What’s up with WhatsApp for Business?
WhatsApp for business origins
The year is 2013 and, new kid on the block, WhatsApp has recorded over $20 million in revenue. Few would have put money on the fact that Facebook would buy it under twelve months later. And even fewer would have given it a price tag of $19 billion, making it the biggest internet deal since the Time Warner/AOL merger of 2001.
Zuckerberg, of course, saw the writing on the wall. Facebook’s purchase came at a time where they’d realized their goals of becoming mobile-first. They were acting on newly released data from Onavo. It showed WhatsApp outpacing their own mobile app Messenger by 4.7 billion messages daily.
As the most popular chat app in the world, WhatsApp has no doubt already proved its value. With over 1 billion more users flocking to the app in five short years, Facebook couldn’t afford to ignore WhatsApp in 2014. And today, any modern business would be amiss to ignore its potential.
But how do you leverage this broad and fast-growing global app as a business? Can you use it to communicate at scale? The answer, simply put, is yes.
How to use WhatsApp as a business
Using WhatsApp as a business offers customers an unparalleled brand experience. Your business will be regarded as an innovator for a start. You’ll increase brand awareness, customers’ lifetime value, and retention and referral rates.
Appearing in customers’ WhatsApp inbox (instead of bloated channels such as email which have connotations of spam) will break down barriers of formality between brand and consumer. This will make the customer more inclined to buy. Just imagine viewing your favorite brands right alongside your friends and family.
WhatsApp offers an avenue into countries that are notoriously difficult to reach via SMS. This can be where network complexities make sending either expensive, restricted, or impossible.
The large character limit of each message also puts WhatsApp out on top. Languages that rely on non-GSM characters (where Unicode such as Chinese hanzi can push SMS 160-character limit into scores of segments without much content). It also favors use cases where long messages are necessary. Particularly in technical spheres that rely on messaging such as engineering.
Enable 2-way messaging for your business
2-way messaging is a cost-saving solution for businesses. It allows intervention in matters before they become costly. This could cover anything from amending bookings and relieving strain on call centers, to updating accounts, dealing with complaints, and other customer service issues.
These cost-savings can even be further amplified. Generate more revenue by up-selling or cross-selling to engaged customers while in conservation with agents.
Most importantly, each channel in your omnichannel arsenal offers a new door for customers to walk into your virtual store. With its popularity, WhatsApp is one of the most enticing channels for consumers on the planet today.
To request your tailored WhatsApp business use case, contact us today.
