WhatsApp marketing: all you need to know

WhatsApp can certainly be an important marketing tool for your business. In this guide, we will find out how your business can use WhatsApp to sell products and services, and how you can use it to promote your brand.

As we have already talked about in previous articles, WhatsApp is increasingly marking its hegemony in the world of messaging apps. With over 2 billion users, WhatsApp represents an extremely important marketing channel, which companies cannot do without.

Marketing on WhatsApp? Here are the rules to follow

With the launch of the WhatsApp Business platform, the recent development of the  multi-device functionality (still in beta) and the release of WhatsApp Business’ APIs, WhatsApp is trying to increasingly satisfy the needs of companies, that want to communicate with their potential customers in a simple and immediate way.

Generating and managing leads via WhatsApp has a decidedly different value than the classic e-mail. Owning a WhatsApp number allows you to reach users at any time and wherever they are, to send them new offers or updates on your business.

At the same time, users can also benefit from this type of communication with the company. In fact, the user will have a constant and instant reference point through which he can contact you for information or assistance.

Marketing on WhatsApp can be very beneficial for companies, but they must pay attention to some rules, in order not to create unpleasant effects, which could compromise the brand, namely:

1) No promotions: since WhatsApp is a messaging channel aimed at communicating with friends and family, it is annoying to receive constant promotions from companies that try to stalk customers with their offers;

2) No spam: the fact that a company has a WhatsApp contact does not authorize it to spam the user with its advertising messages. Nobody likes to receive messages continuously on their WhatsApp account;

3) Priority to inbound leads: wait for the user to initiate a communication with the company via WhatsApp (also through paid ads on social networks). The opposite could create distrust on the part of the user and will make him/her unwilling to communicate with your business, resulting in your removal / blocking;

4) Beware of the 24 hour rule (if you use WhatsApp Business’s APIs): if a person starts a chat with you, you can continue the conversation via WhatsApp up to 24 hours after the last message sent by that person; after 24 hours have passed since the customer’s last message, it will be necessary to use a pre-approved message template by WhatsApp to get back in touch with the potential customer.

Mass shout-outs and promotions on WhatsApp: what are the risks to consider

Marketing on WhatsApp is certainly attractive, due to the fact that it is immediate and within everyone’s reach. However, focusing your communication on messaging apps can be a double-edged sword. On the one hand, you are more in contact with your audience, on the other you risk excessively trespassing on the privacy of users.

In comparison, e-mail marketing is much less intrusive than promotions via WhatsApp, which could compromise the credibility and image of the brand. For this reason, the use of tools for sending mass messages, such as SendApp, are not recommended by email marketing consultants.

Furthermore, since a WhatsApp account constantly risks being blocked due to potential reports as spam by users or for the violation of the 24-hour rule, we recommend using this type of tool very sparingly.

A good practice is to limit the sending of messages via WhatsApp to three / four per month, since if the contents are not really interesting, your communication can be annoying and invasive.

How to generate leads on WhatsApp through Ads

You can easily generate leads on WhatsApp through Facebook Ads. To do this, you simply need a Facebook page with your associated WhatsApp Business account.

Once inside the Facebook Business Manager, just follow the following steps:

1)   Create “Messages” campaign, select “Click to send a message” and in the Messaging app section select “WhatsApp”;

2)   Select the audience to target with your ad, based on interests, gender and age;

3)   Insert the creativity, that is, images and texts that will allow your ad to attract new leads;

4)   Set the message template, which will be your business card for all new leads who will contact you through the ad.

At this point, just confirm the ad, which will be analyzed by Facebook and wait for approval. Once approved, Facebook will to show your ad to the audience  you have selected.

WhatsApp marketing strategies: how to grow your brand through WhatsApp

A good strategy is to promote your brand through Facebook Ads that link to WhatsApp, and give your potential customers the opportunity to easily get in touch with you for reasons other than the direct purchase of a product or service.

For example, you can incentivize your target audience by offering a prize draw among all those who respond to your ad with a message on WhatsApp. In this way, you capture the attention of potential customers and collect important leads for your business.

Or you can invite your customers to send a video review of your products via WhatsApp, in exchange for special  offers or gift certificates. By doing so, the company can create a relationship with the user, who feels more involved with the brand.

You can give your potential customers the opportunity to subscribe to promotional newsletters via WhatsApp, in order to send them daily offers, leaving them free to decide when to unsubscribe.

From the moment the user interacts with your business for the first time, your sales team will be able to satisfy their requests at all times.

You will have to inform them about your products, offer new products / services, provide after-sales assistance and update them on new promotions, but always be very careful not to be inappropriate.

Thanks for reading, happy sales!

[Update November 2022] How to use Callbell for mass sending on WhatsApp

We recently released a new feature that allows our customers using the WhatsApp Business API to send bulk messages.

With broadcast messages, it will also be possible to send a predefined message to all senders who have not saved the company’s number in the address book. This will make it possible to communicate with a large number of users, thus effectively promoting the company’s products or services.

To submit a broadcast, you will need to fill out this short form. Once received, a member of our team will contact you quickly to share the cost of the service and schedule the broadcast.

You can find more info on our dedicated knowledge base.