WhatsApp Marketing in 2024: Guide for Business

Dive into the art of marketing through the most popular messenger.

It is no surprise that recently, brands, from local grocery stores to international fashion retailers, have been considering WhatsApp as one of the key marketing channels. The messaging app with the largest active user base globally offers plenty of tools for effective lead generation and customer communication. Take, for example, WhatsApp Channels — a recently introduced feature that allows a brand to broadcast messages without compromising their privacy.

In the article, we are going to explore the concept behind WhatsApp marketing, its benefits, key use cases with real-life examples, and things to consider to make the most out of these activities for your brand.

Table of content

What is WhatsApp Marketing

WhatsApp marketing is a form of digital marketing that uses the popular messaging app to connect with customers, promote products or services, and build brand awareness.

WhatsApp marketing activities include sending targeted messages, personalized offers, product updates, and other relevant content to both existing and potential customers through WhatsApp. This form of marketing can be particularly effective for businesses that operate in the B2C space, such as e-commerce companies, fashion, restaurants, and retailers.

Benefits of WhatsApp marketing

WhatsApp offers a truly unique opportunity for brands to connect with their audience in a personal way via the messaging app most of them use daily for communicating with friends, family, and colleagues. All of this makes WhatsApp marketing translate into a whole set of benefits for a brand.

• Enhanced and faster engagement. WhatsApp's chat-like interface encourages two-way communication, fostering a sense of dialogue and interaction. Such immediacy and informality lead to higher engagement and response rates compared to traditional marketing channels.
• Cost-effective & scalable. Compared to traditional advertising and SMS campaigns, WhatsApp marketing is notably cost-effective. Reaching your target audience directly through their mobile device eliminates the need for buying ads or paying high fees for sending SMS internationally. Moreover, WhatsApp's broadcast lists allow a company to scale its messaging to a large audience effortlessly.
• Improved customer service. WhatsApp's instant messaging capabilities provide a seamless channel for customer support and service. Addressing inquiries and resolving issues promptly fosters customer loyalty and builds trust in your brand.



• Real-time updates and interactions. Whether it's announcing new products, sharing exclusive discounts, or providing event updates, WhatsApp offers a direct and efficient way to reach your customers in real time. This allows a company to keep its audience updated with timely information and promotions through WhatsApp.
• Insightful analytics. WhatsApp Business provides data that empowers you to track the effectiveness of campaigns and optimize marketing strategy for maximum impact. Among the available metrics are the number of messages delivered and read; response rate (shows the percentage of people who respond to sent messages); catalog views (if WhatsApp shopping catalog is set, a company tracks how many people view its products); clicks on links and buttons embedded in messages; how many people have a company's number added to their contacts, and so on.
• Elaborate business features. In the fall of 2023, WhatsApp released a suite of new features aimed at enhancing user experiences and expanding business capabilities on its platform. One of the key features is "Flows," which allows businesses to offer a range of services directly within a WhatsApp chat, such as selecting train seats, ordering food, and booking appointments, all without users having to navigate away from the chat.

Another update is the introduction of simplified payments directly within the chat. Users in India can now add items to their cart and make payments using their preferred method, including UPI apps, debit, and credit cards. This is facilitated through partnerships with payment service providers, making the payment process as seamless as sending a message.

How can WhatsApp be used for marketing?

As part of a marketing strategy, WhatsApp can be used for a variety of purposes, including the following.

Lead generation

By making it easy for potential customers to express interest and share their contact details via a popular messaging app, businesses can extend their reach and nurture leads. Also, WhatsApp's high open rates (2.5X higher message open rates compared to email) and response rates (up to 45%) ensure that messages are seen and acted upon, making it an attractive channel for lead generation. Moreover, the app promotes personalized, one-on-one interactions with potential customers, building trust and fostering meaningful relationships.

For example, SNOCKS, a German retailer specializing in socks, underwear, and casual clothing found that WhatsApp, integrated with their e-commerce platform, significantly improved their marketing and customer support. SNOCKS achieved higher message open rates and better customer engagement, leading to a substantial return on campaign spend. Within a year, they attained a 5% share of online store revenue and a 10% increase in customer lifetime value among WhatsApp opt-ins.

News and promotions

Keeping customers informed about company news, product launches, and industry insights is another valuable aspect of WhatsApp marketing. Sharing content with customers via messengers is beneficial for businesses because it offers direct, personal communication in a familiar environment, leading to high open rates. A survey by Salesforce found that 49% of consumers would like to receive promotional messages from companies via messaging apps. This way, businesses can drive sales and create a sense of exclusivity among customers.

Customer service

Another key benefit of WhatsApp marketing is the ability to provide personalized customer service. According to a study by Forrester, 53% of customers are more likely to buy from a company they can message directly.

