WhatsApp exceeds one billion active users a day. These data reflect the notoriety of the application and also make it possible to think that this instant messaging app can be a good platform to implement a marketing strategy .
But … can you do digital marketing in this application? The answer is yes. Marketing on WhatsApp is a strategy that more and more companies use to carry out promotions, customer loyalty campaigns, to promote corporate communication, etc.

Without a doubt, it is a growing marketing trend due to its low cost and the good results it can bring to companies .
Next, we invite you to discover everything about WhatsApp Marketing: what it is, advantages, how to create a strategy, success stories and some tips to put it to good use.

What is WhatsApp Marketing?

WhatsApp Marketing, as its name suggests, is a marketing strategy that is carried out through this mobile application. This strategy is to take advantage of one of its main features: instant messages .
Normally, WhatsApp Marketing strategies include these types of actions: communication with the audience and sending valuable content.
This mobile application was originally not intended to develop marketing strategies. However, its great success among small, medium and large companies pushed the company to launch a more commercial version: WhatsApp Business , an App that facilitates interactions with the audience , which offers tools to automate WhatsApp, organize and respond quickly. to messages from the audience.

Differences between private Whatsapp and Business

At first glance, both applications are practically the same. However, Whatsapp Business also includes:

Professional profile

Whatsapp Business allows you to edit the profile at a more advanced level and define the main characteristics of your business , such as: name, type and description of the business, address, hours, website, email, etc.

Automation

This version allows you to create automated responses , to respond to your customers without having to respond yourself. Its automated messages include:

• Welcome message: This message is used when a user writes to us for the first time.

• Absence message: This message is sent when a user contacts us outside of the business hours that we have defined.

• Quick responses : These are predefined messages that we can configure in the tool to offer simple responses such as a farewell message.

Measurement

Whatsapp Business offers an analytics section, where it includes performance metrics of our marketing actions.

Advantages of marketing on WhatsApp

The advantages of marketing on WhatsApp are the following:

Trust

The user usually trusts the application and the advertising content they receive through it, especially if they have the sender saved in their contact list. Therefore, on many occasions, the campaigns carried out on WhatsApp are only made with those users who have the company in their contacts, with the aim of increasing effectiveness.

Frequency of use

The frequency of use of WhatsApp is undoubtedly much higher than that of other mobile applications. Think about it! How many times do you use Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn …? And WhatsApp? It is unquestionable that the frequency of use is much higher in this last App.

Little competition

Although every day more companies use this App to implement their marketing strategy, they are still few. The competition with respect to other platforms is very low and this can make your strategy gain a lot of strength.

Checking success

We can check the success of sending the content thanks to the double blue check and the success of the campaign thanks to user responses. Compared to other platforms and applications, measuring the success of the strategy on WhatsApp is quite simple.

Wide variety of formats

The application allows the sending of content in different formats: from videos (WhatsApp video marketing), gifs, images, promotional texts, etc.

How to make a marketing strategy for WhatsApp?

Follow these steps to create a WhatsApp marketing strategy:

1 . Create one basis of data

Creating a database is vital to implement any marketing strategy. It would not be less on WhatsApp! It is important that this database is segmented so that the different types of clients are very clear when it comes to campaigning.

2. Define the strategy and the message

What campaign are you going to carry out? What is your goal? How are you going to communicate? Are you going to create groups? Work on the strategy and the message the time you need because it is key in WhatsApp Marketing. Seek to impact to promote the dissemination of the message and that the users themselves promote your campaign.

3. Select the visual or audiovisual support

It is time to select the images or videos that will accompany the text message. You can send multimedia content that facilitates communication with the user. Furthermore, this content tends to be more successful with the audience.

4. Send

You can now send the campaign. Sending can be done manually, that is, contact to contact, or in bulk using some platforms, for example: Whatsapp Marketing or Massyphone, among others. The selection of one shipping method or another will depend on the number of recipients.

Examples of successful WhatsApp marketing campaigns

Some large companies have carried out effective marketing and sales on WhatsApp. We show you some examples of successful campaigns:

Absolut Vodka

Absolut created a very innovative campaign on WhatsApp. The campaign was to promote Absolut Unique limited edition bottles in Argentina. The company decided to hold an exclusive party that only two people from the public could attend . To select these users, they had to convince an imaginary gorilla named Sven by WhatsApp, through messages or audios.
A very successful campaign that generated thousands of messages, images and audios that positively impacted the community!

