What Should Be Your WhatsApp Marketing Strategy?

WhatsApp has more than 1.5 billion users around the world and is used by 450 million users every day. With an easy to use interface, the app is being extensively used by the young and old alike. Though the app was launched to be used as a messaging application, we cannot ignore and deny how many small businesses have started using it as a marketing tool.

The ability to include the text of unlimited length, images and videos, send brochures and catalogues, and most importantly communicate directly with customers have made business enterprises switch over to WhatsApp.

So in today’s world, how does an enterprise plan its marketing strategy to effectively use the WhatsApp Bulk Message Service?

First of all, WhatsApp marketing is a way to engage the existing customers and attract new customers towards a business. An enterprise doesn’t need much to start planning for this purpose. A stable internet connection and a mobile phone with a valid phone number that is associated with the enterprise will be sufficient initially.

Right from launching new products to promote the existing ones and running discount or festival offers, the app can be used to take the product or service to the audience in very less time. WhatsApp is the 3^rd most downloaded app with 65 billion messages being sent through the app each day. Users tend to check their WhatsApp messaging quite frequently (around 23 times per day). This means that the chance of a customer getting to know about a new product or service is quite high and takes less than 24 hours.

The instant a message catches their attention, users tend to respond by replying to the message and asking for details or ordering the product. Enterprises can generate a lot of sales by aiming at the right audience.

Though regular WhatsApp works well for small business, we suggest Enterprises use WhatsApp Business. The app has been developed specifically for the needs and requirements of business enterprises.

Advantages of using WhatsApp in Business

• Organize contacts using labels to send bulk messages.
• Use WhatsApp Business API and integrate with the database and system.
• Create a business profile with all the important information.
• Send Quick Replies and set greeting messages.
• Automate responses during the non-working hours.
• Set up the working hours and streamline the communication process.

There are quite a few ways to market a business using WhatsApp. Let us take a look at some of the tried and tested methods.

1. WhatsApp API Integration

• Medium to large scale enterprises with a big customer base and an expanding market will find it easier to use the WhatsApp Business through a platform.
• Many companies in the market provide the integration services and also offer technical support to ensure that the platform works without a glitch round the clock.
• To opt for the API integration services, enterprises will need to request early access to WhatsApp through the service providers.
• By using the API, enterprises can create chatbots to send automated replies to customer messages.
• Regular updates such as order bookings, reservation confirmations, payment dues, and service reminder notifications can be automated through the app.
• Scheduling promotional messages, using the WhatsApp Bulk Message Service to send promotional messages in bulk and providing quality customer service are the advantages of going for the API integration.

2. WhatsApp Group

• Group chats are a widely used feature of WhatsApp. Every user is a member of many WhatsApp groups that are both formal and informal, i.e., family and relatives groups, friends and reunion groups, and school/ college/ office/ workplace official employee/ training groups, etc.
• Enterprises can create a group for like-minded customers and promote products and services in the group.
• Though there is a limit of adding only 256 members per group, there is no limit to create WhatsApp groups.
• Using the brand logo as group picture, sending personal invites to customers to join the group or sharing the group’s QR code, changing the setting to allow only the admins to post (the best way avoid spam) are some ways in which the group chat feature can be used to market the brand.

3. WhatsApp Broadcast Strategy

• The broadcast list is an efficient way to send bulk messages using WhatsApp. There is no need to create a group in this case.
• And moreover, the messages are sent through the private chat boxes and allow the customers to reply and carry a conversation with the enterprise.
• The one-to-many communication method requires the enterprises to save the phone number of the customer on the phone.
• Messages can be broadcasted to 256 contacts in one go, so enterprises can create list accordingly.

WhatsApp is a powerful marketing tool and allows enterprises to increase sales using cost-effective methods. WhatsApp business app can help you design and achieve better WhatsApp marketing strategy. You can check other messaging apps if you want to market your products or brand other than WhatsApp.

Image credit- Canva