For a business, marketing works like fuel. It helps create brand awareness, attract new customers, and ultimately drive sales and revenue. WhatsApp marketing is a powerful way to reach potential customers quickly. Simply put, it involves promoting a business using WhatsApp as the medium. 

The purpose remains to inform potential users about the products or services offered, keep them interested, convert them into customers, and ensure retention. While marketing is one aspect of business, selling is another. Learn how WhatsApp can also help you close more deals.

Many startups and SMBs use Cooby to empower their WhatsApp marketing efforts to organize and monitor chats while syncing them to CRM software.

In this article, we’ll understand:

  • What is WhatsApp Marketing
  • Its importance with examples
  • Top 10 WhatsApp Marketing Strategies
  • Best practices 

What is WhatsApp marketing?

WhatsApp marketing refers to promoting your products and services using WhatsApp as a medium to engage potential customers and drive sales. It helps businesses make closer connections with potential buyers and nurture those connections toward conversion and ultimately retention.

People can have async communication on WhatsApp. It provides them the space they need to be attentive and respond to your marketing efforts. Many businesses use WhatsApp automation to execute their WhatsApp marketing strategies.

But why should a company invest in WhatsApp Marketing at all? 

Why should a company invest in WhatsApp marketing?

In today's digital age, messaging applications have become an essential part of our daily communication. As a result, businesses are exploring new ways to leverage these platforms to reach their target audience. 

WhatsApp, one of the most popular messaging apps worldwide, has become an important tool for businesses to connect with their customers. In this context, WhatsApp marketing has emerged as a powerful strategy to engage with customers, build brand loyalty, and drive sales. WhatsApp has become a preferred sales engagement channel for customer-facing teams.

When you feel confident about using WhatsApp to run marketing campaign, you should think about which type of WhatsApp you should use, regular WhatsApp, WhatsApp Business, or WhatsApp Business API

Let’s explore the benefits of WhatsApp marketing and how it can help businesses to achieve their marketing goals.

Customer relationships

By using WhatsApp to communicate with customers, businesses can offer personalized and direct support, address customer concerns and questions promptly, and provide a more seamless customer experience. Additionally, WhatsApp's end-to-end encryption can help build trust with customers who are increasingly concerned about data privacy and security.

Imagine that you own a small business and are looking for ways to improve your customer relationships. One strategy that you can use is to WhatsApp; using it, you can send personalized messages to your customers on their birthdays or other special occasions. You can also use WhatsApp to send them updates about new products or services that may interest them, as well as to ask for feedback and suggestions.

Conversion rate

People tend to open WhatsApp far more than any other app due to it being a personal messenger app. WhatsApp's high open and response rates can help businesses achieve faster and more effective communication with their audience, leading to higher conversion rates. 

Imagine you own an online clothing store and want to increase your conversion rate. You can use WhatsApp marketing to send personalized messages to your customers about new arrivals, promotions, and discounts. You can also offer a seamless shopping experience by enabling customers to place orders and make payments directly through WhatsApp. By providing excellent customer service and building trust with your audience, you can increase conversion rates and drive more sales for your business.

Sales

Through targeted messaging and promotions, businesses can attract potential customers’ attention and provide them with the necessary information to make a purchase. The ease of communication through WhatsApp allows businesses to quickly respond to inquiries and provide customer support, which can lead to increased customer satisfaction and loyalty. 

Imagine you are a small business owner who sells handmade jewelery. You have a loyal customer base, but you want to increase your sales. You may use WhatsApp marketing to reach out to your customers and offer them a special promotion on your new line of earrings. Simply, create a broadcast list of your customers who have previously purchased earrings and send them a personalized message with a discount code. Your customers appreciate the personalized touch and the exclusive promotion, which leads to an increase in sales and customer satisfaction.

Cost-effective marketing

Bringing down expenses in a business is very vital to a company’s success in today’s hyper-competitive environment. WhatsApp marketing can help businesses save on marketing costs because it’s a relatively low-cost marketing strategy. Messages could be simply sent to customers for free or at a low cost compared to other traditional marketing channels like TV or print media. Also, WhatsApp marketing enables businesses to target specific groups of customers, reducing the cost of reaching out to irrelevant audiences. 