Toyota

The Japanese car brand Toyota implemented a WhatsApp marketing strategy to give greater visibility to its Aygo model . The campaign was called ‘Ligate an Aygo’ and consisted of trying to seduce the new car model through instant messaging on WhatsApp. To encourage participation, 20 short videos were made. Users used original and ingenious photos, videos and texts to win the contest. Participating users entered a draw for an Aygo.

Agent Provocateur

Agent Provocateur knows well how to do WhatsApp marketing. The company uses the mobile application to offer its best customers up-to-date information on news and events taking place in its stores . In addition, they use the chat to solve doubts to the clients in a private way.
A few years ago, the company launched the world’s first WhatsApp Ménage à Trois as part of its Christmas campaign. It consisted of an interactive video focused on women and their duality, and sought to guide them to their “naughty or good side”.
The aim of the campaign was to invite women and their partners to interact with an AP agent in the same WhatsApp conversation to help them discover their Christmas wish list and suggest the corresponding items from Agent Provocateur’s Christmas collection that best adapt to your personality.

Mayonnaise Hellmann’s

Hellmann’s is another of the companies that opted to carry out campaigns on WhatsApp. As it did? First of all, in order not to be intrusive and to increase the effectiveness of the campaign, he invited his target audience to share their phone number on the website. Once he had the phone numbers, in order to personalize his campaign, he sent exclusive and innovative recipes made by his best chefs to that audience through the App . This is undoubtedly an innovative and personalized WhatsApp Marketing campaign.

Oviedo Taxi

Ricard García, the founder of Taxi Oviedo knew how to take advantage of this application to grow his business. He realized that WhatsApp was a perfect channel to communicate directly with his clients, and he was also able to verify that once clients introduce you to their agenda you can start to make loyalty strategies through discounts and other offers at specific times .

Tips to make the most of Whatsapp Marketing

Here are some tips for you to make the most of WhatsApp Marketing:

1. Serve customers in real time

To improve your after-sales service, it is recommended that you use WhatsApp to serve your customers in real time. Even to improve the pre-sale service, solving possible doubts. The perfect chat for a customer loyalty strategy!

2. Use groups appropriately

WhatsApp allows groups to be made, so make them and use them correctly. You can create groups to organize events, to answer questions about a product or service, etc.

3. Generate attractive messages

Create good, short, clear and well-written business texts. It is advisable that these texts go in the same message, that is, that you send them separated in paragraphs instead of sending them in different messages, with the aim that users only come across a notification.

4. Take advantage of multimedia content

Take advantage of multimedia content and accompany your texts with images, videos, gifs, emojis, etc. They will help make your campaign much more visual and dynamic!

5. Use all the functions that the App allows you

To carry out successful WhatsApp campaigns use all the WhatsApp tools, for example: put a good profile picture, send exact location so that users know where your business is located, make use of WhatsApp status (similar to Instagram stories because they can only be viewed for 24 hours), automate WhatsApp to respond to clients, etc.
Do you want to carry out a digital marketing campaign on WhatsApp? At Ydoxy we help you. Our team of digital marketing specialists will help you implement a favorable strategy for your business in one of the most widely used applications worldwide.
Can WhatsApp be used to promote your business? The answer is yes. The impact that can be achieved using an appropriate WhatsApp marketing plan is very high. Virtually everyone has installed and uses the application, the key to marketing through this application is that they do not consider you SPAM and that it is an advertising strategy that interests the user. Do you want to learn how to do WhatsApp Marketing

Advantages of advertising by WhatsApp or using it as a Marketing tool

• The recipient of the message will trust the advertising content if they have the sender in their contact list . So it is essential to try to promote the product or service with people who have us on the contact list and if not, you can try to communicate our promotional intentions without seeming to be SPAM or that we do not care about your opinion as a customer or that we simply want to send an advertising link and nothing else, that the advertising has quality value and content.

• Checking the impact of the advertising message: Thanks to the famous blue double check or two blue ticks that let you know if the other person has read the message. You can use this feature to check the arrival of our campaign message by message.

• Frequency of use: Users of social networks tend to enter Instagram , Twitter, Facebook a few times , but instead … how many times do we enter WhatsApp? Hundreds a day, is the social network that most people use and the one that we enter the most at the end of the day. We can organize the campaign as we want and whenever we want they will always read our message if it is carried out without appearing to be spam and has adequate content.

How to do WhatsApp Marketing?

• Create a database : A suitable database in which we indicate what type of message has been sent, to whom and how it has been done will be essential to avoid overwhelming customers and not sending SPAM.

• WhatsApp as a company spokesperson : Create a group or a mailing list to function as a corporate communication platform or a kind of business spokesperson. News, news and offers are communicated to the most frequent clients.

