Social media marketing is constantly evolving, with newer forms appearing every other month, and to the surprise of industry experts, WhatsApp marketing appeared suddenly on the block. Although platforms like Facebook with more than 2 billion active users are a common choice for marketers, agencies have rarely explored the potential of WhatsApp.
Did you know that WhatsApp has more users than the combined number of users on Instagram and LinkedIn? What most marketing agencies forget to consider is the untapped potential of this text-based platform. Think about it. Even people who swear by their absence on social media have WhatsApp on their phones.
Anyone with a smartphone is on the platform using it daily for their convenience. However, it was only some time before marketers realized the untapped aptitude of the forum. Thus, keep reading to learn in detail about WhatsApp marketing and how to execute a stellar marketing strategy on the platform. Additionally, integrating the WhatsApp Business API into your marketing strategy can further enhance your reach and customer engagement
Created in 2009 by two ex-Yahoo members, WhatsApp was designed to make communication convenient and accessible. Well, Apple did the same for their I-phones, but not everyone has an I-phone – WhatsApp solved this problem and made communication truly accessible by all.
WhatsApp marketing was one form of social media marketing whose discovery and subsequent success were inevitable. Since its launch, the platform was the fastest to get more than 400 million active monthly users. As a result, it was only a matter of time before Facebook acquired the platform giving birth to the WhatsApp marketing software.
Facebook paid almost 20 times the money it paid for Instagram is proof of WhatsApp’s significance as a marketing platform. Otherwise, why would Facebook invest so much in WhatsApp marketing? Additionally, WhatsApp has evolved to include several features over the past decade.
Presently, apart from text messages, you can also send the following content types on WhatsApp,
Now that you have a fair idea on what is WhatsApp marketing, the next logical step is to figure out how to implement WhatsApp marketing. Interestingly, market research shows us that when you combine Facebook and WhatsApp messaging, you are technically tapping 79% of the entire messaging market.
This is reason enough for marketing on WhatsApp. So here’s what you can do!
There’s a catch that you must consider when you are installing the app on your smartphone. The business app has all the existing features of the original WhatsApp meant for personal communications and a few new additions. The new features intended for boosting your WhatsApp marketing strategy are as follows,
With the help of the Profile feature on WhatsApp for Business, you can set up your brand’s business account. His feature also allows users to add other details to your account like your address, email ID, and bio.
WhatsApp for Business allows users to customize a message for greeting existing and potential customers – this can help you introduce your business to customers and let them know about your products or services and when you will be available for chatting.
WhatsApp for Business lets users use the statistics feature to analyze how many messages were sent and, out of the sent, how many were delivered. This feature also helps users to find out how many messages were not opened.
Saving time is of the essence for any business, and WhatsApp exactly lets you do that via their quick replies feature. You can save messages you frequently send like ‘Thanks for shopping with us and save time in the process.
Labels can actually help you segregate your different chats. For instance, users can use labels for marketing a chat with a new client, ‘New Client,’ or track orders by marking ‘Received.’ If required, the platform lets you customize labels as well.
This one’s a great feature, especially for any business depending heavily on their WhatsApp marketing strategy. WhatsApp for business lets users set up messages for times of your unavailability. After all, some communication is better than none, especially when a new client approaches you and you are away.
For implementing a successful WhatsApp marketing strategy, you must focus on optimal use of the platform. By optimal use, we mean you need to use all the features for generating the initial buzz. When you choose marketing with WhatsApp as a priority, forgetting to optimize your efforts will fail to give you satisfactory end results.
For example, brands can take advantage of WhatsApp’s status feature, which allows users to update their status that disappears after 24 hours. In addition, similar to the Instagram and Facebook story feature, WhatsApp’s integration with Facebook enables users to re-share their WhatsApp status on their Facebook stories.
Also, you can take advantage of WhatsApp‘s payment feature, which is connected to UPI. Thus, you can set up your payment and send-receive money from customers without any hassle. Additionally, sharing your store or office’s location via WhatsApp is a possibility since you can share both your brand’s google location as well as your live location, which is excellent!
WhatsApp has also emerged as a marketing tool in a surprising turn of events since the platform allows users to directly engage with existing and potential customers. Thus, users can now spread promotional messages and boost brand awareness through direct communication.
Most marketers don’t know the potential of using WhatsApp for marketing. However, the ones who know are using the platform for running successful campaigns via the direct communication feature, creating several opportunities for customers to build faith in their brands in the process.
The best thing about WhatsApp marketing is that it stays free from ads. Thus, while using the platform, users need to understand that to build a relevant customer database with contact numbers, users need to offer their audience anything valuable in return – it can be a discount or an offer, but it must provide some sort of value.
The success of WhatsApp marketing via the platform has a lot to do with the sheer simplicity of the platforms. The reason why people choose WhatsApp as their main communication platform is because of its extremely easy user interface. Today, even an 85-year-old can operate WhatsApp without their grandchild’s technological help.
Now that you know where most of your audience is spending time, crafting a strategy for the same is essential. Thus, reach out to your customers on WhatsApp and make the most of this terrific platform. After all, as a brand in the market, your target should be to find out where your potential clients are spending more time.
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Barsha Bhattacharya is a senior content writing executive. As a marketing enthusiast and professional for the past 4 years, writing is new to Barsha. And she is loving every bit of it. Her niches are marketing, lifestyle, wellness, travel and entertainment. Apart from writing, Barsha loves to travel, binge-watch, research conspiracy theories, Instagram and overthink.
Subhasree Nag, 2 days ago
