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.
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.
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.
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.