As we already know, communication is the basis of everything, both for work and socializing, and this is even more true when we talk about the business world.
Nowadays, it isn’t easy to imagine a day without using some social network to keep in touch. If an application stands out in our lives, it is WhatsApp.
Knowing its great potential to connect people, it is not surprising that WhatsApp made the leap into the business world a few years ago with WhatsApp Business.
This tool has become essential for any business that wants to be closer to its customers. But how does WhatsApp Business work, and what advantages can it offer your business?
This app has been designed so that companies can communicate more directly and personally, and it has established itself as an essential communication channel in the business world.
So, if you haven’t tried WhatsApp Business yet and want to maintain a closer and more effective relationship with your customers, integrating it into your online marketing strategy is no longer an option; it’s almost a necessity!
So, let’s examine together how WhatsApp Business works and how you can maximize its potential for your business.
What is WhatsApp Business, and why is it essential for your business?
WhatsApp Business is the perfect tool for connecting with your customers for free, directly and without complications.
It is specifically designed for small and medium-sized businesses, and its operation is as simple as any other platform where you upload products, such as Wallapop or Vinted.
To start selling on WhatsApp, you just need to create a catalogue, take photos of your products and add their features and prices. It’s that easy!
The main objective of this app is to offer first-class customer service in addition to selling, which will help you build customer loyalty and strengthen the relationship with your brand or business.
WhatsApp Business is especially useful during critical moments during the shopping experience when the customer has a question, misunderstanding, or needs more information.
Many customers abandon purchases or never buy from a website again simply because a problem still needs to be resolved in time. With WhatsApp Business, you can ensure you’re there for them when they need you most.
What are the differences between WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business?
WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business have vital differences; each is designed for different things.
As you may already know, WhatsApp is the app we use every day to chat with friends and family, share photos and videos, and make calls. WhatsApp Business, on the other hand, is specifically designed for businesses to communicate with their customers more professionally.
While on WhatsApp, you have a personal profile with your name, photo and status, on WhatsApp Business, you can create a profile where you add essential information about your business, such as address, hours, and even a link to your website.
In addition, one of the most significant differences between WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business is that the latter allows you to organize conversations with labels such as “ New customer ” or “ Completed order,” which makes customer management much easier.
Another big difference is that WhatsApp Business lets you create product catalogues. This way, customers can see what you offer directly in the app without having to leave the conversation. You can also set up automatic messages, such as quick replies or welcome messages, something you can’t do in the regular version of WhatsApp.
Finally, WhatsApp Business offers simple statistics to monitor your communications. The Business version makes it much easier to manage the account from multiple devices.
What features does WhatsApp Business have?
Although we have already discussed the main differences between WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business, we are now going to examine how WhatsApp Business really works in depth with each of its functions.
1. Create your company or business profile
You can easily create your business profile, similar to the Google Business Profile.
You have to include the name, a brief description of the company, a profile photo, business hours, an address with a map, social networks, a website, etc. In other words, all the data and information about your business so the user can know and access it.
2. Create a product catalog
As mentioned, you can create your product catalogue by importing photos from your mobile gallery or taking them directly with the camera.
This way, you will facilitate the sale and e-commerce of your business since you do not have to send photos of the product every time they ask you for some information about it; rather, it works like an on-demand e-commerce.
Simply, you have your catalogue with all the information from the product sheets so that they can view it comfortably from the same app.
3. WhatsApp Business Automatic Messages
- One of the first options WhatsApp Business allows us to use is to automatically create standardized welcome messages after a client writes to us.
- We can also create automatic absence messages when someone writes to us outside our business hours. However, these messages will only be sent to the client as long as we have an Internet connection.
- Quick replies. Yes, with just one word, such as order, we can automatically reply with a phrase we have previously created.
WhatsApp Business’s automatic messages are like having a personal assistant who helps you always be available for your customers. These features make communication much more fluid and professional, whether it’s welcoming them when they write to you for the first time, responding when you’re unavailable, or sending quick answers to their questions.
This way, you can ensure that your customers feel taken care of at all times, regardless of whether you’re online or not. It’s like always being there without having to be glued to your phone!
4. Mailing lists
WhatsApp Business broadcast lists allow you to create lists and send messages to several contacts at once in a massive but personalized way. It is an ideal tool for marketing campaigns, promotions, or informing customers about news.
It’s important to remember that messages sent through broadcast lists will only reach contacts with your number saved, so it’s essential to ensure your contact is saved in your customers’ address book to maximize the reach of your messages.
5. Measure statistics
WhatsApp Business has an analytics section where you can monitor the number of messages sent, read and received.
Although these statistics are somewhat basic, they help us know which campaigns have worked best. They can help you analyze and improve your online marketing and omnichannel communication strategy.
But we certainly won’t have to wait long for WhatsApp to release another version that allows us to measure other types of conversion data, such as clicks or views.
6. Spread campaigns
Another of the most notable features of WhatsApp Business is that it allows you to spread campaigns among your contacts. You can carry out campaigns of all kinds:
- Announce new products and services
- Giveaways
- Promotions and discounts
- Events
- Brand news and updates
- Etc
Here, I advise you to try to schedule your campaigns so that they aren’t too overwhelming for your audience.
Otherwise, you risk them no longer wanting to receive your notifications.
7. Payment system
Set up your WhatsApp Business account with your bank so that your customers can make payments quickly.
How to use WhatsApp Business in your digital marketing strategy?
It is evident that after talking to you about how WhatsApp Business works and this application’s advantages, you will finally decide to implement it in your business’s digital marketing strategy.
If you still don’t know how to do it, here are some examples that may clear up your doubts:
Web page
This is very simple and useful; try implementing WhatsApp Business on the purchase pages or inappropriate website sections.
Basically, set up or add a chat CTA that redirects to WhatsApp so that users can communicate directly with the company.
This way, you can resolve any queries in time and have a higher percentage of sales and customer loyalty since a fluid conversation helps close these types of transactions in which the customer has doubts.
Newsletter
You must also add a button with a direct link in your emails that redirects to the WhatsApp chat.
Because?
Users find it much more convenient and more accessible to ask questions via WhatsApp, as they tend to have more personal issues, while writing via email is more cumbersome.
Feedback via email is slower, so giving the user the option to have a direct and fluid conversation will increase their confidence in the brand or company.
Social Ads
Ideally, you should combine advertising on your social networks, like Facebook and Instagram stories, with WhatsApp.
If you create campaigns on these social networks, you can redirect users to a WhatsApp conversation so they can perform any action, such as closing a sale or making an appointment.
In addition, several new features will emerge in WhatsApp Business in this coming year, such as the ability to advertise through the app’s statuses. However, it is still in the development phase and has not been officially launched.
