With over two billion users, WhatsApp stands out among messaging apps as one of the most effective ways to directly talk with audiences. Being able to speak directly with customers means complaints and queries can be handled in record time – if you have the facilities in place to manage them.
What’s more, using the WhatsApp Business platform allows brands to directly advertise to audiences. That’s because direct messaging on WhatsApp has far greater audience penetration than things like ads on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, etc.
This guide will introduce you to the concept of WhatsApp marketing and how you can make it work for your business. By creating a WhatsApp marketing strategy, you can build stronger relationships and drive more sales for your business.
Let's discover how.
What is WhatsApp marketing?
WhatsApp marketing is all about reaching customers and audiences directly.
WhatsApp is one of the most downloaded apps in the world – people check their WhatsApps multiple times every single day. Brands that use WhatsApp marketing are able to grab the attention of audiences on in seconds. So, incorporating WhatsApp into your marketing strategy can significantly enhance customer engagement and, ultimately, drive sales.
Using WhatsApp messages to reach people means brands can:
- Promote their products and services
- Highlights discounts and offers
- Provide customer support
- Build relationships with audiences
The importance of using a WhatsApp Business account
Marketers are likely to use a WhatsApp Business account when sending messages from their brand. There are plenty of benefits to doing it this way.
Benefits include:
- Obtaining high open and engagement rates on your business messages
- Enjoying real-time, two-way conversations
- Having the ability to send rich media like images and videos
- Reducing your costs compared to traditional marketing channels
- Easily integrating WhatsApp with other marketing efforts
Now, a WhatsApp Business account also gives you access to marketing tools and features designed specifically for businesses.
With a Business Account, you can:
- Create a professional profile with key info
- Set up automated messages and greetings
- Use labels to organize chats
- Access analytics on message performance
These tools help you manage conversations at scale and provide much better customer service. It's possible to speak to customers one-on-one in a private forum, rather than doing so over public comments on sites like Facebook. A business account also makes your brand look more professional and trustworthy to potential customers.
WhatsApp Business app vs. WhatsApp Business Platform
Before we go any further, it's worth outlining the difference between the WhatsApp Business app and the WhatsApp Business Platform.
The app is free to download and designed for small businesses. It works on your smartphone and lets you message customers directly. You're able to create a business profile, send quick replies and away messages, as well as add chat labels to your messages.
The Business Platform is effectively an additional, paid-for tool that has far greater capabilities than the app. It's for medium to large companies that need to send and receive high-volume messages, while integrating the data into other platforms.
WhatsApp Business Platform benefits include:
- API access for automation
- Multi-agent support
- CRM integrations
- Bulk messaging
If you're a small business who is looking to start using WhatsApp as a new marketing channel, then the app might be the best place to start.
Want to know more? Read our guide on Using WhatsApp for Business here!
Creating a WhatsApp marketing strategy
Before you create a WhatsApp business account, it’s important to set out your marketing strategies in order to hit the ground running. Overlook the strategy aspect of your campaign and your marketing messages will almost certainly fail.
You need a strategy to connect with customers and boost sales, while staying consistent and protecting your brand. Here’s how to create an effective approach for your business.
Developing a WhatsApp marketing strategy
Your WhatsApp marketing strategy needs to cover a number of areas before you can get started. The first is to define your goals and figure out how they link to your overall business objectives. Do you want to increase sales, improve customer service, or build brand awareness? Perhaps you want to do all of this.
Next, build your contact list. You can do this through your website, social media, or in-store signups. Just make sure you get permission from customers to message them.
After that, you can plan your content calendar. Decide what types of messages you'll send and how often. Mix promotional content with helpful info to keep subscribers engaged. Remember, WhatsApp marketing isn't just about sending customers an occasional discount code. You're able to speak to audiences one-on-one, so make it count!
Finally, choose the right WhatsApp tool for your needs. You can go for the WhatsApp Business app or the Business Platform.
Creating effective marketing messages
Once you've done your research and built a contact list, you can start to work on your marketing messages. You'll need to ensure a consistent tone of voice that aligns with your brand. Make sure this is central to your strategy document, so it stays top-of-mind when you're communicating with audiences.
Personalized marketing messages need to be friendly and conversational, while pushing the main message and a call-to-action.
For example, a restaurant might send promotional messages on WhatsApp for Valentine's Day, like this:
💕 Valentine's Day Giveaway! 💕
Reserve a table for two on February 14 and dine in style with a free bottle of fizz 🥂 and live music from our swing band 🎶
BOOK TODAY: [link]
Something as simple as this can be really effective. Make sure you plan to send messages at the right time and use WhatsApp's features like lists and buttons to make your messages easy to read and act upon.
