circle of friends you send can only be seen by your friends; you can only follow the public account actively, and only receive pushes from the public account you follow; WeChat officials have never recommended any public account to you; you click on When you see the article recommended to “take a look”, only your friends can see …
The recommendation of the video number is a system recommendation based on social relations, that is, it has entered the public domain. Your content can be seen by people who are not in the friends list. Its most original and core driving force is still your relationship chain and your friend’s relationship chain. This is a snowballing effect.
Seeing this, you may conclude that this is a bonus. However, if people who like to shoot videos only want to post videos in the circle of friends, non-creators have not found content that matches their needs. Even if they have a billion lives, they will eventually become “empty houses.”
5. Future opportunities
Opportunity of video number Although we still do n’t see what the video number is going to do, we can also speculate that there is only one opportunity for WeChat short video to be circled: convert people who are not creators on WeChat into video creators. If you grab people from the stock market of Douyin and Kuaishou and grab the head, either he will use you as a distribution channel to migrate content; or he will create new content, but based on his “success experience”, he will still be good at himself The content that is accepted and loved by users after being verified by the market, is it not to vibrate the micro signal? Moreover, WeChat itself only has a very simple editing function (similar to the video sent by the circle of friends), and it cannot meet the production of complex content and special effects. For professional content practitioners, it is equivalent to let them create with other products, and then come back to the video number to release The creation cost has not been reduced, and it is just a distribution channel. In the long run, I am more willing to express myself with pictures and videos, as well as everyone’s favorite expression in the future. If WeChat can do this, it will be the second public account. Who belongs to the opportunity of the video number
Look now, people have settled in the early opportunities, especially for three types of people: Public Number creators: Micro Signal number can be put public link to the article, and currently only put the public number links, is obviously a good drainage channels. If you are not a very perfect person, you can create a video in a few minutes. Video + articles can make the work more three-dimensional and more infectious.
B-end enterprise: This is an opportunity for free brand exposure and brand image building, especially for online education products, which can be directly converted.
Wechat: From Douyin, Kuaishou, and Xiaohongshu, the value of video delivery has been verified. This is obviously a good opportunity to use the video number as a free distribution channel and also purify the circle of friends.
In the long run, with the coming 5G era, the video number will be an opportunity for ordinary people. As long as you think about what you do in the early stage, and insist on continuous output, even if you just show your records of study, work or life, all Have the opportunity to circle. If the video number is mature (such as the current public number), it will form a fixed threshold for entry, and it will take more effort and cost to make a circle. Just like the mature vibrato and fast hands, the style and tone are here. You do it now. It is very difficult to achieve the head.
Six, return to the slogan of the video number
This article is mostly based on the video number as a “content creation platform” to talk about, but looking back at the video number slogan “record real life”, how many people are really recording life, and how many people are for display Live and create a lens life? Can the video number fulfill the mission of “recording real life for everyone”, and can we continue to have the habit of recording life?
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