BMW Social Media Redesign
Redesign BMW official account on WeChat to attract a larger follower base and enhance user experience.
ROLE
Content Designer
Social Media Strategist
TIMELINE
3 Months
Dec. 2019
TEAMMATES
Jammie Zhong (AE)，Wei Wang (Copywriter)
a 2-member design team
PRACTICES
Social media management
Marketing & visual strategy
Content & UX design
Team &
Overview
In 2019 when I was working as a content designer at WISEWAY Branding, a Beijing-based PR agency, my team won the tender put out by BMW Group who was looking for a creative marketing agency to take on the re-design of its channel on WeChat, the largest social media in China. My team was in charge of the channel operation and my role was content design and product strategy as part of the core team.
My project was specifically to revamp the channel from every aspect possible in an effort to expand user base with quality pushes visually and content-wise. My team for this project included account manager, social media specialists, content writers and graphic designers.
About BMW Group’s official channel on WeChat 📈
Project Context
WeChat is the largest social media platform in China, and businesses like BMW all leverage it as a powerful tool for content distribution, customer engagement, and building an online presence in China.
Before the redesign, the positioning of BMW Group on WeChat was a channel to communicate corporate messages with journalists and influencers as target users.
Current Problems
Communication not fully amplified
BMW Group account had some sub-channels (on other apps used to repost BMW Group’s WeChat content) that had been underperforming in terms of engagement and user base. Discontinuing these inactive channels could free up resources (time, personnel, and budget) that could be reallocated to other effective channels with better exposure and reach.
Visual elements not appealing
Outdated design repels users. Since its establishment, the channel’s visual elements were unchanged. BMW needed to adapt to the latest design trends on social media, from profile picture to post visuals to stay competitive by introducing a fresh visual identity.
Target audience too narrow
A broader user base beyond media professionals and KOLs allows for consistent growth, helps reach potential customers, and ensures the brand remains relevant and adaptable to the changing digital landscape. This also means the topic strategies need to be redesigned to cater to the preferences and interests of wider groups.
Lack of audience engagement
Due to its limited user group, the existing channel’s engagement was not satisfying, which is a key pain point for a digital platform. My team needed to propose a well-planned content strategy to boost user engagement that could lead to more likes, shares, and comments.
Case Study
User Research
After the case study, we tried to validate the conclusion by interviewing key users to further direct our redesign.
Selected Voices
Strategy Statement
Expand user base and platform influence via VI update, content upgrade, and sub-channel reallocation.
Strategy I: SUB-CHANNEL Optimization
Concluded from our status quo, case study, user research, and client’s briefing, we decided to kick-start our redesign by reorganize BMW’s communication matrix. Namely, discontinue underperforming sub-channels to free up budget and personnel for opening new high-impact channels so as to amplify BMW’s presence on social media.
To decide on which channel to eliminate and involve, my team conducted a data-driven analysis.
Channel operation cost (RMB)
Based on the analysis, we finally opened a new sub-channel, Weibo (Chinese equivalent of Twitter), which is open, real-time, SEO-friendly, and highly interactive and closed four low-exposure sub-channels.
This strategic shift highly aligned with BMW’s strategy of always adapting to constant market changes, and proved to have increased brand visibility.
Strategy II: VI UPDATE
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Renamed the channel from WeJoy to BMW Group
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Changed profile picture
Brand identity is crucial. Compared with the obscure and generic “WeJoy”, the new name “BMW Group” looks more authentic, credible, and SEO-friendly, making it a stronger presence for effective PR communication, marketing efforts, and audience reach on WeChat.
Likewise, the change of profile pictures could enhance channel trust and thus attract more followers.
3 versions of QR-code logo
Strategy III: CONTENT UPDATE
WeChat offers useful back-end analytics for marketers to review their performance.
To pinpoint the factors hindering users from completing an article, my team used the “Bounce & Engagement” line chart to analyze the content performance of different types and found out the following trend:
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Design Cases
Case1: MINI 70th Birthday
Before
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Super long text & images
After
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Highly sharable
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Storytelling
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Higher readability
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QR code
Case2: BMW 104th Birthday
Before
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Lengthy news release
After
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Only GIF instead of text
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Highlighted brand vision
Case3: Photo Article Optimization
Before
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Long text
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Vertically arranged images
After
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Much shorter text
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Horizontally swipe images, more user-friendly
Case 4: BMW Yearly Report
Before
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Long text
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Vertically arranged long articles
After
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Visual design and data are more effective than lengthy text
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Impacts
After managing the BMW Group WeChat Official Account for six months, we've observed substantial increases in shares, followers, views, and overall engagement. Notably, BMW dealers have actively reposted our content, contributing to the positive momentum.