Using visuals and personalization
You can add photos and videos to your WhatsApp marketing messages. These visual elements can often be what keeps someone engaged long enough for you to get your message across.
As a business, you probably already have a set of imagery, fonts, and color schemes from your brand identity plan. If you don't, then you need to work on your brand's visual elements so you can maintain consistency when messaging people. This helps build brand recognition and awareness.
You can also use customer data to personalize your messages. Include the customer's name and tailor offers based on their interests or past purchases. A tool like Brandwatch can help split your audience into demographics that make it easier for personalized marketing messages.
Setting up a WhatsApp Business account
You can start setting up your WhatsApp account once you have your strategy. Remember, brands have two choices here. The WhatsApp Business app is great for small brands who have a small audience. It's the sort of thing a takeout service or local retail store might use to connect with nearby customers.
The WhatsApp Business Platform is for medium and large brands that need to handle more data, engage in customer support, and link to their Meta business account.
Getting started with WhatsApp Business app
Small businesses are more likely to use the WhatsApp Business app. You can download it from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store. It's free and works on both Android and iOS devices.
Once installed, you'll need to verify your phone number and set up a business profile. Add your business name, logo, address, and description. You can also include your website and business hours.
You now have a business presence on WhatsApp and can start messaging people. There are a few good features on WhatsApp Business, including:
- Quick replies
- Greeting messages
- Away messages
The aim is to give you a space to handle smaller numbers of customer interactions.
Setting up WhatsApp Business Platform
The WhatsApp Business Platform is for larger businesses. It used to be known as WhatsApp Business API and it offers more advanced features, which form part of the Meta Business Suite. Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, also owns WhatsApp.
To get started, you'll need to create a Meta Business account if you don't already have one. Then, choose a solution provider that fits your needs and budget.
Your provider is there to guide you through the setup process, which includes verifying your business and integrating the API with your existing systems. There are plenty of providers to choose from.
Verifying user accounts
Both WhatsApp Business and the Business Platform give you the option to verify your account. This is crucial if you want to build trust with customers.
For the WhatsApp Business app, simply provide your business name, address, and category. WhatsApp may ask for additional documentation to confirm your business details.
For the WhatsApp Business Platform, you'll need to submit official business documents and go through a review process.
Once verified, you'll receive a green checkmark next to your business name, showing customers that you're a legitimate business.
Types of WhatsApp marketing campaigns
Let's look at the types of marketing campaigns you can launch on WhatsApp. You might find that more than one is suitable for your brand.
Broadcast promotional messages on WhatsApp
The most common of all WhatsApp marketing campaigns is the promotional message. These are messages sent directly to large groups of customers using WhatsApp's broadcast feature.
Most brands use it to share new product launches, special offers, or company updates. To use this effectively, make sure you:
- Get customer consent before sending messages
- Segment your audience for targeted campaigns
- Keep messages short and include clear calls-to-action
- Use images or videos to grab attention
- Track message delivery and open rates
Remember to follow WhatsApp's policies on promotional content to avoid getting blocked. You don't want to risk being flagged as spam. It's therefore really important to only send messages that align with your audience's interests – and don't send messages too often.
Automate notifications and reminders on WhatsApp
Businesses can get really creative when they automate messages. These messages help connect with audiences much quicker and easier than emails or DMs on social media sites. Types of messages you can send include:
- Order confirmations and shipping updates
- Appointment reminders
- Payment due notifications
- Birthday wishes or loyalty program updates
Being able to automate communication like this means you save time on small, simple jobs.
Use WhatsApp's API to connect with your CRM or e-commerce platform to establish these automated processes. This ensures timely, personalized communication. Be sure to give customers an easy way to opt out of these messages if they choose.
Run WhatsApp ads
You can advertise on WhatsApp in a few different ways, but perhaps the best is to create ads on platforms like Facebook or Instagram that open a WhatsApp chat when clicked. This makes it a lot easier to interact with potential customers and share information.
Indeed, being able to chat to users via a WhatsApp app can result in:
- More leads directly in WhatsApp
- The ability to start conversations with potential customers
- The chance to provide instant customer support or product info
Design your ads to highlight the benefit of chatting with your business. Users often don't like being taken away from one app to another, so make sure you use clear, compelling copy and visuals to encourage clicks. You need people to want to click on your ad and be willing to pause scrolling on Instagram or Facebook to interact with you instead.
