WhatsApp is an instant messaging application for smartphones , where you can send and receive content such as text, audio, video, GIF, documents, contacts, location, calls, and video calls.
Currently, WhatsApp Business (the sister tool) is the ideal for any business that seeks to implement a conversational marketing strategy and increase its sales.
What meaning does WhatsApp have for you? The question may sound basic, but it impacts lives. We transferred this same query to Oscar Martán, an expert in WhatsApp and the Web, Guinness World Record Winner and EXMA Speaker, and here is his response:
What is WhatsApp Business for?
Now. Companies and users began to realize that WhatsApp is a tool that facilitates interaction . Which led to turning it into a sales and customer service option.
That is why WhatsApp's sister application arrives: WhatsApp Business.
Focused clearly on the business sector, it opened up a world of possibilities for the business sector to have a better relationship with its customers.
In addition , with features in its application oriented to the commercial management of clients through this instant messaging platform, which we will see in more detail throughout the reading.
In addition, it is an application that allows you to apply 100% Conversational Marketing and Marketing Automation (as you do with your email campaigns ).
How do you use WhatsApp Business on your cell phone?
profile information
For businesses, companies or small businesses that want to be easily viewed and discovered by customers, the WhatsApp Business app allows users to create a business profile with useful information for their customers .
You can create a publicly visible profile with information such as address, email contact, description, website, and hours of operation . Don't forget to include your company logo as well.
To access this resource, go to Menu → Settings → Company Tools → Company Profile.
We leave you this video made by WhatsApp Business to learn more about this feature:
Catalog of products or services
It is common for companies that work with the sale of products to want to disclose a series of images of the articles , to facilitate the visualization of what is being sold.
In the commercial profile itself, companies can also create their product catalogue. To access this resource, go to Menu → Settings → Company Tools → Catalog.
Through this, you can leave the entire list of products, avoiding having to save several photos in the memory of your smartphone.
In case you work with the delivery of some type of service, this functionality will also facilitate your communication, since in each element that you register, in addition to a photo or image, you can include a name, price and even a personalized description field.
Direct link and default message for customers
Also in the business configuration part, WhatsApp Business offers the direct link resource. In practice, that is a link that you can copy or share so that other people have easy access to the company profile.
This functionality makes profile disclosure easier.
And there is more! In that same area, you can create a default message that will be automatically completed to everyone who accesses the link.
This will help when identifying messages from new contacts. You can use something like: “Hello! I'm making the first contact and I want to know more about the company”, to quickly know what the new contacts are in the conversation list.
To access this resource, go to WhatsApp Business → Business tools → Direct link :
Absence message
The application also has 3 other resources related to contact messages for your company . These are located in the area of Company Settings -> Company Tools -> Messaging.
In this part, the first resource is Away Message. You can define automatic messages to send to customers when you are not online, preventing them from having doubts about when they will receive a response from your company.
Accessing Menu → Settings → Tools for the company → Messaging → Absence message you can indicate:
- If you want to activate or deactivate that shipment.
- Write and edit your message.
- Define who can receive that message.
- Define the hours that the function will be enabled.
In this case, you can define if you want to always send, only at some scheduled time or only when you are outside the business hours defined in the company profile area.
Welcome message
To ensure that all your new contacts will get at least one quick response from the message they send , you can set up an automated welcome message.
This is a default model for customers who start conversations with your business profile.
WhatsApp Business itself creates a default first message that you can adjust and edit the way you prefer.
You can also define who can receive this type of contact, creating a segmented list of contacts and even excluding some. To access it, go to Menu → Settings → Business tools → Messaging → Absence message → Welcome message.
Quickly answers
One of the most loved features by the public that uses WhatsApp Business is Favorite Answers. Quickly, you can save frequently used responses as favorites, to send by typing just a few shorter commands.
To define each answer, create a code beginning with / (slash) and complement it with a word. The application itself already has a first model with the shortcut /thank you and a thank you message ready, but you can edit it.
On the right side, there is a + button to access the area for creating new quick response messages.
Just type the message, shortcut you want to have when using the code and keyword to create message groups (this last part is optional). After saving, it's just start using!
In the message area, just type / to bring up the list of favorite answers you created , or type the word that forms the code of the answer you need to appear as a message.
Labels to assign to each conversation
In addition to these resources in the Business Tools area, you also have access to very important functionality that you can access directly from the main menu.
We are talking about Labels, which have the function of labeling and marking your messages with a specific color and description.
