Did you know that WhatsApp had over 2 billion monthly active users in 2020? This marketing channel is increasingly essential for companies that want to connect with the masses. Using messaging is a golden opportunity to really improve your strategy. So maybe it’s time to consider integrating WhatsApp into your marketing strategy!
But first, what is WhatsApp?
As marketers, we like to engage in platforms where our customers are active and where we can stand out, such as on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or Pinterest. WhatsApp allows more than 160 characters, which is the normal limit for normal text messages. It also allows users to send other content such as video and voice messages.
according to statistics:
- More than half of WhatsApp users check the app daily;
- Even better, you can be sure that they will receive your offers, as SMS has an open rate of 98%;
- For the target audience, the average age of WhatsApp is 36 years and 71% of users are in the age group of 18-44.
It is clear from these numbers that there is immense marketing potential in WhatsApp. It’s true: WhatsApp isn’t just for texting coworkers or video chatting with family in another city. It can also be used for business as an economical alternative to international calls or texts.
Features to suit different marketing needs
Provides features in line with WhatsApp Various marketing needs to be tapped:
- Call : You can connect with your international customers through voice calls. If you are a B2B company, take advantage of video calls for free demonstrations and direct consultations;
- share relationship : You can share links to your products or services, PDF files or documents in the form of case studies, video product demonstrations, audio files informing customers or processes…. ,
- law can be used in different ways : WhatsApp lets you create short videos for product demos and share customer experiences. You can display images on product information or use your status to delight your customers or share real-time updates;
- Spreading : This feature can send messages to the recipients of your mailing list. This is a great way to spread awareness about your brand and products and share announcements;
- Group : They bring like-minded people together to share ideas and opinions. With a maximum size of 256, you can gather your most important customers to share product previews, early offers, and more.
For example, small businesses can use WhatsApp Messaging to:
- Notify customers about the status of their orders;
- Personalize messages: personalized welcome messages, special offers, happy birthday…;
- inform customers about discounts;
- send reminders to customers about paying bills;
- recommending potential actions such as new products and services to customers;
- Remind customers of abandoned vehicles;
- Etcetera.
Why use WhatsApp in your marketing strategy?
On the side of marketers, there are several advantages of using WhatsApp:
deep relationships with customers
53% of prospects say they will buy a product or service from companies they can reach through chat. Moreover, they feel secure as this application works on end-to-end encryption. This means it is secure even when you message over a public network or free Wi-Fi.
This makes WhatsApp marketing a foolproof strategy for building long, deep relationships with customers. Maintaining such connections helps brands reduce their expenses, as customer retention is 5 to 25 times cheaper than acquisition. Out of the box, WhatsApp offers businesses a strong set of customization opportunities.
better customer engagement
We can’t say it enough: Customer engagement is of the utmost importance to any type of business. WhatsApp provides direct communication between customers and sales representatives through short, but useful messages. By integrating WhatsApp into your marketing strategy, you can quickly answer all the important questions from your loyal customers in no time. As the number of smartphone users increases dramatically, you have the opportunity to partner with and target your customers and generate the best leads for your business. WhatsApp allows you to send interesting images and videos while creating an entire marketing campaign that is just as exciting and engaging.
Better organization of your contacts
You can use the app to organize your contacts using its label system. It is also possible to import all your business contacts to WhatsApp if you use a CRM that integrates seamlessly with the app. When you integrate WhatsApp with CRM, you don’t need to add new customer contacts to the app, as it automates the process.
market research
By communicating personally with your customers through WhatsApp, you give them the opportunity to learn more about the product so that it is suitable for a wide range of users. By acknowledging their feedback and gaining insight into current market trends, clients also help companies understand how other companies in the same industry provide different products and services.
low marketing costs
WhatsApp is still a very affordable marketing channel. All you need to do is install the app and connect to the Internet to get started. Meanwhile, your message has a much higher chance of reaching the customer. On an average, a user interacts on WhatsApp more than 23 times a day. Additionally, WhatsApp Marketing:
- generates more conversions;
- sales improvement;
- allows you to build quality relationships with customers;
- Cost next to nothing in terms of marketing expenses.
If you use WhatsApp for commercial purposes, there is no point in doing so through a personal account. You can lose access to your account and many great features. However, for many businesses, WhatsApp has a simpler solution: WhatsApp Business. It is available on Android and iOS, and can be accessed as an online platform known as WhatsApp Web. Plus, if you already have a business account, you can use it in the browser. WhatsApp Business is primarily designed for small businesses that want to organize their presence on the app. It’s free, but a bit limited in its capabilities compared to the WhatsApp Business API.
Ready to use WhatsApp?
Marketing on WhatsApp is all about maintaining customer relationships and creating value. So to get started, you first need to think about how you and your business can fit into the conversation with your audience. Then you need to create an attractive brand identity that they can associate with. WhatsApp is a powerful tool, and it has become popular because of its simplicity.
Ultimately, the WhatsApp marketing strategy should be a vital part of your marketing arsenal, helping to earn your quality CX goals and add value at critical moments in the customer journey.