The SMS-based platform WhatsApp has more users than Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Pinterest combined. This year, they passed the one billion user mark, reaching every corner of the globe.
We’re talking about a platform that is literally sweeping the globe. A high-reach, high-engagement platform that surpassed 450 million monthly active users faster than any other company.
WhatsApp is an app that eliminates the need for expensive SMS texting fees. Instead of paying exorbitant data fees, you can use WhatsApp to send free messages to anyone in the world. WhatsApp was founded in 2009 by two ex-Yahoo employees who wanted to make free communication available to everyone. They were the first to reach 450 million active monthly users, and Facebook paid $16 billion to acquire them in 2014.It was the most expensive acquisition in Silicon Valley history. It was 20 times larger than the Instagram acquisition, and Facebook reportedly doubled Google’s bid to ensure they got WhatsApp.
The best part is that you are not limited to text-based messages. Consider WhatsApp marketing, a type of instant messenger marketing that allows businesses to reach a larger audience, connect with customers on a more personal level, and ultimately increase sales. We’ll show you how to use WhatsApp marketing and provide some examples of successful campaigns.
Advantages of Using WhatsApp Marketing over WhatsApp has numerous advantages for businesses of all sizes. If your customers use WhatsApp, you should contact them there. Here are a few examples:
First, WhatsApp marketing proactively reaches out to prospects where they spend the majority of their time. Unlike most messaging apps, WhatsApp allows you to initiate conversations with contacts who have agreed to hear from you.
It is also inexpensive. WhatsApp Business App is free, making it ideal for small businesses on a tight budget. Larger businesses will need to use WhatsApp Business API, which is more expensive but has higher returns. We’ll go over these options further later.
Simple Steps to Implementing Your WhatsApp Marketing Strategy
A funnel best represents the marketing process. In the same way, your WhatsApp marketing strategy can be viewed. We’ll show you how to use WhatsApp to guide prospects down the funnel step by step.
A marketing funnel with the stages of awareness, consideration, decision, and retention depicted. You can use WhatsApp outreach and promotions to move prospects through the funnel at each stage.
A WhatsApp campaign can take prospects all the way through the marketing funnel.
1. Use a WhatsApp link or QR code to generate leads.
Find innovative ways to get prospects to message you before sending out promotional materials. We’ll go over a few examples later. Consider what appeals to you.To create ads or social media promotions, use respond.io to generate a WhatsApp link or QR code. Prospects can easily respond to click-to-chat ads. There’s no need for them to fill out a form; all they have to do is click the WhatsApp link and you’ll have their phone number.
2. Create and Segment an Audience
You can also use an existing phone contact list. Import it into respond.io for use in WhatsApp campaigns.Tags can be used to segment your audience. Tag them based on where they came from (for example, a WhatsApp ad or phone contacts) and what product or service they expressed interest in.
3. Distribute Promotional Broadcasts
Once your audience has been segmented, you can begin sending them relevant promotional messages. Tags are useful in this situation. For example, you could send an offer message as soon as the contact opts in, followed by monthly messages about the latest specials and occasional messages about products they’ve expressed interest in.
You can also use WhatsApp for remarketing, recommending related products or upgrades to existing customers. To make the offer more appealing, consider including a loyalty discount.
4. Use drip campaigns to guide prospects through the funnel.
With WhatsApp drip campaigns, you can further customise and automate your conversations. Most people will not buy a product the first time they hear about it. They must think about it over time and be reminded of its importance. Set triggers to send automated messages, such as when a customer’s cart is abandoned or their trial is about to expire. WhatsApp abandoned cart messages allow you to reclaim up to 60% of your customers.
