With more than 2.78 billion users of the personal messaging app WhatsApp in the world, it’s no surprise that marketers are tapping into this audience for their campaigns.
When social media giant Meta (formerly Facebook) acquired the service in 2014, it represented a huge coup for the company, integrating their social media platform with the world’s largest personal messaging communication service.
Meta has big plans for the future of WhatsApp, which means businesses need to incorporate WhatsApp marketing into their social media marketing strategies. So where do businesses start when using WhatsApp to generate more leads?
Contents:
What is WhatsApp?
Marketing Through WhatsApp
Why WhatsApp for Business is Crucial
The Future of WhatsApp Business
Organizations Using WhatsApp for Business
What is WhatsApp?
WhatsApp is a personal messaging mobile app where you can communicate with your networks and social circles. It is free for users to download and use. The app supports voice and video calls, group chats, and runs a desktop version as well. Users can also share various media types such as videos, GIFs, PDFs, and geo-locations. Furthermore, WhatsApp calls can be made internationally as long as the user has data or a WiFi connection.
All the user needs to do is to download WhatsApp in Google Play or the App Store, punch in your details, and it will automatically synchronize your contacts into its system. That means businesses can now immediately access their networks within the app and communicate with their customers. To access the desktop version, simply scan the QR code and you’re ready to go.
From here, businesses can set up a bespoke WhatsApp marketing campaign to further enhance their strategies. You might be wondering, “Is WhatsApp technically social media?” The communications app is fundamentally social in its function and businesses can employ it as a form of marketing software.
Marketing through WhatsApp allows you to create more personalized experiences for your customers. Now, let’s dive into how businesses can engage with their customers through WhatsApp marketing.
Marketing Through WhatsApp
So, how can a personal messaging app like WhatsApp help your business? First and foremost, its huge user base should be a convincing reason for marketers to explore how they could leverage the tool. Every day there are millions of conversations and chat groups discussing any topic conceivable — and your brand could easily be one of them.
Establishing your business on WhatsApp is advantageous because the conversations on the personal messaging app are, well, “personal” in nature. Directly interacting with your customers through a communications app can help you quickly build stronger relationships with them. The ability for customers to instantaneously access your business means WhatsApp can be an important part of your marketing strategy.
Communication on WhatsApp works on three levels:
- Personal, one-on-one conversations between two entities
- Group chats with multiple people
- Broadcast lists to a large group of users
Depending on your business goals, all three modes could play valuable roles in your marketing.
One-on-one conversations with your customers undoubtedly deliver the most personalized version of customer service. Customers expect to be able to reach a business representative if need be, and WhatsApp provides a simple, efficient method of doing so.
Group chats promote better interaction between the different parties on both sides of the business. Businesses can respond to requests and queries quickly. Brands can suggest newer solutions and introduce new products to their customer base through WhatsApp.
Finally, broadcast lists let you make announcements like product launches, sales promotions, and more to customers who have a vested interest in your services. Marketing campaigns and customer retention programs can be disseminated in double time.
Tip: Here's everything you need to know about the WhatsApp Broadcast function.
Why WhatsApp for Business is Crucial
The popularity of personal messaging apps is here to stay. A Global Web Index study showed that the majority of communication app users (84%) now share information online. WhatsApp and its parent company’s proprietary personal communication app Facebook Messenger alone collectively corner the market with more than 3.3 billion users. Businesses cannot, and should not, ignore this fact.
WhatsApp users are diverse. Businesses need to recognize the benefits of this marketing opportunity. In the US, approximately 98 million people use the app, while India represents the biggest market with 390 million users. As if that weren’t compelling enough, more than 200 million businesses use WhatsApp Business every month.
WhatsApp works primarily as a private messaging service and this personalized domain accentuates the experience for a user. Social media platforms such as Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) enhance businesses’ public profiles whereas WhatsApp lets them focus on private connections. This advantage strengthens the relationship between businesses and their customers.
Businesses need to tap into the marketing opportunities that WhatsApp offers. Despite its initial introduction as a communication service for family and friends, WhatsApp has gradually optimized its functions for commercial and business use.
Businesses can send notifications to their customer base about their new products, updates on their opening hours, or even disruption of services in case of emergencies. This direct connection seamlessly presents customers with vital information about your business and allows them to act accordingly.
WhatsApp group chats and broadcast lists do have some limitations:
- Group chats can have a maximum of 1,024 members
- Broadcast lists can only include up to 256 users
However, there are ways that businesses can use these limitations to their advantage. One way is to compartmentalize your customer base. This is a significant advantage because it gives businesses the ability to set up chat groups or broadcast lists on WhatsApp based on certain specifications.
Businesses can group various clients and customers based on their industries, departments, or even interests. This gives businesses the ability to better cater to specific audiences within the sub-categories.
Using WhatsApp Business solutions
WhatsApp offers a couple of different solutions designed specifically for businesses. The WhatsApp Business app is meant for small businesses, giving them the ability to communicate directly with hundreds of customers through a single device. The Business app is free to use and features limited customization and integration with other tools.