• Communication through the state prevails : Use the state of WhatsApp to spread something striking or important at the corporate level. Whether it is an event, an important campaign or an activity, service or product that comes onto the market.

• Clear vision of the corporate image : The profile photo must have the corporate logo or an image that perfectly represents and identifies the company and its values ​​or philosophy.

• Decide what you want to use this application for : just to launch promotions and offers? How customer service? To collect claims and suggestions? It is also not advisable to use this application for any type of corporate communication, decide and choose which area of ​​marketing you want to focus on using your WhatsApp account.

• Spread audiovisual content : Make infographics, corporate images, gifs and especially videos that you can distribute through the most numerous groups you have so that the impact of the advertisement, promotion or new product has no end.

Examples of Whatsapp Marketing campaigns

Toyota

In 2012 it was one of the first major companies to use a very creative marketing strategy through the app. With the help of the advertising agency Medialabs, they devised a disruptive campaign: they offered to enter a draw for five iPhones weekly to those who change their WhatsApp status to hybridized and register on their website. 33,000 visits and more than 6,500 registered users in just one month. A complete advertising success through a channel that no one used.

Jaguar

Again Medialabs developed a campaign (contest) through WhatsApp to attract new customers for the wildest car brand. This campaign asked users to change their profile picture for an image of the new Jaguar model to enter the contest.

Pringles

Together with the agencies Buzz and RMG they launched a contest that offered 1,000 a month to the user who launched the best creative message about Pringles using the WhatsApp icons.

WhatsApp Business or WhatsApp for companies

If in recent years companies have already offered mobile phone numbers to serve customers via WhatsApp or offer promotions or discounts, in September WhatsApp confirmed that the verification of companies’ WhatsApp accounts is implemented.The service aims to connect users with companies and its launch will be limited to a specific number of companies until it is tested and launched for all those who request it.
Companies will have an independent app to manage this new WhatsApp service (it will come in stores with a logo with a B for Business).

How is the App and how does it work?

The application has a style and design similar to the “mother” app. The key to the application is the Statistics section in which the number of messages sent, those that have been received and those that have been read will be revealed to the company.
Each business will have a profile in which the identity can be verified, covering practical company data and available offers.
The app allows you to configure automatic responses for consumers who contact the account at a specific time.
Customers can accept or block conversations in the same way as in the WhatsApp application.

How to manage the two applications on the phone?

• Simply download the WhatsApp Business application on a mobile in which you do not want to use it for personal communications.

• Register the WhatsApp Business application on a phone with another mobile number to be able to use the two applications differently. In addition, the same action can also be performed requesting that the number associated with the application be a landline telephone.

• Simply use a mobile for each application.

With this new feature , transparency in corporate communication and business advertising between company and client is facilitated and the possible SPAM that companies spread with the sole objective of bombarding clients of this famous app with advertising is avoided.

Can they delete your WhatsApp account for misuse?

An improper use of a WhatsApp account can cause your account to be deleted, among the cases that can cause it we find: spreading false and pornographic content, impersonating another person, spreading computer viruses and finally and the one that interests us, the “exaggerated” promotion of a business or company (SPAM).

Tools that facilitate the programming of messages or campaigns via WhatsApp

• Massyphone and WhatsappMarketing : They have a multitude of options and services that allow the sending of massive messages and scheduling through segmented lists. They also serve as a WhatsApp manager for customer service management.

• WhatsDog : A kind of “spy” or user controller. It allows you to discover the hours in which our contacts connect to WhatsApp and thus better segment the campaigns.

If you are one of those who follow the trends in Marketing and want to train as a Community or Social Media Manager , you can already consult our Master in Digital Marketing and Social Media where you will work closely on the cases that companies face today.

WhatsApp Marketing ideas that you can apply in your company

Why do WhatsApp marketing ? Easy, allows you to reach audiences that by age or lifestyle are outside other channels.
Because you use WhatsApp constantly. But not only you. Also your mother, your aunt in town, that friend who does not have Instagram or the one who runs away from all social networks. And that is the main strength of marketing through WhatsApp .
Its current owner, Mark Zuckerberg, knows this. And you have already taken the first step to introduce advertising on WhatsApp .
The states will include an advertising message in 2020 (although, to be honest, does anyone in United States pay attention to the states?).
Also, you don’t need to wait. There are already other ways of doing digital marketing on WhatsApp, adding value to the user.

How to do WhatsApp Marketing?

