With 700 million active monthly users on WhatsApp, it is arguably one of the most popular messaging apps in the world. Many people would be surprised to know that it is also a powerful marketing tool for companies, with their latest app ‘WhatsApp Business’ taking all of the great features of WhatsApp and using them to create a platform which allows businesses to connect with customers.
Unfortunately, if you already have a personal WhatsApp account, you cannot use the same mobile number for WhatsApp business. You can however get around this as WhatsApp business lets you sign up with a landline. Once you sign up and your business is verified, you will receive a blue tick next to your company name on the app. Showing customers that you are trustworthy and credible.
Connect with customers
WhatsApp business features tools which will enable you to connect with you customers. One of these is the “Broadcast” function, which allows you to share a message with everyone on your contact list, this can be useful when you want to share an update or important information quickly. You can also set up automated messages and responses to your customers. For example, an automated “Thank you for your purchase” type of message can be sent automatically to anyone who places an order.
Have your active customers in your contact list
A huge benefit of WhatsApp business is it being completely free, meaning that money can still be invested into other marketing avenues. Colgate ran a competition-based campaign where they asked customers to send them selfies of their smiles to a contact number which was displayed on the packaging of the product, in order to win a makeover by a celebrity brand ambassador. This competition enabled Colgate to build their contact list with loyal customers, creating a direct marketing channel which can be used for future advertising and customer interaction. WhatsApp Business allows users to create group chats with up to 100 participants, Xiaomi (Chinese smartphone manufacturer) uses WhatsApp groups to connect with programmers, developers and app enthusiasts to discuss new product ideas and identify bugs in their software. The ability to send audio, video and image files is also a bonus as it offers you multiple avenues to connect with customers.
The future for Whatsapp Business
With its remarkably large user base, WhatsApp has the potential to be a highly valuable marketing tool for business. This combined with the application being available to download free of charge, makes it difficult see why a business wouldn’t use it to connect with customers. As the app develops, there is no reason why we won’t see WhatsApp Business as the go to platform for customer interaction in the near future.
Want to find out more about how you can use Whatsapp Business to get ahead of your competitors? Contact us here today.