For businesses with larger and more complex customer bases, the WhatsApp Business Platform gives you the power to interact with millions of customers at a time. The Business Platform offers more robust features, including the ability to send media with messages and add quick reply buttons for customers. Plus, the Platform’s API allows you to integrate WhatsApp with your existing tech stack, such as CRM and marketing systems like Hubspot.
Tip: Learn more about the benefits and value of APIs right here.
The Future of WhatsApp Business
So, what does the future of WhatsApp Business look like? Meta Founder Mark Zuckerberg has indicated that the messaging app will play a critical role for Meta moving forward. In November 2023, Zuckerberg told The New York Times that WhatsApp is the “next chapter” for Meta and could be pivotal for business messaging in general.
In 2023, WhatsApp launched Channels, a broadcasting tool to help brands and communities instantly reach more people at once. Channels’ one-way broadcasting capabilities allow businesses to send text, photos, videos, stickers, and polls to groups of people. This is an opportunity for brands to grow their reach and boost customer engagement. WhatsApp Channels are available in over 150 countries boast a variety of new features, including:
- Enhanced Directory allows you to find channels and content that are automatically filtered based on country and preferences. You can also view new, popular, and most active channels based on follower count.
- Reactions allow you to react and give feedback with emojis. Your reactions will not be visible to followers.
- Editing allows you to maintain and make changes to your updates for up to 30 days before they’re automatically deleted.
- Forwarding allows you to forward Channel updates to chats or groups. This feature includes a link back to the Channel so people can get more information.
WhatsApp channels present businesses with a unique opportunity to connect with customers. Here are a few of the potential benefits:
- Drive customer engagement and reach
- Improve customer service
- Generate leads
- Boost sales and conversion rates
- Increase customer loyalty through long-term relationships
Channels is just one of the many innovations WhatsApp introduced in 2023. During a global event in Mumbai in October 2023, the company also launched new features to help businesses be more efficient in WhatsApp chats.
Flows
With Flows, businesses can offer more services like quickly choosing a train seat, booking an appointment, or placing a food order, without leaving the chat with your business. The feature provides businesses with menus and customizable forms to fit your needs, so you can provide customers with a more seamless experience.
New payment options in WhatsApp Pay
WhatsApp has made it easier for users in India to complete purchases directly within a chat. Now, customers in India can add items to their cart and submit payment via credit card, debit card, and all supported Unified Payment Interface (UPI) networks. This functionality is also supported in both Brazil and Singapore.
Meta Verified businesses on WhatsApp
Businesses on WhatsApp can also get verified through Meta so that customers can be certain they’re chatting with the right business. In addition to a Meta Verified badge, verified businesses will also gain access to premium features like a custom WhatsApp page that can be found via web search. Verified users also get multi-device support, so multiple employees can respond directly to customers.
Organizations Using WhatsApp for Business
These companies have found success using WhatsApp for business purposes. Use these examples as inspiration for you own WhatsApp business strategy!
Lenovo
In Indonesia, tech giant Lenovo needed a more efficient way to encourage customers to book repair appointments themselves. By empowering customers to self-manage these appointments, Lenovo hoped to increase booking rates while also increasing customer engagement and satisfaction.
With the help of WhatsApp Flows, Lenovo was able to create an efficient self-service support channel for their customers. The Lenovo team enabled customers to quickly book and manage their technical service appointments without ever leaving WhatsApp.
By letting customers easily book appointments through WhatsApp, Lenovo drastically reduced wait times from walk-in customers in their retail stores.
Within three months of launching WhatsApp Flows, conversion rates of customers booking appointments in WhatsApp were more than 8 times higher than on Lenovo’s website.
In fact, the new WhatsApp booking method led to higher customer satisfaction scores while improving Lenovo’s internal resource management.
Klook
With the help of a WhatsApp business account, online travel booking website Klook generated more positive feedback and a higher program adoption rate in the Asia Pacific region. Using WhatsApp Business API, Klook was able to increase customer satisfaction and retention through timely notifications.
Capitalizing on the popularity of WhatsApp use in the region, Klook integrated its services with the platform to better serve its customers. Customers were more responsive to timely status updates on bookings, especially since many customers were already natives within the WhatsApp ecosystem.
Pollo Campero
Alternatively, fast food chain Pollo Campero implemented its ordering system through a WhatsApp Business account. The business wanted to streamline its ordering and delivery processes without using external service providers. The company partnered with Yalo to develop an AI-powered customer engagement system and rolled it out into WhatsApp.
This move allowed Pollo Campero to personalize their service with customers, boost orders and increase profit margins. The business also learned more about their customers through the messaging app by studying their preferences. These insights ultimately helped to develop marketing strategies promoting new products and keeping customers informed.
With all these new developments in WhatsApp, businesses need to act on these opportunities to boost their marketing and customer engagement. Undoubtedly, businesses can pounce on this advantage by implementing marketing campaigns and incorporating WhatsApp Business API.
As WhatsApp continues to develop its functions and integrate services with social media giant Meta, there is still space to implement advertising campaigns and customer retention programs. Many businesses are jumping on the WhatsApp bandwagon, it is time for your business to do so too.