You can use WhatsApp marketing to reach a wider audience without breaking the bank. For example, you can simply create a broadcast list of your customers who had previously ordered from you and send them personalized messages with images of your new baked goods. Unless you use WhatsApp Business API (relevant for enterprises), you pay no cost in reaching your customer base. 

Cooby helps you broadcast messages to several people at once while still adding essential personalization to them. Try Cooby for free and unlock hyper-productivity on WhatsApp.

Get started with Cooby for free

Revenue expansion

By using WhatsApp to communicate with customers, businesses can share personalized product recommendations based on their previous purchases or interests, making it easier to upsell related products or services. On the other hand, cross-selling opportunities can be identified by discussing related products or services with customers and promoting them through WhatsApp messages.

Let's say a customer buys a dress from your store. You can follow up with them on WhatsApp, thank them for their purchase, and ask them if they need any accessories to go with the dress. You can then send them product images and links to purchase the accessories. This kind of personalized approach can increase the likelihood of the customer making additional purchases, resulting in revenue expansion for your business.

Top 10 WhatsApp marketing strategies for 2023

With over 2 billion monthly active users (based on WhatsApp statistics), WhatsApp has become a powerful marketing tool for businesses looking to engage with customers in a more personal and direct way. 

In 2023, businesses can leverage the platform's unique features and user behaviour to drive better engagement, conversions, and revenue. Here are the top 10 WhatsApp marketing strategies for businesses to consider in the coming year.

1. Send reminders on WhatsApp 

Businesses can send personalized reminders to their customers, such as appointment reminders, payment reminders, or upcoming event reminders. These reminders can be sent directly to the customer's WhatsApp inbox, ensuring that they receive and see the message. This can help businesses improve customer engagement and reduce no-shows or missed deadlines.

If you wish to set reminders for yourself to follow up, reach out, or simply wish your customers on a special occasion. Cooby helps you set WhatsApp reminders empowering you to engage and provide a delightful experience to your customer or clients.

2. Broadcast promotions

Businesses can reach a large audience through broadcast promotion. This feature enables businesses to send messages, promotions, updates, or alerts to a large group of customers, resulting in increased brand awareness and engagement. It also saves time and effort compared to manually sending messages to individual customers.

With Cooby you can broadcast message to several people in one go while ensuring these chats are personalized. Cooby lets you create templates, where the tool automatically populates customers’ names and other details to keep your messages personalized.

3. Run WhatsApp campaigns.

Large businesses can use WhatsApp Business API to create and send promotional messages, run customer support, and engage with their customers in real time, resulting in better customer satisfaction and increased brand loyalty. 

Businesses can also use analytics tools to measure the effectiveness of their campaigns and make necessary adjustments for better results.

4. Send WhatsApp retargeting campaigns

WhatsApp retargeting campaigns can help businesses re-engage with customers who have already shown interest in their products or services. By sending personalized and targeted messages to these customers, businesses can remind them about their offerings and incentivize them to make a purchase. 

5. Add personalization to messaging

By leveraging customer data and behaviour, businesses can create tailored messages that resonate with their audience and increase engagement. This can lead to a stronger relationship with the customer and ultimately, higher conversion rates. Personalized messaging can be achieved through features like dynamic templates, message tags, and customer segmentation.

With Cooby you can sync all chats and contact to HubSpot or Salesforce, helping you keep all interaction together in the CRM. This ultimately provides richer context when you reach out to your customers, helping you be more personalized in your messaging.

6. Create WhatsApp newsletter

WhatsApp newsletters allows businesses to send regular updates, promotions, and other relevant information to their subscribers through WhatsApp. By creating a newsletter on WhatsApp, businesses can keep their audience engaged, build brand loyalty, and drive sales. With features such as multimedia messaging, and automation, creating a WhatsApp newsletter can be an effective way to communicate with customers in a personalized and interactive manner.

7. Run referral programs on WhatsApp

WhatsApp marketing can be utilized to run referral programs where customers are encouraged to refer friends and family to the business in exchange for rewards. Business can share referral links or codes through WhatsApp. The personal nature of WhatsApp can make customers more likely to refer their contacts, leading to a potentially higher success rate for the program.

