What's stopping you from leveraging WhatsApp to boost your marketing efforts?
WhatsApp is a marketing channel with an incredible conversion rate, with some reporting up to a 60% conversion rate.
For perspective, email and SMS marketing average much lower rates (roughly 2-5%). That's significantly lower than what WhatsApp can provide to your marketing campaigns.
WhatsApp is not just a messaging app anymore. It has become a go-to platform for marketing teams to engage with customers and resolve issues. The introduction of WhatsApp Business API in 2018 was a game-changer for many marketers.
Now, you can use WhatsApp for marketing and customer service. You can even promote products without leaving the WhatsApp platform, something that didn't seem possible until a few years ago.
We're just scratching the surface, though. There are more layers to WhatsApp marketing solutions that many people are still unaware of.
What is a WhatsApp marketing tool?
A WhatsApp marketing tool is software that unlocks the full capabilities of the WhatsApp Business platform. Are you an enterprise business scaling your marketing campaigns? Then these tools will be perfect for you.
Now, here's a question that many marketers are curious about: can you use the WhatsApp Business API on its own? The short answer is yes. However, the things you can do are very much limited.
Remember, an application programming interface (API) is designed for endless customizations. A good piece of WhatsApp marketing software can extend the API's capabilities, especially in automating workflows and personalizing customer engagement. This way, you can respond to customer inquiries promptly and accurately.
Sure, you can use the WhatsApp Business app by itself. You can send bulk messages (although limited) to your customers and interact with them directly.
But with WhatsApp marketing software, you're opening a whole new dimension of personalized marketing.
What can you do with a WhatsApp marketing tool?
Lead acquisition, automated workflows, multi-platform integration, customer support, and more — the best WhatsApp marketing tools can do almost everything.
We're seeing more businesses exploring WhatsApp marketing potential. The platform's vast global reach is just too much to resist.
Now, combine that incredible reach with the versatility of WhatsApp marketing software. You have a game-changer on your hands.
WhatsApp marketing platforms cover plenty of ground, so we hand-picked five of the coolest use cases.
Automate messages
For enterprise companies, managing customer engagement can be tough. You might receive hundreds of support requests a minute. How can you possibly deal with that high volume of customer interactions?
That's where WhatsApp marketing automation software enters the picture. AI-powered chatbots and triggered responses are constantly improving in topical depth and accuracy.
For example, Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) companies receive many support tickets from customers who forget their account passwords. Here's what you can do: automate triggered responses that will take your customers through the steps of resetting their passwords.
This way, you don't miss any support tickets or inquiries. You don't want negative reviews on your social media profiles, right?
Boost newsletter marketing
Haven't you heard that WhatsApp is a powerful alternative to email marketing?
The WhatsApp Business platform allows you to insert dynamic images, videos, and product recommendations. It makes for a full-blown newsletter campaign that you can launch on the top messaging app in the world. How convenient is that?
The secret sauce is to build anticipation through your newsletters. Do you have an upcoming major product launch? Use your WhatsApp newsletter to give sneak peeks of your product's new features.
Share discount codes
Timing is everything in marketing, even when giving out discounts and freebies. You can't just roll out discounts and expect people to be interested.
Targeting market trends is key in offering discount codes, and many businesses are already doing this in their WhatsApp campaigns.
For example, seasonal discount codes in your WhatsApp marketing campaigns could help maximize your return on investment.
Enhance engagement and boost conversion rates with exclusive discount codes. This also helps improve customer satisfaction in your WhatsApp campaigns and may encourage customer advocacy.
Provide shipping notifications
There's no better assurance for customers when you send regular updates on the products they just ordered. Nothing irks customers more than delays in order shipping, particularly ones that they weren't informed about.
Use WhatsApp to send tracking numbers and estimated time of arrival (ETA) updates to your customers.
Building assurance leads to customer loyalty, which increases your customer retention rate.
The 10 best pieces of WhatsApp marketing software
Are you trying to expand the impact of your WhatsApp marketing strategy? These 10 best pieces of WhatsApp marketing software can help.
1. Brandwatch
Known as a top social media management tool, Brandwatch also provides WhatsApp marketing software.
It's very easy to connect your WhatsApp Business account to Brandwatch's social media management tool. This gives you access to Brandwatch's automated messaging feature and customer support workflows.
Do you update your WhatsApp message templates from time to time? You can also do this on Brandwatch. Brandwatch Engage lets you create message templates and manage all your social media messages, including creating welcome messages and out of office hours comms.
By creating dedicated WhatsApp inbox feeds and monitoring messages as they come in in real time alongside all your other social media interactions, you can address customer inquiries without missing a beat.
You can also use Engage to analyze team performance by looking at metrics like handle rate, handle time, service time, and number of messages sent.
We recommend scheduling a free demo with Brandwatch to discover the advanced features of their marketing platform. Discover how you can use Brandwatch to easily personalize your marketing messages for each stage of the buyer's journey.
2. Wati
Like Brandwatch, Wati is also a provider that can help with WhatsApp marketing campaigns. It makes full use of the WhatsApp Business API, particularly in setting up shop on WhatsApp.
One of its flagship products is the Wati-WhatsApp Shop integration. This allows eCommerce businesses to create fully functional online stores within WhatsApp. Customers can browse and order products even if they don't leave the app.