You can filter and add labels with different and custom colored labels for active conversations with your contacts . The main goal of taking advantage of that functionality is to keep your mailbox organized.
By doing that, you can even label chats like “New Customer” or “New Order” and set up quick responses accordingly. By definition, WhatsApp Business is already configured with 5 different labels.
At this point we would very much like you to consult the use given to it by our guest WhatsApp Specialist, Oscar Martán :
What are the advantages of using WhatsApp? 3 TOP strategies
What are the advantages and disadvantages of WhatsApp vs. WhatsAppBusiness?
When it comes to employing a conversational marketing strategy, most companies have chosen to use WhatsApp to communicate with their Leads and Customers.
However, the main problem that arises here is that the sellers use, in most cases, their personal WhatsApp accounts, instead of an official company account.
This, on the one hand, jeopardizes the company's image, and, on the other, means wasting the sales potential offered by a tool like WhatsApp Business .
Do you use personal WhatsApp to sell? We explain why you should change!
The best way to understand the problems that using a personal WhatsApp account to sell generates is with an example.
Put yourself in the shoes of your customers. Imagine, for example, that you want to buy a new cell phone. You do your research on the different brands and models available, search for reviews on Google and Youtube, evaluate the different prices and choose possible stores to buy your product online.
When you decide on a store, the first thing you do is visit their website or Facebook page to see how you can contact them to make your purchase. You discover that on their website they have a WhatsApp button installed that will allow you to chat with a salesperson directly from your phone. Great!
The in-app chat window opens and you discover that the contact's avatar doesn't have the store logo, but a photo of a person. The account also does not have a predefined welcome message or automatic responses that explain what the opening hours are.
You write him a message to consult him about the product you want to buy, and the seller does not respond. A few hours later, you get this message:
"I'm not working right now. I'll call you next week."
You will most likely change stores.
Do you realize how a simple WhatsApp message without answering or a careless communication can become a lost sale ?
We transferred this same question to Martán and this is his answer:
Conversational Marketing by WhatsApp
WhatsApp Business is a tool based on conversational marketing and has a series of functionalities and features that help facilitate and streamline sales processes.
In the age of conversational marketing, WhatsApp has become one of the main forms of communication worldwide . We are all part of this trend that is here to stay. So, what better than to take advantage of it?
In interviews carried out by the Sirena team, 85% of salespeople from different companies stated that WhatsApp is a "very important tool in the sales process" and that "not having this tool would greatly complicate their closings."
In addition, in that same report, Sirena concluded that 95% of the cell phones that customers share with vendors are associated with a personal WhatsApp account. This means that all your clients are there, you just have to know how to contact them.
In short, WhatsApp represents a great differential for the commercial results of businesses , especially those dedicated to B2C marketing .
Let's see some techniques used by sellers to achieve more sales on WhatsApp .
First some quick tips to sell on WhatsApp:
WhatsApp messages: taking advantage of all the resources
When it comes to selling, one of the tips that specialists repeat the most about what WhatsApp is for is to make the most of the features offered by the platform to communicate with customers.
This means that we should not limit ourselves to just sending text messages. We must expand the horizon with:
- Images.
- Voice messages.
- Videos.
4 Benefits of conversational marketing
Since throughout this epic content we have talked about conversations, marketing, contacts, let's move on to a fact that is fundamental in communal doubt: what is WhatsApp for?
Let's talk about the strategy par excellence on this platform, conversational marketing. Here are the main benefits of this type of action:
1. Real time
When you use a conversational marketing strategy, the interaction with your customers happens instantly and in real time. There is no waiting, no delays. Your customers are served when they need it, regardless of the time they do it.
2. Scalability
With the rise of technologies like chatbots, companies can automate and scale conversations with their customers to unprecedented levels. Thanks to these technologies, companies can hold personalized conversations with different customers at the same time, without impairing the operation of their team or their effectiveness when it comes to selling.
3. Personalization
The use of technology also makes it possible to collect a large amount of data, contextualize conversations and offer unique personal experiences. Conversational marketing helps businesses build trust with their buyers and create a very positive consumer experience.
4. Feedback
Another of the great advantages of conversational marketing is feedback. Each conversation with a customer provides a fundamental contribution that helps businesses improve their communication processes and customer service.
How did the conversation take place? What went right? What can be improved? It's just a matter of taking note, and working on it.
Usage policies: how to comply with WhatsApp Business rules
Having a platform to communicate easily and quickly with your clients does not exempt you from your responsibilities and obligations.
