13/05/2022
Tips for Marketing on WhatsApp
WhatsApp neither sells ad space nor do they offer suggested content to their users. How then can you go about promoting your business to prospects?
1 Customer Support
I have raised many tickets and called customer support helplines so many times. Given the option to chat with them, I will gladly jump at it. The thing is, I am not alone with this kind of thought.
Part of the ways by which you can use WhatsApp for marketing is by giving your customers access to get in touch with you. On the active side, you are building a solid customer satisfaction portfolio.
On the passive hand, you are gaining customer contact info that you can easily share updates with in the future.
2 Be Phone-Friendly
Even though WhatsApp has now been made accessible on desktop devices, the lion share of the user community goes to those who operate the app on their mobile phones.
That is why it is advised that you condition any campaign you’ll launch/ strategy you’ll create to fit mobile phones.
Company banners should be optimised for mobile, messages should be kept brief and sweet, alerts/ updates should be spiced up with relevant emojis… the whole nine yards
3 Keep to the Known
How many times have you angrily deleted a mail you got from someone/ a business whose program you never came across before, let alone sign up for? The irritation people get when a strange number sends them a message (especially a business call like yours) is higher.
You should understand that phone numbers are more personal than email addresses and you sending such (spammy) messages is seen as an invasion of privacy.
What I will advise you do is keep to your current contact list. To expand, ask people to share your updates or put your promotions on their status too. Done well, that is just affiliate marketing in disguise – only that you are not under compulsion to pay your affiliates this time
4 Integration
Another way to promote the use of WhatsApp for your business is by integrating one of the services you offer into the app. In fact, you could integrate all of it.
For example, if you were a travel agency, you could have a WhatsApp account dedicated to booking flights for people. Whenever someone wanted to get somewhere, they will find it much easier to come online and talk to you on WhatsApp than face some polished lines of frontend code on your website.
If you are willing, you could dedicate different WhatsApp numbers/ accounts to different services or lump multiple services up under the same number.
5 Leverage WhatsApp Status
I won’t appreciate you sending me unsolicited images of your product every time, but I won’t mind seeing them while browsing my contacts’ status updates. With over 450 million active daily users, and a counter to let you know how many people are interacting with each status you put up, that is a huge bargain – for free.
It is advisable that you get a good graphics person/ use some nice tools to make your products look more appealing. That is not a call to mislead the audience though. Just one to help you appeal to their visual senses even more.
Wrap Up
If you have never thought using WhatsApp for marketing is possible, I bet you must have changed your mind right now. With no capital requirements (unless you were to get a new SIM and phone), you can start enjoying the benefits of business marketing via WhatsApp in no time too.
Note: For small businesses who might find it challenging to invest a new device for a brand WhatsApp account, you can take advantage of apps such as MultiAccount and Parallel Space.
