WhatsApp Marketing: the dos and don’ts

One message on Whatsapp pings louder than any email. Smart brands know this and are shifting towards marketing through Whatsapp rather than sending out mass email campaigns. It’s simple and cost-effective.

Let’s put it this way, Whatsapp messages have a 98% open rate. Traditional marketing through email has an open rate of 21%. Get the message? 

Whatsapp marketing is a type of mobile messenger marketing that allows brands to connect directly with customers on their preferred device—their phone. Messaging through Whatsapp feels deeply personal, which is one of the reasons why this type of marketing is so effective. In fact, 75% of adults want to connect with businesses the same way they do with their friends and family. Brands should identify and leverage these mobile channels to effectively reach more customers in a more meaningful way.

Whatsapp is a powerful tool to start conversations with your customers. At the same time, it can also open doors to building long-lasting relationships. When implemented correctly, Whatsapp Business enhances the overall user experience and allows for seamless communication between customers and the brand.

It may seem daunting at first to get started but fear not. To help you put together a marketing strategy for Whatsapp, we’ve compiled a list of our top dos and don’ts.

It may be tempting to get messaging right away. Resist the urge. First, it’s essential to understand what the goals of your marketing campaign are. Are you looking to build awareness of the brand? Educate the audience about certain products? Announce seasonal discounts? Make sure the strategy you’re formulating addresses these goals. It never hurts to do a little research and see what other brands are doing for some inspiration.

Impersonal, generic communication doesn’t fly anymore with customers. They expect to receive personalized messages. Customers place a lot of value on high-quality, one-on-communication—they want to feel like they’re speaking with a human. 

It’s necessary to deeply understand your audience and what exactly it is that they want from you. Plus, WhatsApp Business only allows you to send messages to a certain number of people. This functions as a tiering system, and as you gain status you can begin to create bigger campaigns. If your customers don’t like what they’re receiving they can flag you, which will result in you being downgraded. As long as your messages are relevant, well-timed, and personalized you’ll be creating an experience that customers will be delighted by.

While creating your WhatsApp campaign, think of ways to build a connection through conversation. Here are a few that can do the trick:

• Asking for feedback: for the product, the customer service, or their overall experience with your brand.
• Checking in on a customer post-purchase—you’d be surprised by the wealth of information your customers would be willing to share.
• Offering something exclusive, like access to special content or a preview of a new product drop.

It’s necessary to have an opt-in form in order to communicate with your customers on any channel—WhatsApp is no exception.

Allow your customers to select the channels they want to receive messages on. Not only is this respecting your customer, but it’s also a prerequisite for using the WhatsApp Business platform for promotional purposes. In most countries, it’s even a legal requirement. Protect your customers as well as your brand from reputational damage, and possible legal repercussions—only use opt-ins.

Looking for a way to collect more opt-ins? 

After a customer makes a purchase, a page appears that summarizes their purchase. You can use this page pop-up to easily collect opt-ins. If they’re not interested, they simply close the page. Here’s what the page could look like.

Think low frequency, high relevance. Sending too many messages will cause you to lose customers and will negatively affect your brand reputation. On top of that, it will affect your quality rating with WhatsApp Business.

Reach out to your customers 1 to 2 times per month with highly relevant and persuasive content. You know how to communicate with your target audiences. It’s completely in your hands to send campaigns they’re going to be interested in.

Whatsapp is the perfect tool to engage with your customers in a meaningful way—not to push constant marketing messages. Think of it as a channel to facilitate deep relationships with your customers. 53% of people say they would buy from companies they can reach via chat. Customers want to connect directly with their favorite brands and have two-way communication with them.

Whatsapp Business is a highly effective marketing and sales tool to create customer love.  It works so well because it allows you to be conversational and personal. These days, customers expect immediate, two-way communication. They’re looking for ways to connect with their favorite brands in a meaningful way—WhatsApp couldn’t be a better tool for this.

Give it a try—the results will surprise you. We’re here to help you reach your marketing and sales goals using WhatsApp Business.