15 Benefits of Using WhatsApp for business
Integrating WhatsApp for business campaigns with your existing marketing and customer support tools is a big step forward. So it’s normal to want to know what you’re getting out of it before jumping in.
Already the most popular messaging app
More than two billion people already use WhatsApp, making it the market leader in instant messaging apps.
Available in most countries (180), almost everyone in India, Brazil, Argentina, South Africa, Malaysia, Colombia, Turkey, Spain, Indonesia, Nigeria, and Kenya is a WhatsApp user. It’s also gaining traction in France, Germany, the United States, and Italy.
Reach people anytime, anywhere
WhatsApp for business is a real-time communication channel. While people often put off reading emails, they check incoming messages immediately, even on the go. 80% of WhatsApp messages are read within the first five minutes. This gives you a much larger window of time to send marketing messages. WhatsApp messages get an unbeatable 98% open rate and 45-60% click rate.
Private and personalized
Direct messaging is excellent for unique offers and personalized customer service. You can send personal account credentials, order updates, and offer secure, one-on-one chat assistance.
Unlike on-site upsell widgets, you can ask questions to make precise product recommendations. The WhatsApp Business API connects to your CRM, enabling you to use customer insights to personalize your communications.
Secure and trustworthy
Users enjoy the fact that all WhatsApp chats are encrypted. From a business perspective, it is secure enough to exchange sensitive information such as password resets.
Also, all WhatsApp business accounts go through mandatory authentication to give customers peace of mind. This applies to both companies using the WhatsApp Business App and API.
GRPR-compliant
WhatsApp is confident that only opt-in contacts will be able to message through the API, making it fully GDPR-compliant. The same list applies to creating best practices for email marketing.
Customers also have the power to directly affect your quality score by blocking or reporting you and sending you quotas. While this may sound harsh, it ensures that the site is free of spammers and that end-users continue to enjoy the experience. If you send legitimate, relevant campaigns, it’s a win-win for both parties.
Diverse and interactive content formats
One of the biggest advantages of the WhatsApp Business app is that it offers a wide range of formats and interactive content options for business messaging. Lists, CTAs, links, images, videos, links, and products are available so recipients can interact with the campaign, not just read it.
Additionally, messages are longer than SMS (1,000 characters). All this makes WhatsApp for Business the equivalent of traditional email marketing, where you can show and tell as much as you want.
Supports two-way communication
Another advantage of WhatsApp for business, is the ability to receive incoming messages from customers. If they need customer service they can access it in advance without visiting your website. This accessibility boosts your chances of getting and keeping their business. A study found that 53% of consumers prefer to purchase if they message a company directly.
A way to scale your multichannel strategy
WhatsApp provides a practical and easy way to expand your multichannel strategy and increase customer engagement in new markets.
WhatsApp doubles as both a support channel and marketing. You can answer inquiries, take orders, resolve issues, and send updates while running marketing campaigns through direct messages.
Automate responses to customer queries
WhatsApp offers automation and recorded responses to speed up your customer support process and reduce your workload. You can set up messages or quick answers to frequently asked questions.
Going further, you can automate an onboarding sequence to introduce your service to new customers or collect feedback.
Reach an international audience
Any app that relies on phone numbers can be tricky, but WhatsApp makes it easy to reach people regardless of their country code. Actual prices vary depending on the recipient’s country, but otherwise, you can send messages to people around the world from a single account.
Send more relevant marketing messages
WhatsApp for Business offers unlimited possibilities for engagement. Outbound notifications (notifications), two-step authentication, reminders, and status updates are some of the messages you can send. Instead of sending more emails, you can add WhatsApp to your mix so that you don’t get flooded with customers. Sometimes an instant news update is more timely and convenient.
Another opportunity to showcase your brand
One of the main benefits of a business account on WhatsApp is additional brand exposure.
Every WhatsApp business account has a fully branded business profile such as a logo or image, website URL, and address. You can list some or all of your products to give people an overview of what you have to offer in the app. This adds legitimacy to the communication and enhances your brand image.
Collect subscribers using QR codes
QR codes became popular during the pandemic and now many people know how to use them. It’s an easy way to drive potential customers from offline to your digital assets.
For example, at a trade show, you can print a QR code on a poster and encourage them to scan it and sign up for your WhatsApp messages to stay in touch. That’s a GDPR-proof list-building strategy. Or you can put a QR code on shipping boxes so customers can start a live chat with you if they need help after receiving their order.
Improve your marketing campaigns
WhatsApp for Business doesn’t just give you another medium, but also adds value to your marketing campaigns.
- Easy to use labels to manage your interactions in groups like loyal customers, WhatsApp newsletter subscribers, and leads from trade shows.
- Engagement metrics show whether your messages were read, clicked, or reported.
- WhatsApp for Business API can be connected to a CRM and customer data from it can be used for even more targeted campaigns.
Fair pricing
Even small and local businesses will find value in the WhatsApp for Business API because you’ll only be charged for the messages you send or receive, nothing else. The best part is that all business features can be accessed in any sending module.
Moreover, if you send quality content and get good engagement, the sending quota will automatically increase. So you get more opportunities for your marketing efforts.
