WhatsApp Marketing: A necessity for 2022

WhatsApp is the world’s most popular messaging platform. Its monthly active user base has surpassed 2 billion. It’s moved beyond merely being a way to chat with friends, becoming a popular promotional tool for businesses all over the world.

WhatsApp marketing is the perfect way to stay in touch with your customers. Not only do more than half of WhatsApp users check the app at least once per day but text messages have a 98% open rate! So you can be certain of eyes on your offer.

It’s amazing how much users adore this mode of communication going as far as trusting brands who chat apps more than those who don't. A staggering 53% of people say they would buy from companies they can reach through chat.

WhatsApp has 2 billion users worldwide!

Why Include WhatsApp in your marketing strategy?

• Better customer relationships

• Increased conversion rate

• Increased sales

• Reduced marketing expenses

WhatsApp use cases:

• Send reminders for due dates and payments.

• Update customers about their order status.

• Personalise occasional wishes like birthdays, and inform customers of discounts.

• Recommend possible actions to customers such as new products, travel packages, hotel stays, etc.

• Remind customers of abandoned carts and persuade them to check out.

WhatsApp marketing ideas and examples

Klook: transactional messages

Klook’s transactional messages on WhatsApp. Source: Facebook

Klook, an online travel platform, decided to use WhatsApp to improve customer satisfaction and retention. As a result, the company’s marketing strategy revolved around booking updates and notifications.

Klook had its customers’ best interests in mind and wanted to find the most convenient communication channel. Thanks to a large audience in the Asia-Pacific region, WhatsApp was chosen as the best option.

Visitors to the website and app were invited to sign up for WhatsApp notifications, which included order updates and reminders. In the end, WhatsApp’s opt-in rate was 63% higher than the Klook app’s push notifications and the customer retention rate increased by 40%

Netflix: personal recommendations

Netflix’s notifications in WhatsApp. Source: Techjokey

Netflix knows a thing or two about keeping users interested. They have always provided personal recommendations on their mobile app but in 2017 the company decided to expand this feature with WhatsApp.

They launched this campaign in India, WhatsApp’s largest market, in January 2017. Users who had both Netflix and WhatsApp installed on their smartphones were prompted to communicate via WhatsApp messenger. If a user clicked “I’m in,” they began receiving messages about their account as well as series and film recommendations.

The campaign also helped Netflix chat with customers even after they had cancelled their subscriptions, sending reminders and announcements designed to get them to resubscribe to the service.

Saffola: real-time assistance

If you’ve ever tried to eat a little healthier you know how frustrating it can be to get cravings. Saffola, an Indian healthcare brand, decided to build its campaign around combating this desire for pizza and cookies.

Saffola created a WhatsApp chatbot to assist people in combating their unhealthy eating habits. Users were encouraged to send the bot a message the moment they felt a craving coming on. The chatbot then tried to divert their attention with pre-recorded positive messages, advice, puzzles, and even a rap song. After this, a promotion for their product popped up.

Adidas: real-time support to footballers

A conversation on WhatsApp with an Adidas representative. Source: Medium

Adidas used WhatsApp to promote its new shoe campaign. The brand decided to target a specific audience, amateur football players; and assist them in dealing with their specific needs.

Football teams often have problems with various aspects of their game. Some players may withdraw from a match at the last minute, and there may be no replacement. Adidas offered to find a replacement via WhatsApp. All you have to do is send a message to a WhatsApp hotline and share important match information. Adidas will send a top-tier football player to your game in exchange.

Despite the fact that the campaign was only six days long and targeted a specific audience, the results were impressive. Adidas received a lot of attention in sports media, retail websites, blogs, and more.

KLM

KLM WhatsApp notification. Source: Medium

KLM uses WhatsApp to provide flight alerts and other useful information to its customers. Customers who book a flight via WhatsApp can receive booking confirmations, check-in notifications, boarding passes, and flight status updates.

Customers can access the company’s official website, enter their booking information, and choose to receive flight notifications via WhatsApp. You can also contact the company directly via WhatsApp to get real-time updates on your reservations. Behind the message is always a customer service representative who will ask you for your information and keep you updated.

