In the realm of messaging apps, LINE reigns supreme in Thailand and across much of Southeast Asia. With approximately 77% market penetration among Thai internet users and 54 million active users across the region, it has become the go-to communication platform for businesses looking to connect with customers in a modern, mobile-centric manner.
But simply having a personal LINE account isn’t enough when you’re trying to cultivate an engaged following and drive real business results as a brand. To tap into LINE’s powerful suite of commercial features – from official accounts to AI chatbots to integrated purchase flows and analytics – you need an official LINE Business account.
Not sure how to get started? Let’s walk through the step-by-step process for setting up your own professional LINE Business presence from scratch. Lean in close, because we’re going to cover all the nitty-gritty details and nuances you need to get set up for success.
Creating Your LINE Account
Before we can set up a proper business account, you first need to establish your own individual LINE login if you don’t already have one. Don’t worry, it’s an absolute breeze compared to some other apps:
1) Download the LINE app for Android, iOS, Windows, or macOS. Let’s use iOS as an example.
2) Open the LINE app and tap “Start” on the welcome screen. Enter your phone number to receive a 4-digit confirmation code, which authorizes your new account.
3) Next up is the profile setup. Upload a profile picture, display name (e.g. your personal name), status message, and other basic profile details you’d like displayed.
4) Optionally, you can also scan the QR codes of friends and family in your contacts already using LINE so you’re not starting from scratch with a blank friends list.
That’s pretty much it! You now have a fully activated personal LINE account ready for upgrading to a business-level account. You’ll use these same login credentials to access the business account management console.
Registering a LINE Official Account
With your individual LINE login ready, it’s time to register for an Official LINE Account suited for business usage:
1) Head over to the LINE Official Accounts page and click the “Open an Official Account” button under “New Friends.”
2) A registration form will pop up requesting basic details like your country/region, industry, account purpose, official name, account ID, profile image, and a short description to display on your account page.
3) Next, you’ll need to provide contact information to receive a link for verifying email ownership, as well as a phone number that will receive a confirmation PIN.
4) Accept LINE’s terms and conditions to officially submit your account registration.
5) Check your email inbox and phone for those verification credentials, then enter the codes where prompted to complete the setup process.
That’s it, your new LINE Official Account will be live and ready for action.
Building Your Business Profile
Okay, so your account is registered – but that’s really just the very first baby step. To truly optimize your presence, you’ll want to spend some quality time fleshing out your account settings and profile:
User ID: First up, be strategic with your public user ID (e.g. @brandbaking). This is how people will find and follow your account, so pick something brief but clear and memorable that aligns with your brand identity.
Account Info: Populate all of the available detail sections like your hours of operation, website URL, listing address, and FAQs to help customers easily access key info.
Profile Images: At minimum, set your profile image (which can be animated) and cover photo with branded visuals that align with your established aesthetic and tone. Adding menu icons, custom home backgrounds, and chat room URLs can further amplify brand recognition.
Diverse Rich Content: Beyond basic text and images, LINE also allows accounts to showcase diverse multimedia like videos, location info, calendar event schedules, YouTube integration, and even audio recordings and stickers. Get creative to stand out from text-only accounts!
Official Account Features: More advanced features like AI chatbots, payment gateways, QR codes for offline following, and carousels/Actions allow for deeper customer interactions and purchase flows directly on LINE.
While some settings tweaks may seem small individually, comprehensively optimizing all available elements lets you maximize branding, content depth, and usefulness to visitors. Don’t overlook any chances to enhance your Official Account’s potential impact.
Finding Your LINE Audience
With your official branded account prepped and primed, it’s time to start actually amassing a following of engaged fans and customers on LINE to build those relationships. You’ve got a few key options:
LINE Official Account Manager
Log into the Official Account Manager hub to access your central dashboard brimming with account management and audience growth tools.
The “Operation” tab is where you’ll monitor audience analytics gleaned from reach, views, clicks, and other engagement data. Crucial for measuring how content resonates and approaches shift over time.
But we want eyeballs first, so the “Operation” > “Increase Friends” section is your friend acquisition launchpad. Here you can create target “friends” audiences by interest, demographic, geographic area, and behavior. Then run promotional campaigns and sponsored sticker releases to those segments to drive awareness and followers.
LINE Social Plugins
Complement those manager toolset efforts by also embracing LINE’s website plugin integrations. Adding simple follow and share buttons to your site allows visitors to friend your Official Account instantly while browsing.
The “Official Account QR Code” plugin is a particularly slick option for bridging online and offline. Generate unique QR codes that users can scan with LINE’s built-in QR reader to instantly follow your Official Account no matter where they encounter those codes.
Organic Social Promotion
Paid promotional campaigns are great for an injection of audience growth. But you’ll also want to employ organic community management tactics through your existing social presences.
Post about the awesome new LINE account you just launched. Share those QR code images across your social feeds. Launch contests or giveaways rewarding people for following your Official Account.
You can even tap into LINE’s “Official Account QR Code” plugin mentioned above to generate unique QR codes for influencers and brand ambassadors to share with their own audiences.
The more coordinated your promotional blitz across paid, web, and social channels, the more rapidly you’ll build a critical following mass.
If you have any questions related to the LINE Business Account or the LINE Application generally, don’t hesitate to contact the team at Relevant Audience.