There's also Wati's shared team inbox tool which is a centralized management tool for managing customer inquiries and messages. You can assign team members to different sets of users, allowing you to stay on top of every support ticket or direct conversation.
Wati offers a free demo and a 7-day trial. You can test the software's features and see if they fit your WhatsApp marketing campaigns.
3. Brevo (formerly Sendinblue)
Brevo is another marketing software that expanded its services to the WhatsApp platform. It is a good choice for large-scale marketing efforts, as you can use an unlimited number of devices and phone numbers to cover your WhatsApp marketing campaign.
Along with sending bulk WhatsApp messages, Brevo allows you to insert emojis, images, and QR codes in customized messages. This level of customization makes it a powerful tool for WhatsApp messaging campaigns.
Brevo also allows businesses to send promotional and transactional messages to over 130 countries. You can sign up for a free account, but there's a limit on the WhatsApp messages you can send.
4. MessageBird
MessageBird is a piece of WhatsApp marketing software for multi-channel marketing strategies. You can create automated messaging for WhatsApp, email, and text messages.
One of MessageBird's best features is the Programmable Messaging API. MessageBird's conversational API supports text, audio, image, video, file, location, and GIF messages.
MessageBird takes pride in providing easy and quick integrations. They also offer 24/7 technical support for more consistent and efficient communication with your customers.
5. Twilio
Another piece of WhatsApp marketing software is Twilio, unique for its conversation-based pricing. You pay per message that you send out, with 24-hour increments. This is a great option for businesses scaling up or down in terms of their marketing efforts.
Along with its flexible pricing, Twilio also offers its Messaging Engagement Suite. You can schedule bulk messages and track engagement metrics through a real-time dashboard.
Twilio provides a free trial for their WhatsApp marketing software services. You can try their messaging features first to discover how Twilio can deliver customized communications.
6. WebEngage
WebEngage's WhatsApp engagement product is a part of their omnichannel engagement lineup. It's a piece of WhatsApp marketing software that focuses on customer engagement and automated messages.
WebEngage provides a unified analytics dashboard for managing your multi-channel marketing programs.
You can measure the performance of your WhatsApp marketing campaign through data visualizations and reports.
7. What-Sender
How about a WhatsApp marketing software option that you can install as a browser extension? What-Sender is a great example of such a tool. It's downloadable as a Chrome browser extension, making management a breeze for marketers.
Bulk WhatsApp marketing campaigns are What-Sender's specialty. Plus, you can import customer lists from other marketing platforms.
What-Sender offers a freemium version that is only limited to one WhatsApp account. If you have a team of multiple users, you have to switch to their paid plans.
8. Growby (formerly Whatso)
Previously known as Whatso, Growby is WhatsApp marketing software that specializes in automation and chatbots. It doesn't pack the advanced features of more powerful tools, but sending bulk messages is fairly easy on this platform.
The WhatsApp Chatbot Flow Builder is Growby's flagship product. It structures your customer journey to help you capture more leads and improve customer experience.
Growby provides separate paid plans for developers, marketers, and micro businesses. They also offer a free trial of their WhatsApp marketing software.
9. Insider
Insider is an end-to-end customer engagement tool for your WhatsApp campaigns.
Specifically designed for enterprise businesses, their AI-native Customer Data Platform (CDP) is a top selling point. You can connect the CDP to your data warehouse and create unified customer profiles.
You can test Insider through a free demo. This will help you gauge if it's the best WhatsApp marketing platform for your unique business needs.
10. Braze
Braze leverages AI-powered chatbots and workflows to help businesses with bulk WhatsApp marketing messaging.
It provides its users with an easy-to-use journey builder tool, allowing marketers to visualize customer support conversations on WhatsApp.
Braze also offers marketers the opportunity to test different variations of their marketing strategies.
Supercharge your WhatsApp marketing with Brandwatch
For enterprise businesses, quick response times can improve customer satisfaction rates. And you'll often be dealing with customer engagement across a number of networks or apps.
How can you delight each customer and not miss a single inquiry?
That's when you tap into an impressive piece of WhatsApp marketing software like Brandwatch which can help you manage all your social media interactions as well as WhatsApp messages in one easy-to-use platform.
FAQs
What is a WhatsApp business account?
A WhatsApp business account is WhatsApp's specialized tool for business-to-consumer interactions. Online stores and companies can create a business profile within WhatsApp, allowing them to promote products and services, automate messaging workflows, and track tkey metrics. Organizations or eCommerce entities can optimize their WhatsApp business profiles with essential information, including address, email, website, and operating hours.
How can I start marketing on WhatsApp?
First, you must set up an account on the WhatsApp Business app or WhatsApp Business API, depending on the size and complexity of your marketing campaign. Verify your business and proceed to personalize marketing messages through user data, browsing patterns, and purchase history. You can also leverage WhatsApp marketing software like Brandwatch to unlock more customizations.
How effective is WhatsApp marketing?
WhatsApp marketing is regarded to have higher conversion rates than traditional marketing. It's already the top messaging platform in terms of global reach, making it a powerful channel for marketing campaigns. Moreover, there are great WhatsApp marketing software examples out there like Brandwatch which helps businesses scale their marketing and customer support messages on WhatsApp.
Is WhatsApp marketing legal?
Yes, WhatsApp marketing is legal when done in compliance with WhatsApp's policies and local marketing regulations.