If all of this has piqued your interest in using chatbots to help your business get similar results, feel free to contact V5 Digital to set up a consultation.

If you want to see how intuitive a chatbot can be, take a second and talk to our clever little chatbot here.

This article was written by Vikrant Kaushal for Jungleworks and adapted for the V5 Digital audience.

Everything you need to know about WhatsApp marketing

Remember how great it felt to be a "regular" somewhere? No shopping experience is as fulfilling as supporting a company that knows who you are and what you like.

In the fast-paced digital era, this concept feels like a thing of the past. However, the truth is, it's not gone: it’s just changed shape.

Stand-out customer experiences still rely on creating that sense of familiarity and personalization but instead of knowing your breakfast order as you step through the door, marketers use messaging tools, like WhatsApp, to know how everyone in the area likes their eggs.

With an opening rate of over 90%, WhatsApp is a great way to get eyes on your products and services

WhatsApp marketing taps into the preferences of today’s always-on, digital-first consumer. As of 2021, WhatsApp is the most popular global messenger app worldwide. With over two billion active users, it's more than likely how your customers connect with family, friends, and maybe even your competitors across the globe.

Marketing with WhatsApp can modernize your approach to customer care, helping you create stellar experiences that people remember and repeat.

Why you should include WhatsApp marketing in your social strategy

Have you experienced the frustration of looking for an impossible-to-find call centre hotline, or the boredom brought on by seemingly endless customer service wait times?

These customer complaints used to seem inevitable but now they're easy to avoid.

Your customers want to connect with businesses the same way they connect with their friends and family. No special hotlines or single-use platforms. Just fast, simple, and convenient messaging.

WhatsApp marketing supports seamless customer experiences, encouraging retention and promotion. If you’re still on the fence, here are three prime reasons you need to include marketing with WhatsApp in your social media strategy.

It’s how you’ll beat your competition

The average person can and will avoid disjointed customer experiences. The latest Sprout Social Index™ found that responding to customer service questions promptly is the easiest way to get customers to buy from one brand over a competitor.

Keep your customers happy by responding quickly!

With WhatsApp, your brand can secure a competitive edge that makes a measurable difference to your bottom line. A WhatsApp Business account allows you to set up messaging tools that guarantee quick response times with less effort.

When 77% of consumers expect a response in less than 24 hours, speed is the best way to stand out from the crowd.

It’s where your customers are most responsive

WhatsApp marketing open rates are much higher than traditional email open rates. In fact, it's estimated that they’re on par with SMS marketing open rates, hovering somewhere around 90%.

This responsiveness opens the door for more meaningful interactions that go beyond support requests. These days customers are using social messaging to ask questions about products, provide feedback, and give shout-outs.

These behaviours empower your social media and customer care teams to act as digital sales floor associates, giving them real-time influence on purchasing behaviours.

WhatsApp allows customers to get the answers they need quickly and conveniently

It’s the future of commerce

According to Meta’s Head of Messaging Developer Partnerships, Martha O’Byrne-O’Reilly, messaging is here to stay. She believes this influx of 1:1 messaging, combined with social commerce, is creating a new wave of what’s known as conversational commerce.

“[Conversational commerce] encapsulates the full range of reasons people chat with businesses, from asking about store hours to booking appointments, tracking deliveries, and resolving issues,” says O’Byrne-O’Reilly. “And it’s happening in all the places where people are spending time online, which is predominantly social and messaging platforms.”

New technologies, like machine learning, chatbots and messaging, are ushering in a new era of customer experience. In fact, 77% of consumers say they’re more likely to buy from a brand if they could browse or get questions answered via messaging. Building WhatsApp marketing into your social strategy today can help future-proof your marketing strategy for tomorrow.

The 3 best WhatsApp marketing examples we’ve seen (so far)

A quarter of the world’s population, mainly in Latin America, Asia and Europe, use WhatsApp. It’s no wonder brands from those regions lead the pack when it comes to stand-out WhatsApp marketing strategies.

