In 2018 about 1.5 billion people use WhatsApp direct chats: 67% of users assume the possibility of directly contacting business realities through the application and 53% would prefer to rely on activities available using instant messaging systems: WhatsApp business it is the company chat that revolutionizes the marketing of SMEs.
The research carried out by Morning Consult and the statistics analyzed by Hootsuite clearly describe the constantly growing trends of the WhatsApp app: users no longer limit their messaging activity to the private sphere, they perceive, in fact, the need to establish a direct contact also with the business realities. WhatsApp business is the first instant messaging app that can establish direct communication between the company and the customer by developing an optimized experience for both parties.
What is WhatsApp business?
WhatsApp business is an application designed in 2018 specifically for SMEs: the app is a direct channel of communication between businesses and customers and is aimed at optimizing the brand and corporate web reputation and constantly improving the consumer experience. WhatsApp is a free app currently downloadable only at the Google Play Store of Android: the application can also be used in the Web version on any type of device, but there are short-term projects to make usable business service even on the iOS mobile device.
The new business chat maintains the standard setting of WhatsApp, remaining essentially an instant messaging app, introducing however some significant innovations: WhatsApp users can create a profile of their business activity and insert details such as company page, geographical position and contact information of the activity. WhatsApp business is therefore a system designed and designed solely for business users in order to automate and organize one-to-one business communication methods.
WhatsApp Business: How does it work?
The WhatsApp for business application allows companies to process messages that are targeted and directly shared with their users: it is important to underline that business content is different from classic advertising, in fact, consumers can decide whether or not to receive information from company accounts.
The new WhatsApp chat provides two types of different business profiles …
- Verified Business: Verified accounts are profiles directly supervised and approved by the WhatsApp team itself. This type of account is characterized by the presence of a specific emoticon corresponding to the name of the activity.
- Unverified Business: Unverified accounts are company profiles that have not received prior approval from the application itself. All the business features of an unverified profile are active, it is simply recommended that users pay more attention to shared business content.
WhatsApp business provides its members with various innovative features not present in the messenger version of the application …
Creating a company profile
Even WhatsApp business, just like the other platforms dedicated to the corporate world, offers the user the possibility to create a real company profile with references to the web page and the company’s direct contacts. You can choose the name associated with your account, which cannot be changed, and select a profile photo, which can be replaced or updated repeatedly and at any time.
Set default messages
WhatsApp business offers a communication service always present to its customers: it is, in fact, possible to set automated and predefined messages to be shared periodically with your contacts. The application allows business users to create three different types of pre-set messages: welcome messages, aimed at the warm welcome of all new potential customers; quick answers, set up in advance for the purpose of automatically answering questions asked with particular frequency; and absence messages, created to communicate their availability and inform the customer about the activity hours.
“Structured messages” functionality
Corporate communications can be shared in different languages thanks to the “structured messages” function, which is a type of message that can be automatically translated into multiple languages without having to previously set any type of change.
Availability of tool analytics
WhatsApp for business allows business accounts to constantly monitor the effectiveness of their activities: through the use of specific tools it is possible to analyze which content is most read, appreciated and shared by its customers.
Possibility to segment customers
The business application offers an interesting marketing feature: it is possible to segment your contact lists, create different categories based on customers’ shopping experiences and to share personalized and particularly targeted messages with the different types of users.
How do I set up a WhatsApp business profile?
Here’s how to properly configure a WhatsApp for business account …
1) Configure the telephone number
After opening the application, the first action to be taken is to accept the terms and conditions of the service, the following are required to enter and verify the telephone number that you want to associate with the business profile. The fixed number of the company can also be set as default contact: in order to use WhatsApp Messenger and WhatsApp business on your device at the same time, you must associate the accounts with different numbers. unlike facetime for windows 10, whatsapp can be used in multiple platform as well.
2) Choose the name of the activity
Following registration, the first information requested is the name of the activity: it is important to choose carefully and correctly enter the company name as, following the first confirmation, it cannot be changed.
3) Enter the contacts and the required information
WhatsApp offers the business user the opportunity to enter company contacts, references to company web pages and a brief description of their work: it is important to accurately enter this information to be credible and reliable in the eyes of potential customers.
4) Try to get the verification from the WhatsApp team
To not have problems of reliability it is essential to try to get the official verification of the company profile by WhatsApp: users put, in fact, more confidence in the business profiles already verified.
WhatsApp Business: Why is it important for SMEs?
Some Morning Consult research reports that 69% of SMEs consider WhatsApp for business an instrument able to greatly facilitate interaction with customers. It is clear that the new WhatsApp chat business allows companies to carry out in a simple and innovative way some marketing activities essential for optimizing their communication strategies …
Communicate directly with the customer
WhatsApp business offers the business user the possibility to establish a direct and informal relationship with the customer: chat communications are short and intuitive, the use of emoticons can be an essential tool to intrigue and entertain consumers and the possibility to formulate Informal answers can greatly optimize the company-client communication experience.
Develop new marketing strategies and share promotions via chat
WhatsApp’s business chat can be an indispensable tool for devising new methods of direct marketing: surveys, special promotions, interactive messages and sharing of targeted multimedia content are the innovative tools that WhatsApp business uses to promote its contents in a direct and informal.
Constantly support the customer
A company WhatsApp account is an essential tool for customer care: customers do not like communicating by voice using phone calls, they prefer, in fact, a fast communication with instant messages. To effectively use WhatsApp business you need to be available to your customers: an unanswered chat message is considered to be particularly negative and can undermine corporate reputation.
Know the opinion of users
Knowing the needs of its customers is an essential activity to plan their marketing activities: WhatsApp is a platform particularly suitable for promoting surveys and questionnaires as communication is particularly clear and rapid.
Monitor your activities
WhatsApp’s business app allows its members to constantly monitor their activities: for a company it is important to know which communication strategies have been more successful in order to select new and previously planned marketing solutions.
WhatsApp Business: Tips to get started
WhatsApp business is a potentially very effective tool to increase the visibility of your business, here are some useful tips to use the application in an optimal way …
- Attract customers’ attention using surveys or interactive promotions: customers are more involved in activities that involve direct feedback and see them as protagonists in the first person;
- Share your WhatsApp profile on Social channels and on the company website;
- Promote “personal shopping” activities: divide your contacts into groups and create personalized promotions based on the specific experiences of each user;
- Set automated and predefined messages to be always available: customers want to get immediate answers especially when talking about chat communications;
- Use images and videos: multimedia content is appreciated by a greater number of users as they attract more attention;
- Try to develop direct and informal communication strategies: WhatsApp is a platform used routinely to exchange friendly messages, maintaining an informal and personalized profile can increase the trust placed by the customer in the company.
Do you want to grow your business and improve your business results?