How to Use WhatsApp for Business Promotion?
What is WhatsApp?
WhatsApp is a messaging application that allows you to send and receive messages, photos, videos, voice notes, documents, etc., between your friends and family members and business contacts. Jim Koum incorporated WhatsApp in 2009. It was bought by Facebook in 2014 for $19 billion.
WhatsApp has become the most popular chat app on mobile phones because it’s free of cost and user-friendly. The company also offers other services such as video calls, group chats, stickers, GIFs, location sharing, and much more. Before WhatsApp became the go-to messaging app for sending messages to friends, there were dozens of other options available, like Facebook Messenger.
Today, WhatsApp is the most popular mobile messaging app used in the world. It is estimated that around 2 billion people use WhatsApp on a monthly basis.
The success factors behind the saga of WhatsApp are its effective marketing, user-friendly format, reliability, global availability, easy-to-download service and its usage for multiple purposes.
Some interesting facts that you have probably not heard:
- When it comes to social media networks, WhatsApp is number three after Facebook and Youtube in terms of usage.
- More than 500 million people actively use WhatsApp daily around the globe.
- 82% of Americans use WhatsApp to keep in touch with friends and family.
- On the 31st of December 2020, a record 1.4 billion video and voice calls were made using WhatsApp.
WhatsApp is more than just a messaging service:
Many of you may be thinking that WhatsApp is just a messaging service predominantly used for social media contact development and as a retention tool, but that is not the case. Today many successful businesses depend on WhatsApp for day-to-day activities all over the world. Marketers run campaigns through images, voice notes, and videos, and is often regarded as the quickest way to deliver new items, deals, and promotions directly to relevant customers. You can also use WhatsApp broadcasts to reach a huge number of people who are interested in your message.
What is business promotion?
Business promotion is a series of effective communication aimed at a targeted audience. The company’s objective is to advertise its goods and services and ultimately influence people or a specific audience to buy them. It is essential for companies to be aware of the challenges their industry faces, as well as the benefits of their products, in order to promote themselves effectively. The concept of promotion is not limited only to products or services, but celebrities, events, and places are also promoted broadly in today’s market.
How to use WhatsApp for business promotion?
Since its launch in 2009, WhatsApp has become one of the most effective and reliable communication and marketing tools for all kinds of businesses in the world. Its wide usage has made it a complementary part of daily life for most individuals. Since the emergence of social media, the rise of WhatsApp has been observed. Nowadays, whether it is a student, someone working remotely, a businessman, a teacher or a freelancer, in one way or another, everyone is using WhatsApp to an extent never witnessed before.
As technology is advancing, the need for more reliable, real-time, safe and clear communication is also increasing. Communication for technology works in the same way that the Spinal cord does for the human body. Within the organisation, as well as with the external customer, communication is crucial. WhatsApp is the solution to all communication problems today. WhatsApp can help in business promotion in a multitude of ways. We will discuss these step by step.
4% of WhatsApp users in the United States downloaded the app to follow brands or companies; there is still a lot of value in using WhatsApp for business.
How to create a WhatsApp business account?
Currently, there are two different types of WhatsApp accounts. The standard/ regular account and the business account. With the standard account, you can have a profile picture, name and description. While the business account, as the name suggests, is business-oriented. It offers some additional features. With the business account, you can create a portfolio tailored to your business, brand or service.
Creating a business account on WhatsApp is very easy.
You just have to follow these steps:
1. Just download the WhatsApp Business app if you have an Android or iPhone. The app is available on the App Store and Google Play, or you can download it directly from WhatsApp’s website as well.
2. As a mandatory part of the procedure, you have to agree to the terms and conditions.
3. Add your official mobile phone number.
4. Now, add your personal information. You will be instantly navigated to this page after entering your phone number. Fill up the necessary information, such as your company name, a profile image, and a category that best characterises your company.
5. Find out more about WhatsApp’s business tools. You can learn how to build up a product catalogue for your eCommerce store or how to set up automatic messaging in the next stage.
Alternatively, you can skip the lesson and go straight to the settings.
Before you go on to more sophisticated capabilities, ensure you have a good understanding of the basics.
The use of WhatsApp for communication within the organisation:
In most organisations, whenever a new technology is introduced for internal communication, the top management encounters pushback from the staff. People are hesitant to have to adjust to an unfamiliar system and ‘learn’ all the new and necessary information that it entails. The best part about WhatsApp is that practically everyone uses it, and no training is required. It is easy to handle and convenient to use, so employees across the board use it happily.
Companies develop WhatsApp groups for Sales and Development teams to share immediate communications that do not require an email. It is simple to use and enjoyable to use. In fact, the usage is not confined to any particular department because every department of the organisation needs quicker and more authentic communication. Whether a sales manager needs the latest weekly sales update, or the procurement manager needs the revised rates of any item quoted, WhatsApp is there to solve the problem. Organisations working in different countries or companies operating as remote ( work from home) organizations are in touch with their employees in real-time. WhatsApp has actually reduced the cost of communication within the organisation.
With WhatsApp Web, typing messages in a Web Browser becomes considerably more manageable.
How can WhatsApp help in developing contact with an external customer?
What makes WhatsApp so useful for customer contact development is its ability to provide instant responses to customers’ inquiries as well as the ability to chat with them on a one-to-one basis without having to use email addresses or phone numbers.