Send WhatsApp retargeting campaigns
You can also instigate retargeting campaigns with WhatsApp. Send WhatsApp messages to existing audiences that:
- Remind them about abandoned carts
- Give them exclusive discounts as a thank you for their loyalty
- Offer them personalized product recommendations
Measuring WhatsApp marketing success
There is a lot of customer data available when you market to audiences via WhatsApp. The app is often people's top communication tool, and they leave a lot of data on the platform.
Tracking the right metrics is key to understanding how well your WhatsApp marketing efforts are performing. Let's explore some essential ways to measure success and gain insights from your campaigns.
Track success and refine strategies
Start by looking at your broadcast list size – a growing list shows more people want to hear from you.
Then check your message open and click-through rates. Are you actually grabbing peoples' attention? High rates mean your content resonates with readers, while low rates mean you have work to do. Track how many sales or conversions come from WhatsApp to see its impact on your bottom line.
You might be surprised to see a lot of conversions via WhatsApp users that you weren't previously tracking.
You can also measure customer satisfaction. Analyse the success of your customer service activity to see if you're actually addressing peoples' concerns.
After this, you can dig even deeper into the stats. Look at metrics like engagement rate, which measures how often people interact with your content. A really important metric is the opt-out rate, which is when someone chooses to unsubscribe or request to be taken off your mailing list. Watch this metric like a hawk to ensure you're not overwhelming your contacts.
Finally, set up tracking for ROI to see how WhatsApp marketing impacts your overall business goals. Track campaign performance to see if it's helping or hindering those goals, and use the data to make smart choices about where to focus your efforts.
Best practices for WhatsApp marketing
Now you know some of the methods to use WhatsApp for business marketing, it's time to look at ways to ensure you maintain consistency on the messaging app.
Remember, your marketing efforts can be severely impacted if you're inconsistent in your approach. Here are some tips to ensure you don't stray from your strategy.
Engage proactively with customers on WhatsApp
You need to be proactive and engage customers. If you do nothing but send promotional messages then customers will rightly think you're just spamming them. Customer engagement means you develop a much warmer, closer connection with your audience – and it's this connection that often leads to more sales.
Make sure to reply to comments and complaints, be responsive to purchase queries, and always keep it relaxed. Never use overly formal language, but don't be so informal that it looks unprofessional. The aim is to strike a balance, so customers like your tone.
You can also create group chats for different customer segments, which means you're able to easily share relevant updates, tips, and exclusive offers. Again, don't overdo it – respect people's privacy and message limits.
Finally, personalize your messages when possible. This is easy if you have a small customer base and are sending messages manually.
Optimize your WhatsApp marketing strategy
Another top tip for WhatsApp marketing is to stay on top of all the data in order to optimize your strategy moving forward. Track those key metrics like open rates, click-throughs, and conversions. Use this data to refine your approach over time.
Be willing to ask for feedback from customers, too. What content do they find most helpful? Are your messages too frequent or not frequent enough? Do they want more offers? Are you meeting the needs of your existing customers?
Keep an eye on WhatsApp's features and policies. Meta often adds new tools for businesses, from additional research tools into your target audience, to improved automation processes. Stay up-to-date to make the most of the platform.
Finally, if you're currently using the WhatsApp Business app and want to elevate your marketing efforts, consider more advanced automation and integrations with tools and the WhatsApp Business Platform. This is the best way to scale your efforts as your customer base grows.
Frequently asked questions
We've come to the end of our guide but we understand that you might still have questions. If you want to know more about WhatsApp marketing then speak to an expert at Brandwatch today. Meanwhile, here are some common questions we receive about using the WhatsApp messaging platform for business.
What are the best strategies for launching an effective WhatsApp marketing campaign?
You need to start with a strategy document. Build a quality contact list of opt-in subscribers and figure out your key messaging. Create engaging, personalized content that will resonate with your target audience. Do further research to understand the best send times and formats. You should also look at AI automation, including chatbots, to understand what works and what doesn't. Finally, remember to track your campaign performance and adjust your strategy based on the results.
How can I measure the success of my WhatsApp marketing messages?
Measure key metrics like open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates on WhatsApp. You're able to monitor how many users respond to your messages or take desired actions.
From here you can look at customer engagement levels, including how often they initiate conversations. Measure the growth of your contact list over time to see if you're on course to hit your marketing goals.
Make sure to analyze customer feedback and sentiment to gauge the effectiveness of your campaigns. You might spot things you weren't aware of, such as a negative view of your transactional messages, or a positive feeling towards your customer service.