Brands have always been present on the platform. For example, when we recommend a cream to a friend or send an article about wines.
But, ‘WhatsApp for companies’ also makes it easier for them to be an active part of the conversation. How? Providing them with an application to send mass messages by WhatsApp .
In the case of small businesses, the conversation takes place, even without the professional version.
Now, getting users’ phone numbers is not an easy task. And, once obtained, a poorly planned WhatsApp marketing action can be invasive and cause rejection.
How to do marketing on WhatsApp without falling into it? To find the balance, start by looking at the marketing strategies on WhatsApp of other brands.

3 examples of customer service by WhatsApp

One of the utilities of the messaging service is to be one more channel of CRM (Customer Relationship Management).
If you think of small businesses, neighborhood hairdressers, driving schools or physical therapists who book appointments on WhatsApp come to mind, or notify you if there is a cancellation.
But in the largest companies, we also find examples of WhatsApp Marketing along these lines …

1. Marta Cerámica

The company itself points to this business as a good example of the use of WhatsApp Business in small companies.
It is a ceramic workshop in Madrid that answers questions and makes reservations through the platform.

2. The KLM airline

It was one of the first to integrate ‘WhatsApp for companies’ in its CRM platform. A channel to which the company’s social networks and the use of chatbots in the marketing strategy are added .
This allows you, among other things, to report on the status of flights or send tickets via WhatsApp.

3. The Accor hotel chain

Clients of these hotels in the United Kingdom or Ireland receive, along with their room key, a telephone number with which they can communicate via WhatsApp.
This allows them, for example, to book a restaurant, request clean towels or order dinner from room service through this channel.

4 examples of sales and marketing through WhatsApp

1. ‘Whatscook’, one of the best examples of campaigns on WhatsApp

It is one of the most original WhatsApp marketing campaigns that have been done so far. And he is already over 5 years old!
The Cubocc agency originally designed this WhatsApp campaign for the Hellman’s mayonnaise brand in Brazil. And later he also put it into practice in Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Paraguay.
What was this WhatsApp marketing campaign? Users who had signed up on the Whatscook website could send a photo of the contents of their fridge and a professional chef would propose a personalized recipe via WhatsApp and guide them in the process.
The only requirement was, of course, to use the brand’s mayonnaise in the preparation.

2. YOOX Net-a-porter (YNAP)

How to do WhatsApp marketing in the world of retail ? Personalized selling is another of the most interesting opportunities. And there are already good examples of effective marketing and sales by WhatsApp in this area.
Among others, that of one of the largest luxury fashion ecommerce stores. After the merger of YOOX and Net-a-porter, the company was one of the first to bet on it.
In fact, for a few years now, he has been using WhatsApp as a sales or communication channel between his personal shoppers and his VIP clients. And that it has recognized that higher volume sales have come from conversations with customers via WhatsApp.
The data mining is a key element in this strategy. Thanks to it, your personal shoppers have access to an interface that shows them a complete customer profile.
They know, for example, their size, what clothes or accessories they usually buy, what colors they like or what brands they prefer. And so they can offer personalized recommendations and create a relevant experience for the potential buyer.

3. Ana House

Compared to the millionaire figures of Yoox Net-a-porter, Casa Ana is a neighborhood place with much more modest numbers. But a great example of how to do WhatsApp marketing can help businesses of any size.
In fact, in his case he has been doing it for more than 5 years. How? This small Jaén establishment increased the sale of snacks to young people in the educational centers of the area by providing a WhatsApp number to order them minutes before recess.
In this way, queues are avoided. Owners can advance orders and sell more snacks, and kids don’t waste their recess time waiting.

4. Holidayguru, WhatsApp marketing through alerts

Holidayguru is a page where you can find great offers for your getaways.
The idea arose from the chat between two passionate travel friends. Today it has become a German company present in several European countries.
Also United States, where its WhatsApp marketing strategy translates into alerts. That is, notices with last minute deals so that they do not escape you.
For example, flights at 80 cents … Information that adds value to the user and, therefore, does not cause rejection.

Show and sell your products on WhatsApp

The company has recently announced a new functionality for WhatsApp Business that will allow companies to incorporate their product catalog into the application.
In this way, users will have access to the photographs, prices and descriptions of each of them without leaving the messaging service.
This will prevent small businesses from having to copy, paste, and send the same links and data over and over again. They will be able to focus on advising their clients in a personalized way.
In this way, WhatsApp Business will become a more fluid and efficient communication channel. But also in a purchasing channel with a very high market penetration.
The option is already available in Germany, the United Kingdom or the United States, among others. And it will be reaching more countries in the coming months, so stay tuned. It can be an incredible opportunity to increase sales.

Are you considering doing WhatsApp Marketing?

Whether to create a specific campaign or to develop a new sales or customer service channel, at Ydoxy we can help you identify the profile you need the most in your team in just a few days. Contact us without obligation.