WeChat and Weibo play like this to make money

Chapter 14 Mobile Internet, making money requires new ways of playing (4)
According to statistics, more than 85% of nightclub enthusiasts have scanned the QR code of Turquoise Cottage with their smartphones and actively shared this unique experience on Facebook.

[Case miniature] Pinggu Hongxing: QR code is also anti-counterfeiting
Beizhai red apricots, which only recognize the water and soil of Beizhai village, will change their taste when they are cultivated outside the village.The packaging boxes of Pinggu Hongxing are all printed with an anti-counterfeit "mobile QR code". Consumers can check the authenticity of Beizhai Hongxing by scanning it with their mobile phones.

2.6 Cracking the Economic Code Contained in Free Marketing

"Free is the most expensive" is one of the most easily overlooked traditional marketing rules, but it has been valued by more and more companies in the era of mobile Internet.Of course, the free strategy is not naive and free forever, nor is it simply "free first, then charge".In the era of mobile Internet, enterprises need to rethink the positioning and function of products. They should no longer simply sell it as a commodity. Change the way of thinking and use it as a marketing tool, which can bring you greater benefits. .

【Case Miniature】Giant Game: It will be free to the end

Gamers who are familiar with the Giant Group know that the games of the Giant Group are not only free, but also "pay wages" to the players. This approach makes traditional gamers feel unbelievable, but in the end, the Giant Group's income is amazing.This model later became the marketing criterion of China's online game industry.

The games of Giant Network always put "free" in the most prominent position. In the era of mobile Internet, free is the best marketing method. Some people even pointed out that the Internet economy should be a free economy.This is because the cost of delivering products to users via the Internet is close to zero. Therefore, the larger the mobile Internet user base of a product, the lower its cost per user.You use 100 million to develop a product and let 1000 million mobile Internet users use it for free, that is, the average marketing cost per person is only [-] cents, which is very cost-effective, and it can also form word-of-mouth and enhance the promotion effect.Therefore, the use of products is free, charging part of users by designing value-added services, or introducing users to offline physical stores by free display of online products, etc. These are the reasonable profit models for mobile Internet marketing.

There are countless examples of free products, accumulation of popularity, and profit through other means: after 360 provides free anti-virus services, its revenue has exceeded n times the sum of the previous anti-virus industry.Taobao's model of free store opening plus grassroots website promotion has killed eBay's paid store opening plus portal exclusive advertising model.

These cases all prove the value of free marketing.

Of course, free isn't just in the literal sense.Some products, such as mobile phones, cannot be given away for free, but it is still necessary to use "free marketing" for strategic thinking.Xiaomi's Lei Jun knows this well.Lei Jun has always believed that in the Internet age, the only business that cannot be defeated is the courage to do business that does not make money.Therefore, he did not expect Xiaomi to make a profit within three to five years from the very beginning.

In January 2010, Lei Jun approached Tong Shihao of Qiming Venture Capital and explained his financing needs.Lei Jun said: "One thing I need to explain in advance is that Xiaomi Technology is not going to make a profit within 1 to 3 years. If Qiming wants to receive short-term benefits, it is best to invest carefully, or you can choose not to invest." Said to all investors.This idea is closely related to his idea of ​​using the Internet to make mobile phones.Lei Jun has been studying the laws of this field for nearly 5 years since he came into contact with the Internet.Gradually, he found that almost all successful businesses on the Internet did not make money at the beginning, and most of their services were free.

In fact, Lei Jun has already mastered the free rules of the Internet when he founded Joyo.com.Joyo's competitor at the time was Dangdang.com, and Lei Jun used discounts to compete with Dangdang.com to win users.He gradually discovered that the core of e-commerce is to have more consumers than anyone else. As long as users exist, they will always continue to consume in the future.

