WhatsApp marketing strategy this year: your 6-step playbook

Take a look around. You'll probably see many of the people around you looking down at their mobile phone. What are the chances they're using WhatsApp? The likelihood is very high, actually ?

As of January 2022, WhatsApp recorded more than 2 billion monthly users worldwide (more than LinkedIn and Instagram combined) and, no surprise here, it's ranked as the most widely used messaging app in the world.

With 100 billion messages sent each day, WhatsApp is revolutionizing the marketing industry.

Just this year, WhatsApp allowed businesses to send marketing messages on its app. These messages include discounts, competitions, product launches, surveys, etc.

WhatsApp marketing refers to sales or promotional activities that take place on WhatsApp using WhatsApp Business or the WhatsApp Business API, which are separate from WhatsApp chat. These platforms allow you to manage conversations with your audience and avoid issues when trying to send messages to large numbers of people. ?‍?❌?‍♀️

WhatsApp marketing is made for brands looking to connect with their audience in a personal rather than salesy way.

Email campaigns often come across as generic, have low open rates, and only encourage one-way communication. Social media makes it difficult for brands to stand out.

But with WhatsApp Marketing, you can deliver messages directly to the customers, meaning they can reply if they're interested, leading to a better chance of establishing brand loyalty and increased sales.

But before we get ahead of ourselves, how does WhatsApp marketing work?

How to reach people with WhatsApp ?

With WhatsApp marketing there are 3 main ways to reach your customers. Let's take a quick look at each one so you'll know how to best fulfill the needs of your business, your audience, and how to approach your WhatsApp marketing campaign.

 WhatsApp integration with website: Rather than restricting customer chats to your website, integrate WhatsApp Business with your website and offer more communication options – like mobile devices and personal computers. This way you reach customers where they are, instead of waiting for them to come to you.

 WhatsApp broadcast: A broadcast list is a group of WhatsApp recipients. The group is not visible to itself (aka contact info) and they receive messages and marketing content individually. These details make broadcast lists perfect for WhatsApp marketing campaigns. For example, group your VIP customers together and send exclusive offers, or ask specific groups for referrals.

 WhatsApp groups: Groups are like WhatsApp broadcast lists with the one key difference: WhatsApp Group members can ‘see’ and interact with each other. WhatsApp groups are to encourage discussion, for instance if you're planning an offline event or webinar.

Businesses using the above features have already achieved impressive results: WhatsApp messages have a 90% open rate and 53% of people say they would buy from brands they can reach via chat.

Now's the time to start creating a solid WhatsApp marketing strategy for your business. Here are 6 steps to set yourself up for success:

1. Create a compelling profile

Setting up your WhatsApp Business account is like creating a profile on other social media sites. You need a name, a profile picture, and a phone number. Make sure the photo you upload represents how you want your business to be perceived – this is your first impression.

Then add a brand description that's concise but still celebrates your brand's personality, i.e., if you're selling socks, it's probably okay to use a bit of humor ?, if you're selling medical equipment, play it straight.

Don't forget to set your location, business hours, and business category to help you stand out in Google searches.

2. Update your WhatsApp status

Make it a habit to update your WhatsApp status regularly, it shows your customers that you're present and active, and that you haven't forgotten about them. Also, your brand's WhatsApp status is a space where you can post other interesting information like brand-related quotes, publicize events, create promos, and share links to videos or other social media sites.

3. Use quick reply messages

WhatsApp Business API has a “quick reply” function that allows you to save your most frequently sent customer inquiries and messages.

You know the ones, “Can I return it if it doesn't fit?” “Do you offer refunds?” “What colors does it come in?” Using quick replies, you can answer your most asked questions in record time leaving your customers feeling noticed and satisfied    

Follow these steps:

Tap “More options,” then “business tools,” then “quick replies”

Set a text message or a media file as a quick reply

Choose a shortcut for a quick reply

Create a keyword to find it quickly

4. Organize and track your chats

Using different colors, label your contacts, chats, and messages based on your business goals. For instance, differentiate between new customers, those with pending payments, new orders, and delivered goods.

Once you've set your categories, you can program different quick replies to communicate more efficiently with people at various stages of the buying journey. You can create up to 20 labels. It's easy to set up:

 tap and hold a message or a chat

 tap on the label symbol

 choose one of the pre-designed labels or create a new one

5. Embrace the power of storytelling ?

Like other “story” features on social media apps, WhatsApp Story is only live for 24hours, perfect for creating a sense of urgency around special offers (FOMO!). You can even link a coupon to your story and direct customers to your chat or mobile-friendly landing page to tell them how to redeem the offer.

Alternatively, offer your customers a glimpse of what's happening behind-the-scenes: show people an unannounced product, new location, or a factory tour. Stories help build trust and engagement – ​​have fun with it!

6. Show them your goods

With a WhatsApp Business account you can promote your goods using a product catalogue. This feature enables you to set your price, a product description, and item number for up to 500 products.

The WhatsApp product catalog prevents your customers from being redirected to a website (and away from your amazing WhatsApp Marketing Strategy).

It also means you won't have to repeatedly send product information/photos. And, you can share your product catalog across social networks.

Why you can't do without WhatsApp marketing

While email and social media platforms (like Facebook and Twitter) can boost a business' public profile, WhatsApp advertising focuses on individual connections.

WhatsApp Business makes the customer experience feel like talking with a friend.

This immediately strengthens the relationship between you and your customers. But the familiarity and convenience of conversational marketing creates more than just fuzzy feelings, it also translates into hard numbers: 97% of WhatsApp marketing messages are opened, and WhatsApp campaigns have a 60% click through rate.

Because you're able to send notifications about new products or even introduce team members, you can showcase the unique traits of your brand to a diverse customer base, on a platform they already enjoy.

Can't wait to see how WhatsApp marketing will change your business? 

Book your demo! ?