WhatsApp Marketing: The New Email?

WhatsApp Marketing uses the popular messaging app WhatsApp to communicate directly and effectively with customers. Due to its widespread use and high user acceptance, WhatsApp is an ideal tool for brands to spread advertising messages, provide customer service and strengthen customer loyalty. The app makes it possible to send messages with high open rates, well above the averages of traditional channels such as email. Here are the key performance indicators (KPIs) of WhatsApp marketing:

• Open rates of over 90%
• Click rates of up to 40%
• Conversion rates of 2-5%
• Quick exchange with the target group
• Over 80% of support tickets are submitted via WhatsApp
• Unsubscribe rates below 0.5%

The numbers above definitely speak for themselves. In addition, WhatsApp Marketing offers the following advantages:
WhatsApp promotes natural, direct and personal customer contact that customers already know from their private lives.

• WhatsApp shows significantly higher opening and interaction rates than traditional email communication.
• Personal and individually tailored communication via WhatsApp strengthens long-term customer relationships.
• Concerns and questions can be clarified in real time via WhatsApp, which improves customer satisfaction.
• WhatsApp is a comparatively cost-effective solution for direct marketing.
• With over two billion users worldwide, WhatsApp offers access to an international audience.
• Marketing campaigns via WhatsApp are easy to run and measured effectively.
• WhatsApp integrates seamlessly with CRM systems and marketing automation tools.

WhatsApp can be used similarly to email marketing. This is what your journey looks like if you want to do WhatsApp marketing as a company:

1. Choose WhatsApp marketing software and set up WhatsApp for businesses (more on this below)
2. Collect leads via QR code or chat start link, which will take your leads into the chat with your company
3. Welcome your leads with a WhatsApp welcome automation
4. Use your collected leads for newsletters and campaigns in the future

Here you can see an example of a WhatsApp marketing use case from the Austrian 9-figure D2C brand waterdrop® for the UK market (simply scan the QR code using your mobile phone).

Source: Chatarmin

However, if companies want to use WhatsApp for business purposes, they should be careful: advertising should not be sent via a private account in order to comply with data protection regulations. It is therefore important to use WhatsApp in a GDPR-compliant manner.

In order to still carry out WhatsApp marketing, the messenger offers two options: The WhatsApp Business App and the WhatsApp Business Platform (formerly “API”).

There are “two different business WhatsApps” that offer companies the opportunity to use WhatsApp in a scalable manner.

WhatsApp Business App:

WhatsApp Business App is a standalone application for businesses to create product catalogs and provide company information. Up to 256 people can send messages here at the same time, and if desired, these can also be automated. The business app is essentially no different from the private messenger. Problems with the professional use of the WhatsApp Business App are ‍the

• lack of scalability
• Non-existent GDPR compliance
• non-existent availability of automation
• Limitations in operation via mobile devices
• non-existent possibility to use employees as “support agents”.

This WhatsApp business solution is only suitable for small business owners and the self-employed. But you quickly reach your limits. But META has created a new solution here since 2021:

WhatsApp Business Platform (formerly “API”):

In contrast to the WhatsApp Business App, the WhatsApp Business API is an interface that is particularly suitable for larger companies. It allows companies to integrate the WhatsApp Business account with a CRM or marketing tool to operate WhatsApp Marketing.

Software tools for WhatsApp marketing are linked together so that they can exchange data. Messages to contacts are not written in the app, but in a tool of your choice. This incurs costs for the provider and maintenance costs.

‍However, the advantages of the WhatsApp Business API outweigh the disadvantages. The WhatsApp company account advantages at a glance:

• Contact list of any size
• Mass mailings (segmented) possible
• Message templates
• Chatbots
• Advanced customer support features
• GDPR compliant
• Possibility to request a green tick
• API integrability

To use the WhatsApp Business Platform, you need a WhatsApp Business Account, which you can create for free, and a third party who can set up this API.

A WhatsApp newsletter can contain special offers, exclusive discount promotions, new product launches or other marketing activities. The best practices are important:

• Infrequency emission
• high relevance of the content

As long as you stick to these points, you will be rewarded with strong WhatsApp marketing KPIs.

The only difference to an email newsletter is the delivery channel. Signups for WhatsApp newsletters can be done via QR code or CTA via the website or email campaigns.

For example, you can offer a discount as an incentive for subscribers. After logging in, a chat opens automatically in WhatsApp with a predefined message that triggers an internal opt-in workflow as soon as it is sent.

You can integrate the following media into your WhatsApp newsletter:

• Photos
• videos
• PDF files

It is also possible to integrate a “grayed out footer” as well as CTAs such as a call button, a link to a website or “custom buttons”. Here you can find an example of a WhatsApp newsletter in the form of the WhatsApp flyer from BAUHAUS Austria.

WhatsApp newsletters are an easy way in WhatsApp marketing to reach new and existing customers. Customers become loyal fans when they feel valued. WhatsApp also makes it possible to keep customers updated about order status. Through direct contact with individual customers, it is worthwhile to address them with tailor-made offers.‍

Brands can build a customer relationship as soon as a potential customer is interested in the products. WhatsApp offers an easy way to quickly contact companies if you have any questions, problems or suggestions. The double opt-in ensures that WhatsApp marketing is GDPR-compliant and can theoretically reach millions of users, since the majority of people in Germany use WhatsApp.

Tip: Personal customer service thanks to WhatsApp!

‍WhatsApp marketing can not only be used for newsletters, but also makes sense if you want to use it in customer service and sales. Customers expect advice and a very personal approach from companies via WhatsApp rather than advertising and generic marketing pitches.

As an example, let's look at the long-term performance of our client's WhatsApp Chatstart ads, an emerging beauty D2C brand that leverages Shopify and Klaviyo technology platforms. The campaign was launched on the Facebook and Instagram platforms with the goal of “traffic”.

The results achieved by this advertising campaign are impressive and show the direct influence of targeted WhatsApp marketing advertising measures on increasing sales and customer interaction:

– Average Order Value (AOV): €65.34

– WhatsApp traffic conversion rate (CVR): 4.61%

– Cost per session: €3.01

– 4,232 sessions from 2,101 users

– Sales of €12,740.61 with advertising expenditure of €398.89

WhatsApp ads audience and their performance in a Beauty D2C Google Analytics account; Source: Chatarmin

Of course, you can use different chat start links with unique “embedded customer messages” for different ad groups with different approaches. Based on this, you can tag the respective leads with (dynamic) tags in your WhatsApp marketing software and thus provide (hyper)personalized offers.

Alternatively, you can choose a curated user journey via a dynamic or static chatbot, which allows you to carry out both “lead enrichment” and customer analysis through a quiz funnel.

In this way, you can carry out personalized WhatsApp marketing campaigns with measurable results in both the first and later touchpoints, including via re-targeting if desired.

WhatsApp is one of the most personal channels to get in touch with your customers. Ideally, you communicate on an equal level and avoid excessive advertising, which is more discouraging than beneficial. Follow the WhatsApp guidelines and best practices outlined in this blog post and you will be rewarded with an extremely valuable additional lead generation and retention marketing channel for your marketing mix.

Do you need help with your WhatsApp marketing strategy and implementation? We are here for you. Get to know us without obligation and let's see together how we can take your marketing goals with WhatsApp to the next level!