With over 2 million active users, WhatsApp has become one of the fastest-growing communications platforms in the current era. The business version of the app, known as WhatsApp Business, was created with the goal of helping businesses- both small and large, connect with their target audience with a strong suite of tools. WhatsApp Business offers a host of features that can be leveraged to increase a business' revenue. However, it is critical for businesses to understand the best practices required to make the most out of this communication platform.
Using WhatsApp Business for marketing
While WhatsApp has been growing steadily for the past decade, its growth has nearly doubled during the last two to three years. This can be partially attributed to the pandemic, which has pushed both consumers and businesses towards digital interactions. WhatsApp is now a growth channel, especially in 2022, where a large part of the world's population will be connected to the internet and, all services can be accessed via mobile devices. Moreover, the benefits of using a WhatsApp Business account makes it a no-brainer for businesses to drive more growth.
WhatsApp Business is also favoured by business owners because they find it easier to not only use the platform but also open a WhatsApp Business account. If you’re looking for more details on how to open a WhatsApp Business account, you can check out our article on how to open a WhatsApp Business account , which outlines the entire process and also provides insights on how you can best leverage WhatsApp to grow your business.
As a business owner, you might also be looking to create a superior marketing strategy for your products and services. WhatsApp Business APIs also offers marketing and automation tools that are aimed at driving more conversions. We’ve highlighted some of them in our WhatsApp Business for Marketing article which will surely help you understand how to leverage the platform to drive more customer engagement and revenues.
Further Reading: Benefits of WhatsApp Business: A deep dive
8 WhatsApp Business Best Practices you can use in 2023
Business owners need to identify the best practices to reap the maximum benefits from WhatsApp Business. The following 8 points are some of the most critical ones that you need to implement to make the most out of this communication channel.
1. Ensure your profile is relevant to your business
This is a critical step that some business owners fail to consider while opening a WhatsApp Business account. You need to have a profile that is relevant to your business. The profile is your store-front on WhatsApp and needs to be strong in terms of brand image to attract more customers and drive more sales. In the current business scenario, there are two types of companies: those that focus on customer service, and those that drive sales. While the former category aims to create a strong emotional bond between customers and their brand, the latter would be looking to drive as many direct conversions as possible. Your business needs to identify a strategy to leverage WhatsApp Business based on the type of service it provides. It should also make sure that its profile is simple, attractive and compelling.
2. Do not spam your customers
When businesses start using WhatsApp, they would overexploit it and try to send messages to every single customer. This approach would only create noise and make it very difficult for people to see your message and reply. A strong strategy would be to send messages to relevant contacts to ensure that they receive your message and respond. This is especially true in the case of sending out broadcast messages to trigger a conversation, and if the recipient is a prospect, they would be more inclined to respond. Similarly, if you know that a customer has not replied to your message in a week, you could send a follow-up message to them. Remember to not spam or bombard your customers as this may affect your accounts quality rating.
3. Ensure you engage with customers and stay active on the platform
Much like any other channel, a business owner has to stay active on WhatsApp Business to reap the benefits from the platform. If a business owner or the team is not active, it would be difficult for them to keep their customers engaged and generate any revenues. Hence, it is important to ensure that team members are online or active to respond to messages swiftly. This will help you stay relevant and connect with customers faster. You could also use the platform to post announcements, send promotional codes, run contests and giveaways.
Suggested Read: WhatsApp For Customer Service: How You Can Use WhatsApp for Effective Customer Support
4. Send personalized messages to customers
It is important to note that WhatsApp offers business owners the ability to personally connect with customers and prospects on the platform. The best part is that businesses can use this tool to build lasting relationships with their customers to drive engagement and sales. When you can communicate with customers on a personal level, they are likely to provide valuable feedback on the services you offer. Therefore, if a customer is greeted with a personalized message from a business, they are more likely to stay loyal and become your brand advocates.
5. Make sure your messages are not out of context
WhatsApp is one of the communications platforms that has the highest open rate. This encourages customers to constantly send messages to their customers. However, some owners fail to notice that context in your messages is highly important on this platform. Business owners need to make sure that they are sending out well thought out and to the point messages that are relevant to their business and target audience. If not for this, they will risk losing customers, who would unsubscribe and move to another business.
6. Include photos, videos in your texts
In today’s competitive world, it is important to be creative while capturing the attention of your customers. Therefore, it’s important to send messages that are capable of piquing their interest, while also being relevant and unique. With creative campaigns to up-sell or cross-sell products and services, you will be able to grow your direct orders via WhatsApp. It is also important to include more than just the standard text in your messages. Use infographics, photos, videos and other media formats or even interactive buttons and catalogue lists to engage your audience.
7. Respond to customer queries as fast as you can
This is the most critical aspect of having a successful business and a flourishing customer base. The best strategy is to listen to customer feedback and respond to them quickly so that they feel valued by your business. With a wide user base, WhatsApp is one of the best platforms to actively listen to your customers’ feedback. Use the information you get from these customers to improve your support services thereby ensuring returning customers.
8. Understand your customers better with the data that WhatsApp Business provides
Not many business owners who use WhatsApp Business understand the treasure trove of insightful data that it provides. WhatsApp can help businesses leverage data that they collect from their customers and prospects to gain a deep understanding of their target audience and market. This data can also be stored and used by the business's CRM databases. Through this data collection method businesses can gain valuable insights to improve their overall business workflows.
Implement these best practices with ease using Gallabox’s WhatsApp Business Solution
Gallabox is a leading WhatsApp business service provider that has experience in offering personalised WhatsApp business solutions to businesses across various industry segments. If you are a business owner that is looking to take your business to the next level by using WhatsApp Business, then Gallabox can help you implement these best practices with ease.
Not just that, Gallabox can also help you seamlessly integrate WhatsApp with your existing CRMs like ZOHO, WooCommerce & Shopify. Alternatively you can also access our 7-day free trial to take a look at all our feature offerings. Grow your business with Gallabox today!
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