Top 5 reasons to use WhatsApp as a brand communication channel
There are numerous reasons we think you should start using WhatsApp to communicate with your customers. Here’s our top 5.
- Send alerts, reminders, and notifications at scale and with ease, including rich content like videos, imagery or attachments.
- Deliver a better customer experience through real-time conversations.
- Improve customer service levels, which in turn delivers greater loyalty and customer retention.
- End-to-end encryption, along with a verified business account, makes WhatsApp one of the most secure customer communication channels.
- Your customers probably already have the app installed and they’re familiar with it!
WhatsApp for Business USPs
You might be wondering what makes WhatsApp so special and sets it apart from other channels of communications. Here are three things that make WhatsApp in a league of its own…
2-way messaging
With WhatsApp, you can have conversations with customers in an instant. And within those conversations, you have the ability to send and receive rich content such as images, PDF files, QR codes, help and support videos, and much more – allowing you to quickly provide customers with what they need.
Powerful personalisation
WhatsApp allows you to create highly-targeted and personalised communications by including valuable custom data fields, which can be anything from name to location, or even previous buying history. And with WhatsApp’s 4,065 character-limit, you have greater opportunity to include more information, quickly and easily.
Engage, convert, and support
When customer service is streamlined, operating expenses often shrink. In fact, Gartner has predicted that by 2025 40% of customer service will go from a major organisational expense to a significant profit driver as direct messaging streamlines sales pipelines.
The majority of your customers will probably already be using WhatsApp. You can reach and talk to them in real time, and you can provide your customer service or sales agents with the contextual communication they need to engage, support, and convert.
WhatsApp for travel brands
Imagine the following scenario…
Julie has just booked with a travel company for a summer getaway. She receives her booking confirmation on WhatsApp and quickly forwards the message to her group chat of friends, asking who else is coming. The message also informs her that she hasn’t yet confirmed a seat for the flight and that she can do so by simply replying.
A few weeks before the trip, Julie receives a message on WhatsApp with tips and ideas on places to visit, restaurants, things to do at her holiday location. Once again, she shares the message with her group chat, and it inspires one of her friends to be a last-minute tag along.
A few days before the flight, Julie receives a WhatsApp message with her boarding pass attached for easy access when she arrives at the airport. She replies to the message which terminal her flight is leaving from and receives an instant reply.
From booking confirmation to content push and rich, two-way communication, WhatsApp is an ideal channel for travel brands looking to make that next step transformation in how they communicate with customers.
WhatsApp for healthcare brands
Let’s imagine that a healthcare organisation is launching a new campaign that aims to contribute to a reduction in the level of childhood obesity, one which encourages and supports families to adopt more a healthier lifestyle.
Andrew signs up to the programme. He takes a quiz which determines the segment he falls into, and an initial message is sent, welcoming him.
Over the next couple of months, a series of messages is shared with Andrew, including:
- Motivational content
- Healthy tips
- Challenges
- Opportunities to track his progress
On top of this, and as part of his journey to a healthier lifestyle, Andrew receives regular WhatsApp messages that offer a gentle nudge to encourage him to stick to the plan.
WhatsApp for insurance brands
We’re back with our old friend, Julie.
Soon after she returns from holiday, Julie’s car insurance is due for renewal. She receives an email from her car insurance provider informing her of the renewal price, a link to review her new policy documents, and details on how to renew. Julie likes the renewal price and clicks through to renew her insurance.
24 hours after Julie renews her policy, she receives a WhatsApp message thanking her for renewing, provider her with a quick-access link to her policy documents, and an offer of 25% off breakdown cover if it’s taken out before the start date of the policy. Julie hasn’t got breakdown cover, so she decides to add it on.
On the day when Julie’s new insurance policy begins, she receives a WhatsApp message reminding her that, as her policy renews today, she also now has access to breakdown cover, should the need arise. The phone number for the breakdown service is provided within the message, as well as details on how she can contact them through WhatsApp if she prefers.
Getting started with WhatApp for business
So, as you can see, there are a myriad of reasons and use cases for brands across all manner of industries to start using WhatsApp as a customer communications channel.
With WhatsApp for business, your organisation has the opportunity to break down barriers with customers by communicating in real time, offering them a quick, valuable service that will ultimately lead to an improved brand experience.
Organisations that engage their customers via channels like WhatsApp will be better positioned to build stronger customer relationships which will ultimately reap rewards in terms of repeat sales and long-term customer loyalty.
Our team, along with our WhatsApp partner Dotdigital, has multiple years' experience setting up communications programmes for both marketing and service.
With over 17 years' experience in business messaging and APIs, Dotdigital is an industry leader and the first and only carbon neutral marketing automation platform. They offer the support and knowledge base required to handle message volumes from one to millions and offer excellent stability to our clients.
Keen to know more and get started? Just get in touch with our expert marketing activation team!
