What is WhatsApp Business messaging and how to use it?

Over 50 million companies worldwide have made up their choice to use WhatsApp Business messaging for their marketing needs. It’s no surprise that more and more businesses are exploring the WhatsApp space as the messenger is available in around 180 countries with approximately 2.5 billion users worldwide. Read on to learn all you need to know about WhatsApp business messaging and how to fully tap into its potential.

Overview of WhatsApp Business messaging

Not many messengers that tackle business communication can boast of an impressive opening rate of 98%, which it witnessed during WhatsApp Business messaging campaigns. Such a high level of engagement facilitates turning WhatsApp users into customers and fueling the company’s growth. For thousands of companies who set up business profiles within WhatsApp, enhanced customer engagement, refined marketing approaches, effortless integration with various CRM and eCommerce platforms, efficiency tracking, etc, became a reality.

Key messaging features in WhatsApp Business

Messaging automation

There are different types of automated messages.

• Greeting messages are sent in response to customers' inquiries. They let businesses introduce themselves in a friendly manner.

• Away messages can be set to let customers know that you are away. It’s easy to schedule and select who is the receiver.

• Quick replies are used for common answers. In addition to text messages, quick replies could be images, GIFs, and videos.

Labels

Another important feature is Labels, which help in organizing and categorizing chats. This makes it easier to keep track of customer interactions, orders, and more.

Broadcast lists

Broadcast lists allow for sending messages to multiple contacts simultaneously. This function is particularly useful for making announcements or sharing updates.

Group chats

Group Chats offer another means of communication, supporting the creation and management of chat groups for team communication or customer engagement. This feature helps businesses build a sense of community and foster more direct interaction with their customers.

Catalogs

Lastly, Catalogs serve as a mobile storefront for businesses on WhatsApp. You can create and manage product catalogs directly within the app, showcasing your products or services to potential customers without them needing to visit a separate website.

All these features contribute to making WhatsApp Business a powerful tool for business messaging and customer engagement.

Advanced messaging features

WhatsApp Business API

As soon as you verify your WhatsApp business profile, you can use WhatsApp Business API. This will help you to implement various automated tools: chatbots, messaging templates with OTP, URL and quick reply buttons, product catalogs, one-to-one conversations, etc. In addition, WhatsApp Business API allows seamless integration with various ERP and CRM systems.

Interactive messaging

Interactive messaging feature includes message templates that standardize communication and save time, especially for frequently sent messages. It also includes interactive buttons:

• Quick replies allow businesses to create keyboard shortcuts for frequently sent messages.

• Call-to-action buttons, on the other hand, guide customers toward a desired action, making the customer journey more straightforward.

Multi-agent support

WhatsApp Business also offers multi-agent support. This feature allows multiple agents to manage the same WhatsApp Business account simultaneously. It ensures that customer queries are handled more efficiently and promptly, as multiple agents can respond to different customer queries at the same time. This is particularly useful for businesses with a large customer base and high query volume.

Reporting and analytics

WhatsApp messaging app for businesses provides access to insights on performance and analytics. It’s presented in a customizable dashboard and the data received is used to shape and plan the coming marketing campaigns. Some of the parameters open for analysis are:

• click-through rate

• messages delivery status

• cost per read

• amount spent

• conversions and their value

• ROI, and more.

Best practices for WhatsApp Business messaging

Personalized communication

Business accounts aim to build long-term relations with WhatsApp users and foster the idea of community and trust. WhatsApp business messages could contain post-purchase information, ask for feedback, and offer exclusive deals.

Integration with offline marketing campaigns

WhatsApp business messages could be linked to offline shopping experiences, creating an omnichannel space for business-customer interaction. Thus, WhatsApp business communication may incentivize WhatsApp users to visit physical locations.

Messaging frequency

Successful WhatsApp marketing should follow the ideal rate of relevance and frequency. Ideally, WhatsApp business platforms should send high-quality resonating messages no more than 2-3 times a month.

Optimization and testing

Business accounts should regularly provide A/B testing for the content, graphics, CTAs elements, design, and timing just to make sure that they resonate with the target audience. Metrics analysis helps businesses improve the efficiency of business communication.

Compliance with GDPR

Before using WhatsApp for marketing, businesses should make sure that they have received explicit opt-in from WhatsApp users. Automating and utilizing opt-in mechanisms helps to get consent effortlessly and effectively.

Use cases of WhatsApp Business messaging

1. 24/7 customer support

Whatsapp business messaging combined with AI-powered live chats has become the number one use case for many companies. Such chatbots can handle customer queries, and reply instantly and accurately making customers feel welcomed and valued.

2. Promotions and marketing

WhatsApp business platform can use WhatsApp messaging for automated reminders and notifications. These could be product launches, discounts, bill due dates, abandoned carts popups, etc. Business account owners can schedule such activities and make sure that WhatsApp users always stay informed and engaged.

3. Sales and orders

WhatsApp Business can be used to help customers with their purchasing decisions. Businesses can provide product information, answer questions, and even facilitate transactions directly through the platform.

4. Feedback collection

Through features like surveys and polls, you can gather insights directly from your customers to inform future business decisions and improve your offerings.

You can use the app’s basic features to set up WhatsApp messaging for your business. However, if you need more options for better results, consider using Chatfuel. Chatfuel is a no-code AI-powered automation platform that enables businesses to automate the entire cycle of interactions with leads and clients and covers all use cases mentioned above.

From lead generation and qualification to post-sales communications, upselling, and re-engagement, Chatfuel handles your WhatsApp communications, so that you can focus on strategic goals and business development. Claim your free trial to explore Chatfuel’s capabilities for your WhatsApp business account.

Future trends and developments

Among the future trends in WhatsApp Business messaging is the expansion of WhatsApp Business API functionality to accommodate the needs of big enterprises in terms of business messaging. Taking into consideration the growing requirements to security, WhatsApp Business messages would require better end-to-end encryption and enhanced privacy settings. Also, the rise of conversational AI will keep influencing the way brands interact with customers.

Conclusion

The use cases for WhatsApp Business messaging are endless and all of them are aimed at engaging with WhatsApp users, building long-term relations, and acquiring loyal customers. The robust operation of WhatsApp messaging apps makes them the top choice for users worldwide as well as for brands who can build golden-standard customer-brand relations with the help of WhatsApp business platform.