If you’re planning to roll WhatsApp into your social marketing strategy, here are three brands you can look to for inspiration:

1. World Health Organization

In March 2020, the World Health Organization launched dedicated COVID-19 WhatsApp hotlines to service users in seven languages.

Getting up-to-date information quickly was a game changer during the pandemic

Users can access the hotline by messaging a location-specific number via WhatsApp. They’re then given several prompts to pick from for more information on the disease, vaccines and more.

This automated chatbot provides users with a solid middle ground between self-service and live support.

2. Lidl

Lidl, an international food retailer specializing in discount goods, has been riding the WhatsApp train since May 2020.

Initially, in response to the pandemic, the brand created a “Quiet Time” chatbot that allowed shoppers to check store capacity before heading over to shop. Now, Lidl has rolled out a full-scale customer care strategy on the platform to provide a seamless support experience to their shoppers.

WhatsApp makes chatting to a store feel like interacting with a friend

The company uses the platform to provide instantaneous support with automated greeting messages. When a customer sends a question or request, they get a message thanking them for their business. The message also shares that a live support agent will be with them shortly.

3. KLM Royal Dutch Airlines

Flight information typically lives in two different places: in a password-protected account or somewhere in an email. Neither of these options is particularly helpful when you’re speeding to the airport, trying to catch a flight. KLM is using WhatsApp to provide their passengers with something better.

When a person books a flight with KLM, they can opt into WhatsApp communications. This allows them to centralize their booking, baggage, and flight status information in a single, searchable conversation thread.

Blending WhatsApp into your social media strategy

WhatsApp marketing isn’t a magical solution to connecting with your customers. A poor messaging conversation will drive a customer away just as quickly as a poor in-person experience would. Like all marketing strategies, you get what you put into it.

If you’re ready to start marketing with WhatsApp, here’s everything you need to do before jumping in.

Decide on your team goals and operating norms

Your WhatsApp marketing goals will be different from your goals for traditional social media networks. Instead of engagements and impressions, you’ll want to start by tracking customer care metrics.

KPIs like average reply time and total response volume can help you benchmark your initial WhatsApp marketing efforts. Eventually, you’ll be able to use that data to inform more commerce-driven channel decisions.

You’ll also want to use this time to decide on operating norms. WhatsApp Business accounts only allow for one active user at a time, so creating a clear channel management schedule is imperative.

Luckily, you won’t have to experience this issue for long. Sprout brought WhatsApp messaging into its product suite in 2022.

Sign up for WhatsApp Business

You won’t run your business account on the general WhatsApp app. Instead, you have to use WhatsApp Business.

WhatsApp Business is available for both iOS and Android devices. Once you’ve downloaded the app, you’ll see the account setup is pretty simple. All you have to do is verify your phone number and update your business information. For a full walkthrough, check out the video below.

Craft templated messages

WhatsApp Business offers several messaging tools to streamline your workload and customer response times. All you have to do is craft your message.

These templated responses are designed to help you act on important conversations in advance. WhatsApp’s messaging tools include:

• Away message: When an away message is enabled, customers who message you will automatically receive a reply indicating that you’re busy or offline for the day.

• Greeting message: Your greeting message automatically sends out a warm welcome when customers interact with you for the first time or after 14 days of no activity.

• Quick replies: These canned responses can be used to quickly reply to frequently asked questions. They can be accessed in message conversations using specific shortcuts and you can save up to 50 at a time.

Build out a product catalog

The catalog is a powerful WhatsApp marketing feature that allows customers to browse through your products or services directly within the app. Once a product is in your catalog, you can share its link anywhere for more discoverability.

WhatsApp Catalog helps customers discover and purchase your products!

If you offer several products, try starting with your most popular items. As you continue to build out your product offerings on the app, you can sort them into collections for easy browsing.

Promote your presence on other channels

WhatsApp isn’t an “if you build it, they will come” platform. Customers need to know your WhatsApp number to reach out.

Once your business profile is all set up, run a lightweight awareness campaign to let people know you’ll offer customer care through the platform. This might include an email to existing customers, promotions across other social media networks, and a quick update to your website’s “Contact Us” page.

