Our favorite messaging platform - WhatsApp has become a leading digital communication platform in the recent years. With the consumer world moving towards the use of WhatsApp for their day to day activities, it is natural that all business owners now have to make the change and start using the app not only to communicate with their customers but also to promote their business. In this article, we will look at how WhatsApp Business can be used as a comprehensive marketing tool that increases your business profits.
What is WhatsApp Business?
WhatsApp Business & WhatsApp Business APIs are free-to-use tools that enable businesses- small to large, an online presence to reach their targeted customers efficiently. Businesses use WhatsApp to promote their products and services through a business account. The use of a business account better promotes customers to purchase their products via their WhatsApp shop/catalogues. WhatsApp APIs are a set of functionalities provided to developers to create an application accessible to their system that enables WhatsApp messages.
To use WhatsApp Business, you will first need to register for an account. This process will require your business to verify your account by providing your personal information, your business address, and other contact details. The account verification can take between 24 to 48 hours. Once you have successfully registered your business, you're ready to kick start your API journey.
Seven Reasons Why WhatsApp Business is Great for Marketing
A WhatsApp Business marketing strategy can help your business to get the exposure that it needs. You might be wondering why we are stressing on using WhatsApp Business for marketing purposes? The following reasons will give you a clear answer to this question.
Read: How to Comply with WhatsApp Commerce Policy
1.Secure & Trusted
WhatsApp is one of the most secure and trusted digital communication platforms. Since the app uses end-to-end encryption, all data and information that you share on the platform are kept private and safe from the eyes of third parties, unless and until you acquire the help of a WhatsApp business solution provider . In an age where customers are tired of bots and spam messages on social media platforms, using WhatsApp to deliver promotional messages will help your brand build trust and credibility.
2.Personalised Support
Today’s customers want a personalised experience, they expect instant and particular attention whenever they need it. A WhatsApp business account is a comprehensive business tool that will enable you to deliver that service. As a business owner, you will be able to interact with customers to give them real-time support with the help of rich text, media and files. This real-time support goes a long way, customers will always feel better about your brand and refer you to their friends and family when you support them personally.
3.High Customer Engagement
Engagement is an important part of any marketing strategy. If the platform is not user-friendly and appealing to customers, there is a high chance that the interaction will be low and all marketing efforts that you employ will have no effect. WhatsApp Business is known to be easy to use and highly engaging, and its use is growing day by day. You can also generate customer interactions on a regular basis through timely WhatsApp broadcast messages.
4.Rich Media & QR
WhatsApp allows your business to send videos, images and other rich media content via the platform. This capability can be used to promote your business in different ways like that of using videos/images to explain your brand and product offerings. Even WhatsApp's latest QR code feature can be used to promote your brand. The ability to send QR codes that can then be scanned by WhatsApp users to share your business information or support operations is an efficient way to engage your customers. Try our WhatsApp QR code generator for free now!
5.Automation Assistance
Any marketing channel that you use should allow automation assistance. Automations give your business the flexibility and ability to deliver targeted and personalized messages at any time. One great feature of WhatsApp Business is the ability to create template messages that can be automated to be sent at he right times to the right selected group of people. In addition to templates, automated responses can also be created to cater to specific customer queries. Automations allow your business to create better customer experiences and improve your brand and business success.
6.Easy To Manage & Update
Setting up a WhatsApp Business API isn’t as easy as using regular WhatsApp. But since it has much to offer, the effort should be worthwhile. After you have set up your business account, it will be easy to manage your business contacts and, to send and receive messages from your customers. You can even use a WhatsApp Business dashboard like that of Gallabox, to help you manage multiple accounts from a single screen. Furthermore, WhatsApp is also easy to integrate with your website and other social media platforms to improve your brand reach.
7.Valuable Insights
Marketing strategies are based on constant innovation and customisations. To ensure constant customisation, your business needs to collect customer data and information. WhatsApp Business APIs allows you to collect customer information through WhatsApp's web, desktop and mobile applications. This helps you to better serve your customers and build better customer relationships. By employing WhatsApp Business API for marketing operations, you can integrate with third-party marketing tools, to collect information about the customers and use it to customise your marketing strategies.
Gallabox is a collaborative communication tool that helps grow your marketing, sales and support efforts through WhatsApp Business APIs.
How to use WhatsApp Business for marketing: A step-by-step guide
Now that you’ve understood the benefits of a WhatsApp Business marketing strategy, let’s look at how you can implement it.
Step 1 - Register your business as ‘WhatsApp Business’ or ‘WhatsApp Business API.’
Step 2 - Add your business details like address, logo, business name and required documentation.
Step 3 - Inform customers about your WhatsApp Business sales/support number through Ads, Website Chatbots/Chat Widgets & QR Codes.
Step 4 - Collect customer information and build a CRM using the API for your WhatsApp Business.
Step 5 - Create broadcast ‘Groups’ that cover specific target customers to deliver the right message to the right group of customers.