In recent months, the WhatsApp authorities made the drastic decision to start blocking all those accounts that send unwanted advertising and massive and invasive messages.
Faced with this initiative, companies are facing a serious problem , since there are currently many businesses whose sellers use WhatsApp to contact potential customers and offer them products, promotions, and discounts.
As reported by the platform itself, more than 2 million accounts are blocked per month due to these violations . And 75% of those accounts are removed as a result of the app's algorithm's machine learning .
As it does?
WhatsApp has three checkpoints:
1. In the user registry.
2. While sending messages
3. In response to negative comments.
During registration, WhatsApp uses the phone number to verify coordinates. The algorithm uses basic information such as IP address and operator information to verify the provenance of the new account.
This way, if a network tries to register many accounts at the same time, the system removes them even before they can send a message. According to WhatsApp, of the two million deleted accounts, 20% are done before registration.
On the other hand, if an account starts sending malicious messages, WhatsApp is able to mark it as suspicious. And once an account has been identified as a source of spam , the platform will automatically remove it.
Therefore, when interacting through WhatsApp Business, companies must follow certain rigorous rules:
- When a conversation between a company and a client starts through WhatsApp Business, the first message must consist of a template pre-approved by the platform. Once the person replies to that message, you can continue the conversation as normal.
- If the user takes more than 24 hours to respond to a message, the communication must be resumed through a template.
- The conversation between a company and a client must be carried out from the official telephone line of the company and not from a private telephone. Failure to comply with this requirement can mean a severe penalty.
- The interaction between companies and customers should always aim to provide a quality service and a good experience for users.
WhatsApp vs. Telegram: what to do?
To go beyond privacy policies, let's move on to the security of use as WhatsApp consumers.
It is not a secret that this platform is not the only one that allows us to have Conversational Marketing. However, WhatsApp Business continues to be the quintessential tool for marketing and automation in companies.
But. What is happening with information security? Is it worth leaving WhatsApp and going to other tools? We consulted with Oscar Martán, and his response was highly educational and sincere:
WhatsApp Marketing campaigns with the aim of generating conversations
If the WhatsApp strategy is succeeding in generating new leads for your business, you can start exploring marketing campaigns that generate targeted traffic for that channel . In this way, you will improve the conversion rate of visitors into leads, causing a possible increase in your sales and generation of new business.
It is important, however, to think about how to create your targeting strategy for WhatsApp. What is the best way to draw attention to this new button that is going to be on your website?
Even if your homepage has as one of the main functions to sell, this will still be a generic page that seeks to serve all your visitors, from the most diverse campaigns and origins. How about creating a Landing Page then? Landing Pages have as main objective to convert your visitors into leads , with rates 10 to 20 times higher than the main page of your website.
Create specific Landing Pages for campaigns, especially ads, that not only convert visitors into Leads, but also stimulate conversations on WhatsApp.
You may be interested in consulting the Blog: "5 infallible tips to do WhatsApp Marketing"
Create a Landing Page focused on generating conversations
When disclosing a new product or service in some medium, you will have little space and time to generate a direct conversation with the people who will be seeing your ad.
A widely used tactic is to gain the attention of your potential consumers and lead them to a Landing Page. This way, you can better present your offer and then target the visitor to start a conversation on WhatsApp.
Let's see an example:
- Think that you sell distance courses.
- Probably a strategy to generate new registrations is to promote to your target audience in online advertising, such as ads on Facebook and Instagram.
- You can generate an ad highlighting the qualities of your course, such as the evaluation of other students, success rates, learning results and its prices.
- The CTA (click-to-action) of this ad can lead directly to a page (Landing Page) with more details about the course, its benefits and, of course, direct purchase option.
- Likewise, the Landing Page itself may have the objective of starting a conversation on WhatsApp so that the user can request more information about the course and thus not lose an interested person who has questions.
How about? It's a good time to create and convert!
How to sell more by WhatsApp with RD Station Marketing?
Now that you know how to further your marketing and sales strategy with WhatsApp, you can go ahead and put what you learned into practice.
To achieve this, you can use RD Station's free WhatsApp Button Generator and create it in just 2 minutes.
Today is the day! Just enjoy and start transforming the curious into potential leads:
After all, isn't it much more convenient when we click a button and then start talking about an offer of interest?
Check the contents:
- How to capture the contact of your website visitors with WhatsApp in RD Station Marketing
- Ó WhatsApp in RD Station Marketing: capture even more opportunities with the new button
And, start!
