As we approach 2020, our daily lives are being inundated with digital apps from various industries such as telecommunications, food and beverage, automotive, and so on. The most dominant trio must be Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram when it comes to communication fields.
According to Facebook’s 2019 second-quarter report, more than 2.1 billion people use their family of services, including WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger, daily. WhatsApp is a significant contributor. Facebook purchased this 5-year-old app in 2014, and it has grown rapidly like a rocket around the world in the last five years.
According to a post on the WhatsApp blog in February 2020, more than 2 billion people use WhatsApp for personal or commercial purposes. The list above shows the most popular messaging apps worldwide, with WhatsApp topping the list in 138 countries.
How to Use WhatsApp to Grow Your Business Effectively
Furthermore, during the 2020 Covid-19 outbreak period, WhatsApp demonstrated its significant position and potential. Most retailers and organizations chose WhatsApp as their preferred channel for sharing critical information or surviving the economic crisis season.
How can WhatsApp help businesses generate sales and revenue with such a large user base?
Let’s keep going.
WhatsApp Connect
– Connect with customers, coworkers, and suppliers.
If you call them directly, some people may find it intrusive. Everything is possible with this instant messaging platform, WhatsApp, as long as you have a stable internet connection. It gives you several options for delivering rich media messages, such as images, video, GIFs, and so on.
Via message (one to one)
One of WhatsApp’s most important features is the ability to chat with anyone via text, audio, or video with a single click.
By categories (many to many)
WhatsApp allows you to create groups with up to 256 participants and customize group privacy and details. As a result, even if the user is not sitting in front of the office desk, they can share documents or follow up.
Utilizing whitehat broadcast (one to many)
Broadcast is a private message delivery method that allows you to send messages to a maximum of 256 contacts per blast. As a business owner, spend time gathering and categorizing customer leads based on preferences. Later on, begin blasting your marketing messages regularly. This is also applicable in personal and professional settings. We can send messages to our friends, relatives, or coworkers, such as a reminder about an upcoming event or a new policy. However, this type of broadcast only works if your recipients save your phone number in their phone book. Or else, they won’t be able to receive your message at all. If you choose to forward 1 message to 1 recipient at a time, you will be exposed to the risk of having been banned by WhatsApp due to spamming.
Utilizing blackhat broadcast (one to many)
Blackhat broadcast (also known as WhatsApp Blasting) is one of the ways you can send out a large quantity of WhatsApp messages without having to worry about getting banned by WhatsApp. This type of broadcast usually uses thousands of SIM cards (which is not your own number) to send out your messages in a large quantity within 24 hours. However, due to the advanced artificial intelligence developed by WhatsApp, some of your messages might not receive by your recipients. On top of that, your result of who actually receives and/or reads your message is not visible to you as WhatsApp does not encourage spamming action within its platform. Hence, WhatsApp will not be distributing its official WhatsApp Business API for this purpose.
WhatsApp Business
– Improve customer relationships (CRM)
We must be aware that there is a dramatic shift in communication preferences, and consumers expect greater convenience without spending a lot of time.
According to E-Consultancy, a well-known digital community for marketers, up to 79 percent of consumers prefer online chat to respond in real-time and multitask.
WhatsApp Business was launched in 2018 to help medium and large enterprises or business owners manage their client relationships more effectively.
Many companies, including Booking.com, OYO, UBER, and others, have joined as business accounts.
By registering, users can set up automatic reply messages similar to the ChatBot function, customer labels, shop details, and collect leads for remarketing purposes.
Messaging statistics will also be available for review by users. Building and improving real-time customer service will undoubtedly take time and effort, but you reap what you sow and will surely reap the ripe fruits someday.
For example, OYO, a well-known low-cost hotel chain, has taken the lead in engaging WhatsApp Business accounts with a blue tick.
Customers can book an OYO room via WhatsApp and confirm or cancel their booking. Details shared in WhatsApp are private and encrypted, just like in standard WhatsApp.
WhatsApp Stories
– Engage with the customer
Inspired by Snapchat’s popular feature, Facebook gradually introduced its own stories features. There is a 24-hour window in which stories are viewable.
According to TechCrunch, a well-known American online publisher specializing in the tech industry, Facebook-owned apps’ stories users have surpassed 500 million compared to Snapchat (190 million).
At the annual Facebook Marketing Summit 2019, Facebook announced that ads on WhatsApp would be available in early 2020.
Not only is it time to focus on Facebook and Instagram stories, but it is also time to pay attention to WhatsApp stories, as this platform is new and underutilized. Take note of the quality. Interaction with followers is a defining characteristic of a successful business.
WhatsApp Competition
– Increase sales and customer leads
The trend of starting a WhatsApp contest began to spread globally in 2017. When a new product is launched, an event is held, or sales are conducted, most businesses do this.
The plan is to buy -> WhatsApp -> Win. Prizes such as a car, a mobile phone, and other electronic appliances are available. The organizer will then notify the chosen winners.
It increases your sales and website traffic because people will scroll directly to your official website for more information.
To proceed, create a WhatsApp business account, as blue tick accounts are more credible. After the contest, you can collect the leads and send out marketing messages. So it’s a case of “one stone, two birds.”
Successful contests include Giant, Nestle, The Store, Durex, and others. Begin planning one contest right away; it’s better late than never.
WhatsApp Chatbot
– Use automation to boost business efficiency.
Automating tasks is an important aspect of digital transformation in the post-covid-19 era.
All functions must operate efficiently to ensure maximum output, with the primary goal of increasing productivity and reducing time spent on repetitive administrative tasks.
By incorporating a WhatsApp Chatbot into your business process, you can automate customer service and optimize your sales process, thereby increasing your company’s efficiency.
Whether you believe it or not, Facebook-owned platforms, particularly WhatsApp, are leading the world. We need to adapt to the trend and learn to use apps wisely.
Contact us today to learn more about WhatsApp Business Solution and how we can assist you in running a successful WhatsApp marketing campaign.
In Summary
There are so many creative ways of using WhatsApp to increase your revenue and build brand loyalty. None of the methods mentioned above can escape from putting effort to build something meaningful for yourself. Hope you enjoy this short read of the current trend on WhatsApp Marketing Malaysia.