Step 6 - Label all the chat messages to ensure better tracking & insight generation.
Step 7 - Broadcast Greetings, Events, Offers & Important Notices.
Step 8 - Use Stories to showcase important business changes & product information.
Step 9 - Build relationships with customers & automate conversations.
Step 10 - Review chats & story/broadcast interactions to generate valuable insights.
Step 11 - Set-up WhatsApp Pay to help customers pay directly through WhatsApp.
Step 12 - Set-up WhatsApp Store to help customers browse product information efficiently.
Suggested Read: Looking to Opt-in More Customers to Your WhatsApp Business? Here are a few tips
Effective WhatsApp Business Marketing Strategies for your Business
Now, let’s look at how you can take advantage of WhatsApp Business marketing strategies to attract more customers and increase your business profits.
Brand Awareness
When you decide to use WhatsApp API for marketing, your main goal should be to create a powerful brand profile. Your WhatsApp profile must be able to communicate your core values, mission and vision to your customers. You should also educate them about your brand so they will be able to distinguish you from other brands. Using a unique and memorable logo is a great way to gain the trust of your customers.
Ensure Accessibility
Customers need to be able to reach your WhatsApp Business account easily via their mobiles, tablets & computers. You should consider providing a link in your website, social media accounts and any other platform to market your customer services. When your customers land on your WhatsApp, you should be ready to assist them immediately. Adding WhatsApp Chatbots to your website is a simple yet effective way to ensure accessibility.
Want to know more about how WhatsApp chatbots can help boost your customer engagement efforts? Read on
Use Relevant Content
You should make use of features like stories & broadcast messages to maximize brand reach. However, it is critical that you concentrate on relevant and engaging content while you do this. Your broadcast message should talk about your business, your brand and the services that you offer. Stories should not only communicate business information to your customers but they can also be used to showcase your company culture and values.
Incentivize Your Customers to Buy
You can use WhatsApp Business to connect with your customers and deliver valuable information about your business. There should be a “Buy Now” option whenever you want your customers to buy from you. You can even ask for their email addresses so that you can deliver follow up messages. You should also make sure that you have some exciting discounts available to your customers.
Integrate & Automate
When you start using a WhatsApp Business marketing strategy, it is essential that you automate customer conversations with template messages & quick replies. You also need to make sure that your WhatsApp profile is integrated with Facebook & other social media platforms. Integrating with social media allows you to create a seamless experience for your customers. There are also other factors that need to be automated like the sending of important and necessary information like business details, product information, alerts and more.
Why should B2B Companies have a unique marketing strategy on WhatsApp?
Since B2B companies directly deal with other companies, they need a unique WhatsApp Business marketing strategy. B2B companies need to go a little deeper in educating their customers about their products. They also need to build a solid profile that instils credibility and trust since other business owners will scrutinize them more than regular customers.
If you are a B2B owner, you know that each lead that you attract is very valuable. If you miss out on a good prospect, that business can be very difficult to get back in touch with. B2B marketing is all about finding the right customers and building solid relationships with them. So, your WhatsApp marketing strategy should be focused not on attracting more customers but gaining more information from customers and retaining their attention with quality content.
How educational companies can nail marketing on WhatsApp
When it comes to educational companies, their marketing strategy needs to be focused on educating their target audience with informative and interactive messages. They also need to make sure that their messages are engaging and interesting so that they have a chance to reach out to more students. By using rich media content like videos, images, texts and other graphics, you can capture the attention of your audience more effectively.
When it comes to students, they are more demanding than other customers. Since they have multiple subjects to learn, they need an educational company that can keep up with their changing schedules. So, an educational company should have a system for real-time management of students that can handle their changing schedules. This system can be used to deliver a customised message based on their preferences.
Furthermore, WhatsApp Business can also help you with admissions and registration. In fact, students are highly influential when it comes to recommending products and services to their friends. So, it is only natural that you reach out to them through a platform that they are highly familiar with.
FAQ: Can you use WhatsApp Business API for marketing?
WhatsApp Business API, which was created for larger companies customised customer relationships and to build a business management platform. Many experts have realized that WhatsApp Business APIs are great for marketing as it helps gather more customer data but also enables you to customise conversations to provide that personal touch.
If you have a business website or social media account, you can integrate it with your WhatsApp Business API account to enhance customer experiences. This will in turn generate more sales, increase customer engagement & increase the visibility of your brand.
Set up a WhatsApp Business marketing channel in minutes with Gallabox
This article showcases how WhatsApp can be used to create an effective marketing strategy for businesses. You might be wondering about how to start marketing your business on WhatsApp? If so, you can reach out to Gallabox, the leading WhatsApp business platform in India. Gallabox will help you take care of the setting up WhatsApp Business, providing you with an API key, and allowing you to integrate your WhatsApp account with your website, social media profiles and existing CRMs.
So, what are you waiting for? Now that you have understood the advantages of a WhatsApp marketing strategy, let’s go ahead & get started! Get started with your 7-day free trial.
Further Reading!
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