WhatsApp is a messaging app used in over 180 countries with over 2 billion active users and counting. It is one of the most popular cross-platform messaging applications on the planet, and it is used by companies of all sizes to communicate with their customers and employees.
This blog will show you how to set up WhatsApp for your business and start using it to communicate with your customers and employees. You can improve your company’s communication processes and keep everyone informed on your products and eventually increase sales.
What is WhatsApp Business?
WhatsApp Business is a messaging service for businesses. It provides a fast, reliable, and secure way to communicate with customers, vendors, and team members.
It has many features that make it perfect for use by small growing businesses. These features include:
- easy access to the account and message management tools
- the ability to send and receive messages with large groups of people
- powerful marketing tools that allow businesses to reach out to their customers more effectively. It comes with several features namely – a catalog, quick replies, automated messages, and broadcasts.
- WhatsApp also offers a feature called Voice Messaging, which lets you record and send voice messages directly from the app. This is helpful if you want to provide customers or clients with quick updates without having to leave the app or send an email.
WhatsApp is perfect for small businesses because it’s easy to use, has no overheads attached to it, and has an extremely high engagement quotient – Customers find it easier to message rather than call, as they can save their messages as a reference point.
Here are just some of the benefits of using WhatsApp for your business:
Increased Engagement:
One of the biggest benefits of using WhatsApp for your business is increased engagement. Because it’s a messaging app, you can engage your customers and vendors instantly. This makes them more likely to return and recommend your business to their friends.
Customers are loyal to businesses that value their time, so providing them with quick and easy communication is key. Using WhatsApp, you can keep your customers informed about important updates, offers, and product releases without waiting a long time between messages.
Reduced Costs:
Not only does using WhatsApp save you time, but it also reduces costs associated with other forms of communication such as email marketing and telephone calls. You can easily send messages to a large audience using WhatsApp Business without the costs associated with marketing campaigns or telephone calls.
Is there a monthly cost to it?
WhatsApp Business is free to use for SMEs and if you’re deploying WhatsApp Business Platform (also known as the API) then up to 1000 message conversations per month are free. After that WhatsApp charges a fee per conversation.
A conversation is a single 24-hour session that starts as soon as a business contacts a customer or responds to a customer’s initial message.
All messages that are sent or received within the 24-hour session fall within the conversation fee.
However, when your audience messages you directly from a Facebook Page call-to-action button, the conversation is free.
WhatsApp Business Platform applies to companies that rely on multichannel customer service tools.
Here’s an infographic to explain the difference between all the WhatsApp propositions –
For the user, there is no cost to initiate a discussion, raise and respond to a query to your WhatsApp Business number.
You can find more about the rates on the WhatsApp Business website.
Ways to use WhatsApp for Business
WhatsApp Business helps you stay connected in a personalized manner with your customers. The best way to stay connected with your customers and build the business further is by using these features –
Complete your Business profile
The profile is a concise summary of the essential information that your customer needs to understand about you.
Create a Catalog of your products
Create catalogs using images and videos of products. Customers can add these to their shopping carts.
Greetings, quick replies, and automated conversations
Prepare a list of canned messages (prescribed replies/template responses) of frequently asked questions. Add up to 50 quick replies with assigned keywords as shortcuts to use in conversations.
Set up custom greetings, salutations, and welcome messages for active and inactive customers.
Trigger automated messages such as ‘away messages’ when you’re not in the office.
WhatsApp is a messaging app that has exploded in popularity in recent years. It’s free to download from Google Play and Apple stores and use and can be set up quickly and easily by most businesses.
Here are the essentials for setting up WhatsApp for your business:
Choose a WhatsApp account that’s relevant to your business.
You don’t need a personal account to start using WhatsApp for business, but you need a separate account for each business. This way, you can track which messages are from which account and avoid confusion or conflict over who sent what.
Every WhatsApp account is to be connected to a single number only. You can convert your private account to a Business account.
Create a profile for your business.
When you create your business profile, include information like your business’s name, website address, and contact details. You can also add images and descriptions of your services or products.
Set up alerts for important messages.
You can set up alerts so that you’re notified immediately when important messages arrive from clients or customers via WhatsApp. This way, you’ll never miss an important message from anyone important!
Manage Your WhatsApp Business Account
WhatsApp is a popular messaging application that is used by billions of people all over the world. While it is primarily used for communication, businesses can use WhatsApp to communicate with their customers.
First, create a WhatsApp business account if you don’t have one already. You can find instructions on how to do this here. Once you have created your business account, log in and click on the ‘Admin’ tab. This tab contains your account information, including your phone number, profile picture, and contacts list.
Next, you will need to set up your business profile. This is where you will describe your business and what services it offers. You can also add images and videos to your profile if you want. You should also add a short biography about yourself or your company. You can find more information about creating a business profile here.
Once you have set up your profile, you will need to start messaging customers and partners. First, select the ‘Message’ tab from the Admin tab.
Conclusion
WhatsApp is now one of the most popular messaging applications in the world and with good reason. It’s simple to use, fast to send and receive messages, and can be used for various purposes – from responding to customer queries to marketing your products. If you run a small business, then WhatsApp could be a powerful tool that helps you communicate more effectively with your customers and vendors.