How to use WhatsApp Business Platform in sales and marketing

It’s estimated that every day, 175 million people contact a business through WhatsApp. If you’re not one of the number of businesses already using WhatsApp to your advantage, you might want to consider finding a seat on this particular bandwagon. 

The beauty of using WhatsApp for sales and marketing is that you’re utilizing a channel of communication that is already globally popular, and – more importantly – highly trusted. Potential customers may happily let email after email slide by unopened, but for many the familiar ping of a WhatsApp message triggers a much more immediate and instinctual response.

This isn’t to say that the ideal WhatsApp marketing strategy is as simple as sending out a barrage of messages and hoping for bites to the bait. On the contrary – there are lots of ways you can get creative with your WhatsApp business marketing, many of which involve elevating the standard for business-customer communication. If you’re just starting out with WhatsApp Business Platform, (previously WhatsApp Business API) a solution aimed at medium to large-size businesses, here are some ways in which you can make the most of it.

By creating a professional business profile, you’re stamping your authority as a trusted name in the game. WhatsApp is known for its secure end-to-end encryption and has become a channel many trust as a way of sharing sensitive information. With a professional business profile, which will need to be authenticated by WhatsApp and given its seal of approval, customers will know they are interacting with a legitimate business.

Ensure that the information in your profile is always accurate and up to date, including your business’ name, logo, contact information and website link.

With WhatsApp Business Platform you have an unlimited ability to broadcast messages. This is particularly useful when sending targeted marketing messages to specific customer segments. Sending out tailored promotions, event information and product launches to the customers who are most likely to be interested in them will increase the likelihood of capturing their attention.

This, coupled with the fact that WhatsApp has no spam folder, and therefore your customers are guaranteed to be notified about and see every message you send, is bound to boost your engagement.

WhatsApp is the most popular messaging application in the world. It’s known for two-way communication, and there’s no reason why this shouldn’t continue in its marketing uses. Many of the most successful and memorable WhatsApp marketing campaigns involve this kind of interactivity, such as Bajaj Auto’s rich, engaging campaigns promoting new products and targeting special customer segments. By sending thousands of WhatsApp messages they’ve doubled their conversions.

Even if it’s in a more straightforward context, actively responding to messages and inquiries in a quick and helpful manner will add a personal touch to your customer service. This in turn will boost overall customer satisfaction and loyalty.

WhatsApp can send images, videos, voice messages and documents, essentially for free. By only sending text, you’re missing out on the chance to entice your audience with visually appealing content. Don’t be afraid to experiment with these capabilities.

Automation is invaluable when it comes to keeping up consistent communication with your audience. With WhatsApp Business Platform you can set up automated messages in response to different triggers – welcome a new contact with a friendly message upon joining, or provide quick FAQ replies for questions that have already been asked and answered.

Because the majority of WhatsApp’s users are familiar with it as a platform for staying in touch with family and friends, it’s easy to make WhatsApp interactions feel a little more personal. A high level of personalization can help to counteract the distance created by virtual transactions, as opposed to in-person encounters.

Addressing customers by name and acknowledging their preferences and purchase history makes them feel seen and valued as individuals, and can greatly improve engagement and conversion rates.

Thanks to its trustworthiness and personability, WhatsApp is a great platform through which to carry out surveys and gather feedback. Whether you’re seeking qualitative or quantitative information, WhatsApp can be the perfect place to identify areas for improvement. You can poll your customers in select groups for specific answers and numerical data, or open up the floor for more in-depth replies and discussions.

Grant selected customers early access to new products and services, and promotional deals. Creating an air of exclusivity among your customers, especially the ones most likely to engage with your business, will encourage them to stay connected and up-to-date with your brand. Giving certain customers early access to new products is also a great way of gathering feedback which can then be used to re-engage them.

More than half of online shoppers read a minimum of four reviews before purchasing a product. If, instead of having to scour the internet for these authenticated customer opinions, they were sent straight to their phone, it could greatly reduce the time spent on decision-making. Don’t be afraid to share the praise you’ve gathered from happy customers with new prospects.

Contests and giveaways are a great way to generate buzz around your brand and increase engagement. People who may not have previously interacted with your business may find themselves drawn in by the promise of a prize, and then compelled to stick around in the hope of future offerings.

It’s easy for customers to participate in creative ways through WhatsApp. Competitions could involve sending pictures, videos, voice notes or emojis to enter – it is likely that these are things the average WhatsApp user does every day, so entering a competition in this way won’t feel like it takes up too much time or effort.

Staying proactive by sending your customers order updates and shipping notifications lets them know that you value their custom, and want their experience with you to be as smooth as possible. As previously mentioned, WhatsApp has no spam folder for these updates to get lost in, so you can trust that your message will reach your customers as intended. This will reduce the strain placed on customer services by order chasing, and keep customers feeling well looked-after.

WhatsApp Business Platform integrates with your existing marketing automation tools, CRMs, and any chatbots you may be using. This makes it easier for you to keep track of all of your data, while using your existing system. As an WhatsApp Business Platform solutions provider, Infobip can help you with total Salesforce WhatsApp integration.

With all of the potential WhatsApp marketing strategies available to try, it’s important to remember that you won’t be able to judge the success of your chosen methods without gathering data. WhatsApp Business Platform provides features for measuring the performance of your efforts, tracking things like delivery rates and response times, and other customer engagement metrics. With this information to hand you’ll be able to see which strategies are making waves and which are dead in the water, and hone your approach accordingly.