8. Host loyalty programs on WhatsApp

Hosting loyalty programs on WhatsApp can help businesses to keep their customers engaged and loyal. By offering exclusive deals, rewards, and personalized experiences through WhatsApp, businesses can build strong relationships with their customers and create a sense of community. This can lead to increased customer retention, repeat purchases, and positive word-of-mouth marketing.

9. Create and share WhatsApp links 

Creating and sharing WhatsApp links is a popular strategy in WhatsApp marketing that allows businesses to quickly and easily connect with potential customers. 

By providing a direct link to a WhatsApp chat, businesses can engage with customers in real time, answering their questions, addressing their concerns, and ultimately building a relationship that can lead to increased sales and customer loyalty. 

Also, sharing WhatsApp links on social media and other online platforms can help businesses expand their reach and attract new customers.

10. Redirect website traffic on WhatsApp

By providing quick and convenient access to customer service, you can increase customer satisfaction and potentially convert website visitors into paying customers. 

This can be done by adding a WhatsApp button or widget on your website, allowing visitors to easily contact you on WhatsApp for inquiries or support. 

WhatsApp marketing best practices

WhatsApp marketing can be an effective way to connect with customers and promote your brand. However, to achieve success, it's important to follow best practices that help ensure your messages are well-received and not perceived as spam. 

In this context, there are some key strategies and tools that businesses can use to optimize their WhatsApp marketing efforts and achieve their marketing goals.

  • Adopt the right tools. Organize chats, set reminders, broadcast messages, and even sync conversations to a CRM. This helps businesses streamline their WhatsApp marketing efforts, and stay on top of their conversations with customers, which ultimately leads to better engagement and conversion rates. Cooby is a powerful tool that can be used for efficient WhatsApp marketing.
  • Leverage stories and other interactive elements. WhatsApp stories provide a unique opportunity to connect with your audience and promote your brand in a fun and engaging way. To make the most of this feature for WhatsApp marketing, you can use creative visuals, such as high-quality images or short videos, to showcase your products or services. You can also use interactive elements, such as polls or quizzes, to encourage user engagement and gather feedback. Simply, leverage the "swipe up" feature to redirect users to your website or the product page.
  • Update broadcast lists. Regularly updating the WhatsApp broadcast list is crucial for the success of any WhatsApp marketing campaign. It helps keep your subscribers engaged and interested in your brand, as well as up-to-date with your latest products or services. By regularly sending out relevant and valuable content, you can establish trust with your audience and keep them coming back for more. Keeping your broadcast list up-to-date ensures that you are targeting the right audience and reaching those who are genuinely interested in your offerings. 
  • Avoid spamming. Be cautious of how many messages you send to people and avoid being considered spam. Spamming can damage your brand's reputation and result in users blocking or reporting you. Moreover, WhatsApp has strict policies against spamming, and violating these policies can lead to your account being banned or restricted. By sending relevant and targeted messages at a reasonable frequency, you can engage with your audience effectively and build a positive reputation for your brand.

Power up your WhatsApp Inbox

WhatsApp marketing has proven to be an effective and cost-efficient way to connect with customers and drive business growth. By using tools like Cooby, businesses can easily manage and organize their conversations while also syncing them to their CRM. It’s important to regularly update broadcast lists and avoid spamming customers to maintain a positive relationship. 

As WhatsApp continues to grow in popularity and expand its features, the potential for marketing on the platform is immense. We recommend businesses take advantage of this opportunity to connect with customers in a more personalized way and stay ahead of the competition. With the right strategies and best practices, WhatsApp marketing can be a powerful tool for driving revenue and building long-lasting customer relationships.

Learn more about how to make WhatsApp messages pop with style when you reach out to your target audience.

"Cooby created a massive impact on our business. Our teams became more efficient and effective in managing clients on WhatsApp."

Pascal Lammers
Head of Digitization, Mission Mittelstand GmbH

About the author

Sagar Joshi
Content Marketing Manager at Cooby

Sagar Joshi strongly believes that content marketing is a way of helping people. It motivates him to write well-researched content pieces on sales, marketing, and customer experience. In his free time, you can find him reading a book, learning a new language, or playing badminton.

You might also like these

Start Using Cooby Workspace Today!