OLB Impresiones, a printing company based in Mexico, has significantly improved its customer engagement and internal efficiency by integrating WhatsApp into the Meta Business Suite Inbox. By consolidating messages from WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram into a single dashboard, the company has achieved a 15% improvement in response times , leading to a 10% increase in sales. The optimized workflow has also resulted in a 33% boost in productivity, allowing team members to focus on complex tasks while providing consistent and personalized responses to frequently asked questions, setting OLB Impresiones apart from its competitors.

Retargeting

Retargeting on WhatsApp is an effective strategy to boost conversions. Retargeting on the messaging app is effective because it combines the power of a personal touch with a platform people use and trust every day. The messages feel like recommendations, not intrusive ads, and recipients always can seamlessly text back and ask questions.

Surveys and feedback

WhatsApp is an excellent platform for conducting surveys and collecting feedback. According to a study by SurveyMonkey, surveys conducted through messaging apps have a 45% higher completion rate than email surveys. By making it convenient for customers to share their thoughts and opinions, businesses can gain a deeper understanding of their needs and preferences.

Is WhatsApp marketing legal?

WhatsApp marketing can be perfectly legal if done in compliance with WhatsApp's Terms of Service and regulations. However, businesses must ensure they obtain explicit consent from users before sending them any messages, including promotional content. WhatsApp defines spamming as sending unsolicited messages, including those that are commercial in nature, to users who have not given their consent. Doing so without explicit user consent is considered illegal and can result in account suspension or termination.

To mitigate legal risks, businesses should adhere to best practices when leveraging WhatsApp for marketing purposes. This entails obtaining explicit consent from users, respecting their preferences to opt out of messages, complying with data protection regulations, utilizing authorized APIs, and monitoring and reporting spam. Moreover, using third-party tools that provide official WhatsApp integration, such as Umnico, businesses can effectively utilize WhatsApp for marketing while minimizing the risk of account suspension.

How does one send marketing on WhatsApp?

To effectively utilize WhatsApp for marketing, begin by creating a WhatsApp Business account. Download the app, provide a valid phone number, and take advantage of the platform's features to reach your target audience directly.

Next, obtain the consent of your contacts before sending any marketing messages. You can do this by sending a broadcast message or using WhatsApp's Contact Request feature. This ensures you have the recipient's permission and builds trust.

To streamline and enhance your marketing efforts, consider leveraging the WhatsApp Business API or third-party tools such as Umnico. These advanced solutions offer features such as automation, conversation management, and analytics, allowing you to optimize your campaigns.

Best WhatsApp Marketing Practices

Let’s take a look at some of the essential tactics that allow for the best possible WhatsApp Marketing results.

• Create a strong business profile. For a company, a detailed WhatsApp Business profile acts as its digital card that allows potential customers to learn about a business at a glance. Including essential information such as a company's description, website, and contact details can significantly enhance credibility and make it easier for customers to trust and reach out.
• Employ broadcasts. Broadcast lists are a clever tool for sending messages to multiple contacts simultaneously while keeping each conversation private. This feature is particularly useful for sharing personalized promotion campaigns or updates without starting a group chat, this way maintaining the privacy of your contacts and ensuring that each offer is personalized.
• Set up a current WhatsApp status. Think of a WhatsApp profile’s status as a temporary billboard where you can creatively showcase your business offerings. By posting engaging content such as special offers, behind-the-scenes videos, or new product arrivals, you can capture the attention of your audience and keep the brand top-of-mind in a space where they're already spending time.
• Always be there for prompt support. It is only logical for customers that contact a company via an instant messenger to receive replies in the same manner — almost instantly. Providing swift and personalized responses to customer inquiries can significantly enhance customer satisfaction and loyalty.
• Implement chatbots. AI-powered solutions can greatly enhance customer service efficiency by handling routine inquiries automatically, 24/7. This not only improves response times but also allows human agents to focus on more complex queries, ensuring that customer service resources are well-distributed and optimized.
• Measure and analyze performance. Regularly tracking metrics available on WhatsApp Business and third-party tools such as message open rates, reply rates, and customer feedback can provide invaluable insights into what strategies are working and what needs improvement. This data-driven approach allows for continuous refinement of WhatsApp marketing efforts, ensuring better outcomes over time.

Summing things up

Brands have an exceptional opportunity to engage and personally connect with their customers using WhatsApp marketing. You can utilize WhatsApp to propel significant growth and success for your brand by utilizing its advantages, putting best practices into practice, and putting successful use cases into place.

Umnico's WhatsApp integration includes all of the functionality you need to seamlessly integrate customer communication on WhatsApp into the brand's marketing strategy. Umnico allows users to manage incoming WhatsApp inquiries across multiple accounts as well as messages from other social media and messengers in a single interface. Additionally, an intuitive chatbot constructor makes it easy for anyone to build powerful bots based on GPT-4 for answering frequently asked questions and distributing inquiries among employees. During the trial period provided time given to new users, all Umnico features can be tested for free.

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