WhatsApp has become very popular among marketers as it allows them to reach out to customers directly without paying for SMS marketing services. It is free and easy to set up and use.
Let us share a bonus tip: Rather than making direct phone calls, perform your follow-ups on WhatsApp. You’ll get 40% more responses. Phone calls from unknown numbers are annoying, but we are more likely to respond to personal communications. With the help of WhatsApp, we can increase responses and overall engagement of the customer. WhatsApp ensures the integrity and delivery of your message to the audience with its white and blue ticks. This feature offers peace of mind to the sender of the message.
The convenience of communication creates a more relaxed atmosphere. What should you do if you’ve sent a proposal to a potential customer but did not receive a reply yet? There are ways to contact them directly, through phone and email, but the most convenient and super-fast is through WhatsApp. Just simply send a short message on WhatsApp asking about the status, and you may receive a prompt response.
How to use WhatsApp for real-time Customer Support/Service?
With the introduction of WhatsApp, it is now possible to have two-way conversations with customers. This makes it easier and more convenient for both parties to get in touch with each other and resolve issues. Be it a product query, concern about the price, or availability of the SKU at the nearest store, WhatsApp can answer all the questions. All you have to do is to train a Customer Support Representative with all the technical knowledge and get feedback from them.
While WhatsApp is designed predominantly for mobile devices, it is also compatible with both mobile and desktop platforms. As a result, you may use it in conjunction with other desktop programmes in order to provide adequate customer assistance. Customers can contact you directly, and you can respond quickly.
The procedure is one-of-a-kind but straightforward. Simply visit the app’s website and scan the QR code that appears on your screen. You’re in with only a few simple instructions!
WhatsApp is the most popular messaging app in the world, and its popularity is rising. It has 2 billion monthly active users, which is more than the population of any country on Earth. Many companies have used WhatsApp as a customer support channel for years.
The use of WhatsApp for real-time customer service/support has increased in popularity as it provides a quick and easy way to communicate with customers without having to go through all the hassle of emailing or calling them back on their phone number or landline number.
Because of its vast reach, WhatsApp might be an excellent tool for customer service. Your customers would most likely choose to send you a WhatsApp message over phoning a help desk number or submitting a ticket.
For customer assistance, companies create platforms that employ WhatsApp. There are even new businesses, such as Wazapper, that offer tools and APIs for setting up a customer care system and an omnichannel experience with WhatsApp.
Using WhatsApp for business and brand Marketing:
The use of WhatsApp for business and brand marketing is a new and innovative way to reach out to potential customers. It is a platform that has over 2 billion monthly active users, which means it has the potential to reach out to a large audience and provide valuable insights into how people perceive your brand or product.
WhatsApp is essentially the new form of SMS. It can be an extremely effective marketing tool. It is an excellent one-to-one platform for direct engagement with our audience.”
You may send photographs, audio files, short video clips of your items, and text messages to people all around the world using WhatsApp. Unlike SMS or Email, there are fewer limitations on the format, and the odds of delivery are better.
This does not imply that you should send WhatsApp messages to your customers incessantly. Rather than attempting to reach out to new people, you could use WhatsApp to interact with existing committed clients. Everyone despises receiving messages from unfamiliar numbers.
If you genuinely want to obtain a favourable response, you’ll have to think of new strategies to advertise yourself.
Using WhatsApp Group Targeting in Business promotion:
The best strategy to segment and target the best group of clients is to use group targeting. Marketers can use WhatsApp groups of people with similar interests and start dialogues. You will gain superior insights by inviting other business owners to join a group chat room you have created. Another benefit of this feature is that your message has a better possibility of going viral if the participant shares the information with their peers.
How to maintain quality content using WhatsApp messenger?
Since the primary function of WhatsApp messenger is to send and receive messages, it is better to make the messages short and powerful. The good thing is that WhatsApp does not use a word limit as Twitter does.
In order to maintain quality content, WhatsApp provides channels for its users to share their content with the world. WhatsApp also allows users to report spam messages and block any sender they do not want to receive messages from.
How do click-to-WhatsApp ads help in a digital marketing campaign?
With the help of Click-to-WhatsApp Ads, you can use the Facebook ad platform to contact you on WhatsApp messenger. It’s simple to set up, but it’s quite limited in terms of features. But, it will definitely help you in your digital marketing campaign using WhatsApp and Facebook.
What is the impact on sales using WhatsApp?
WhatsApp marketing campaigns act like a magic spell when it comes to increasing revenue. Adding a WhatsApp phone number to your website is a simple approach that could result in more sales leads.
The ability to contact a brand via any messaging app appears to create confidence in potential customers. If a company is active on messengers, you should feel more confident about purchasing from them.
In comparison to other channels used in digital marketing to reach out to customers, WhatsApp API is a very effective tool for marketing and promotion. The consumers’ buying behaviour depicts an increased trend of purchasing through messaging Apps.
FAQ’s
Is WhatsApp business safe to use?
When a message is sent to a WhatsApp business account, your message is safely delivered to the firm’s designated location. WhatsApp uses end-to-end encryption for interactions with businesses that utilise the WhatsApp Business app or handle and store client messages themselves.
What is WhatsApp Business API?
Businesses can communicate with their clients on WhatsApp for free for up to 24 hours using the WhatsApp Business API, after which they must pay a fixed cost for each message. WhatsApp’s free business app was introduced in the year 2018, but now over 5 million businesses are using WhatsApp business API.