Say “what’s up?” to WhatsApp marketing

Marketing with WhatsApp sits at the intersection of marketing and customer care, opening up new ways for brands to connect with fans and prospects alike. If your approach to messaging is more reactive than strategic, now is the time to use WhatsApp Business to step into the new normal.

If you want to learn more about messaging as a channel, then check out this guide Sproutsocial created in partnership with Zendesk. Use it to learn how to effectively integrate social messaging into your customer experience so you can prepare for the future of customer experience.

This article was written by Ronnie Gomez for Sproutsocial and adapted for the V5 Digital Audience.

The importance of a Google Business Profile & how V5 Digital can get you listed

Running a business can be tough, especially when it comes to marketing. So it’s always great to find something easy and impactful to use to increase business leads.

Google Business Profile marketing, formally known as Google My Business, is a modern-day necessity! Potential customers use it to find and compare products and services and those not using it are often ignored.

So we’ve established that GBP is essential to your business but what exactly is it?

Setting up a Google Business Profile is an easy way to direct more traffic to your website

What Is A Google Business Profile?

At its core, a Google Business Profile is a search engine that helps customers locate businesses based on their keywords and search location. It’s often the first interaction potential customers have with a company.

Adding photos, hours of operation, and contact information means users can get a great deal of information at a glance. Selecting a business category helps Google to better index your website and claiming a free listing on Google Maps brings clients right to your door.

Increases Visibility

We’re all aware that more visible brands bring in more leads. A Google Business Profile can effortlessly increase your visibility and help connect your products and services to those desperately trying to find them.

A GBP helps you manage your online presence and keeps you in control of how your business is perceived across the web. It attracts new eyes to your website and employs local SEO maps to show potential customers where they can find you.

Helps Customers Locate Your Physical Address

Every day countless people hop on the internet, look for a product or service, find it, check the operating hours, and then use Google Maps to go to the location they need.

A Google Business Profile reassures potential customers that you’re a legitimate business, shows them what you offer, and gets them to your physical address.

If your business isn't linked to Google Maps you might as well be invisible!

Helps Customers Review Your Business

Nothing builds trust faster than a good review. It’s a fantastic way to build credibility in your industry and amongst your community. It even improves interactions with stakeholders and the government if they can see, firsthand, the positive impact you have in your area of expertise.

Google Business Profile makes leaving reviews about your business a hassle-free experience. These reviews are not only invaluable for attracting new customers but also give you great feedback about what you’re doing well and where you could improve.

Helps You Understand Your Target Audience

A GBP account can help you understand your target audience and use this information in marketing campaigns and keyword research. This can be handled in-house or outsourced to a company that specializes in GBP optimization.

Business owners can see metrics such as engagement on posts, photos, and profiles and what content is not generating enough traffic. This identifies weaknesses and improves the quality and effectiveness of the content you put out.

It’s also the perfect way to discover what keywords people are searching for and use this information to entice and connect with potential customers. This information can also be used across content channels to improve media campaigns and increase traffic to your website.

A Google business profile is ideal for getting to know your audience on a deeper level. It’s very easy to discover variables such as location, gender, and, age, as well as conversion-related information. Seeing how many people used a certain link to visit your website and how many went on to purchase a product becomes an effortless process.

Tips to Improve GBP Optimization

• Use relevant keywords that attract attention and traffic. Use the right tools to discover the right keywords to help potential customers find you.

• Always use a localized phone number so Google can verify that you’re a real business with a geographical location. This helps Google’s algorithm connect your business with customers in your area.

• Write an accurate business description. Be sure to pick the correct category that your business falls under or your audience won’t be able to find you. Make your description compelling with a strong call to action and don’t forget to mention special holiday operating hours.

• Add high-quality photos and videos of your products, services, and location. This can help distinguish your business from your competitors and create a perception of value in the minds of your target audience.

• Regularly update information such as your website address and phone number. If Google discovers broken links they could penalize you by dropping you in their rankings. This will also harm your reputation.

If this still seems a little confusing, you don’t have time, or you would prefer an expert to handle this for you, feel free to get in touch with V5 Digital where we can help you set up the perfect profile that is sure to succeed.