As the first Internet mobile phone brand developed and sold under the Internet model, Xiaomi mobile phone will also have an Internet-based business model.For example, traditional mobile phone manufacturers rely on selling hardware to make money. It is almost an unshakable law. Even the Apple mobile phone that achieves the ultimate in Internet experience can make considerable profits from hardware.

Lei Jun is well aware that in the field of the Internet, free economics has long been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people.Its core idea is to allow users to use the product for free, thereby forming the power of word of mouth and continuously expanding the user base. More user experience feedback can in turn help the product to be better improved, and a virtuous circle is formed.Tencent's QQ and WeChat, as well as 360 Security Guard, have become winners in the Internet industry through this model.

Some people questioned Xiaomi's profit model: "Xiaomi's mobile phones don't rely on hardware to make money, so how do they make money?"

"How Tencent made money 10 years ago is how we make money today!" Lei Jun said.

The software client of Tencent QQ is free to use on Windows, but Tencent has become the most profitable Internet company in China.Because QQ is a software that everyone must use, and it is the entrance that everyone must pass through every day. If QQ can remain the entrance for users, as long as they find opportunities to make money, Tencent can join.

The same is true for 360, which provides free security antivirus, free browser, and free management software, but when it becomes the desktop of most people, all software can only reach users through it, so it can play games to make money and collect games For the money from the joint operation, the group buying fire will charge the group buying share fee, and finally it will be listed.

Similarly, Lei Jun believes that the mobile phone is the only electronic device that is indispensable for people to carry with them. In the future, all information services and e-commerce services will be delivered to users through this device. Whoever can become the ruler of this entrance will be A new generation of kings. If he does not plan to make a profit in 3 to 5 years, Lei Jun actually wants to occupy an entrance. Like Google and 360, as long as there are enough users, he can make a profit through terminal sales of content and services in the future.

After a series of discussions, Lei Jun finally decided on the strategy of Xiaomi mobile phone: develop the mobile phone brand on a non-profitable model, integrate software and hardware, position the mid-range phone market at 1999 yuan, the price is not high or low, and the basic configuration is on par with high-end phones. even ahead.The strong price/performance ratio forms a high entry barrier, which can easily become the competitive advantage of Xiaomi mobile phones.

Therefore, Xiaomi mobile phones were not prepared to use hardware to make money from the very beginning. The initial price was 1999 yuan, which was basically close to the cost, and the built-in MIUI system was also free.This subversive marketing model has quickly achieved results. Just one week after the Xiaomi mobile phone was sold, it ranked ninth among the mobile phone brands in the Chinese market, ranking first among all domestic mobile phones, and its Baidu index was 36. The heat reached 4/2 of the iPhone3S heat.

The high cost performance enabled Xiaomi to sell 180 million units within half a year, thus realizing a small profit.Later, Xiaomi cooperated with China Unicom and China Telecom. Users can get Xiaomi mobile phones for free after prepaying a certain amount of phone charges, and developed another free model.

Not long after the Xiaomi mobile phone was released, many repair companies came to Lei Jun through their relationship and applied for Xiaomi repair.Only then did Lei Jun know that after-sales service is also a very profitable business, but he politely rejected these companies. "Internet entrepreneurship, free is the kingly way. If maintenance earns a penny, it is our mistake. We must have such determination. This year our biggest action is to mobilize after-sales service, and we must solve after-sales."

This series of free strategies has made the popularity of Xiaomi mobile phones soaring. Lei Jun proudly explained how Xiaomi sold 30 units within 30 hours when it was first launched: "It only took half an hour for the first 10 units. Afterwards, we reminded Customer, it will be delivered in two months, do you still need it? Another 10 orders will be placed in the next 10 hours, and then we say, it will be delivered to you in December, do you still need it? Another 12 orders will be placed in the next 10 hours I believe that if these restrictions are all removed, there will be no problem with 10 million units in 30 hours. Therefore, the winner lies in who has the ability to say: I only want 300% profit. I want to be a kinder person .Things are good and cheap, this is the law of the development of human society.”

(End of this chapter)