How to Use LINE for Business: A Step-by-Step Guide for Brands
How to Use LINE for Business: A Step-by-Step Guide for Brands
How to Use LINE for Business: A Step-by-Step Guide for Brands
LINE is a powerful messaging app that isn’t just for personal communication – it also offers a wealth of tools for businesses to connect with customers, boost brand visibility, and drive sales. With its large user base in Asia and expanding global reach, LINE provides an excellent platform for businesses to reach new audiences, foster customer loyalty, and enhance their overall marketing strategy.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to use LINE for business effectively, including setting up a LINE Official Account, engaging with customers, and leveraging LINE’s features for promotions and customer service.
1. Understanding LINE for Business
LINE offers businesses a variety of tools under its LINE Official Account service, which helps companies connect with customers and enhance their communication. These tools range from direct messaging and promotional content to mobile payments and customer support.
Key features available for businesses include:
- LINE Official Account: A brand’s verified account for sending updates and interacting with customers.
- LINE Ads: Advertisements that can be targeted based on user data and interests.
- LINE Pay: A payment solution for businesses, allowing users to make payments directly through LINE.
- LINE@: A predecessor to the LINE Official Account, this has been merged into the newer account system for easier management.
2. Setting Up Your LINE Official Account
To use LINE for business, the first step is to set up a LINE Official Account. This is where you can create and manage your brand presence on the app. Follow these steps:
a. Create Your LINE Official Account
- Download the LINE app: Start by downloading the LINE app on your mobile device.
- Go to LINE for Business: Visit the LINE for Business website (LINE for Business) and sign up for a business account.
- Choose Your Account Type: Select whether you want a Free or Paid account, depending on your needs. A free account is limited in terms of features, while the paid options (Basic, Advanced, or Premium) offer more tools and customization for brands.
b. Customize Your Profile
- Profile Picture: Upload your brand logo or a visually appealing image that represents your business.
- Display Name: Choose a name for your account that is consistent with your brand identity.
- Account Bio: Write a brief bio or description about your business and what users can expect from your LINE account (e.g., promotions, customer support, updates).
- Link to Your Website: Include links to your website or e-commerce store for easy access.
c. Verify Your Account
After completing the setup, LINE will verify your account. This step is crucial to enhance the credibility of your business and establish trust with customers.
3. Building Your Audience on LINE
Once your LINE Official Account is set up, the next step is to start building your audience. Here’s how you can attract users to follow your account:
a. Promote Your LINE Official Account
- Add a QR Code: LINE generates a unique QR code for your business account. Print this on marketing materials, business cards, or your website to make it easy for customers to find and follow your account.
- Share on Social Media: Post your LINE QR code on your social media channels and encourage followers to connect with you on LINE.
- Promote through Email: If you have an existing email list, include your LINE QR code in newsletters or promotional emails.
b. Offer Incentives
Offering special incentives like discounts, exclusive deals, or access to limited-time offers can encourage people to follow your LINE account. For example, you can offer a welcome coupon to new followers as a way to incentivize them to engage.
c. Run Ads
Use LINE Ads to target specific audiences based on location, age, interests, and other data. This allows businesses to get their brand in front of the right people, growing their follower base quickly.
4. Engaging with Customers on LINE
Once you’ve started building your audience, the next step is to keep them engaged with regular updates, content, and interactions.
a. Messaging and Updates
- Push Notifications: Use LINE to send push notifications directly to your followers’ phones. These messages can include promotions, product launches, news, or any other relevant updates. Be mindful not to overwhelm users with excessive notifications, as it could lead to unsubscriptions.
- Personalized Messages: Segment your audience based on interests, purchase history, or location and send personalized messages to different groups of users. This makes your communication more relevant and engaging.
- Rich Content: Share rich content such as images, videos, and carousels to make your messages more interactive and visually appealing.
b. Using LINE’s “Timeline” Feature
- Posts and Updates: Share updates, news, promotions, or special offers on your business’s LINE Timeline, which acts like a social media feed. Followers can engage by liking, commenting, and sharing your posts.
- Engagement Tools: Use features like polls or quizzes to encourage interaction with your audience. This adds an element of fun while also gathering valuable insights about your customers.
c. Respond to Customers in Real-Time
- Customer Service: Use LINE to respond to customer inquiries quickly and directly. Customers can send messages to your official account, and you can provide real-time support or guidance.
- Chatbots: If you receive a high volume of messages, consider integrating a chatbot to help automate customer service tasks. This will save time and ensure prompt responses.
- Personal Assistance: For complex queries, you can manually interact with customers and provide personalized support through text or voice messaging.
5. Leveraging LINE Pay for Business
LINE Pay is a mobile payment service integrated directly into LINE, and it allows businesses to accept payments via the app. Here’s how you can use it:
a. Setting Up LINE Pay
- Create a LINE Pay Merchant Account: Visit the LINE Pay website and create a merchant account to start accepting payments.
- Link to Your Bank Account: Connect your LINE Pay account to your business’s bank account to receive payments.
b. Accept Payments
- QR Codes for In-Store Payments: Display a QR code in your physical store so customers can scan it and pay using LINE Pay.
- E-commerce Integration: For online stores, integrate LINE Pay as a payment option at checkout, making it easy for customers to complete transactions directly through the app.
- Peer-to-Peer Transactions: You can also use LINE Pay to send or receive money between users and your business.
c. Promotions and Discounts
Use LINE Pay to offer exclusive discounts or promotions to customers who use it to pay for goods or services. This can encourage more people to try LINE Pay and drive more sales for your business.
6. Running LINE Ads for More Exposure
LINE Ads can help you increase your brand visibility by promoting your business to a targeted audience. These ads can be shown in different formats, such as display ads, carousel ads, or full-screen ads.
a. Types of LINE Ads
- Home Feed Ads: Display your brand’s message in the user’s LINE home feed.
- News Feed Ads: Place ads in the News Feed that users browse on the app.
- Sponsored Stickers: Create branded stickers that users can send in chats, promoting your business in a fun and engaging way.
- In-Chat Ads: Send advertisements directly to users’ chats, prompting them to take action (e.g., clicking a link, shopping, etc.).
b. Targeting Options
LINE Ads offers powerful targeting options, such as age, gender, location, and interests. You can also retarget users who have previously interacted with your business on LINE, increasing the chances of conversion.
7. Measuring Success on LINE
To ensure that your efforts on LINE are paying off, it’s important to monitor and analyze performance. LINE provides analytics tools within the LINE Official Account manager, which give insights into the following metrics:
- Message Engagement: Track how many users are opening and interacting with your messages.
- Follower Growth: Monitor how quickly your follower base is growing and identify any spikes in new followers.
- Customer Engagement: Track how users are interacting with your Timeline posts, stickers, or polls.
- Revenue Tracking: If you’re using LINE Pay, measure how many transactions are completed and how much revenue is generated through the app.
Conclusion
LINE is a powerful platform for businesses looking to connect with customers in a meaningful and engaging way. By setting up a LINE Official Account, using LINE Pay, creating interactive content, and running targeted ads, businesses can leverage LINE’s unique features to enhance their marketing efforts, build customer loyalty, and increase sales. Whether you’re a small business or a large enterprise, LINE offers the tools you need to connect with a vast and diverse audience in a fun, convenient, and personalized way.