How to Use WhatsApp for Your Automobile Business
The automobile industry is rapidly growing and requires efficient advertising methods to reach its audience. WhatsApp can be an effective tool for promoting vehicle models and accessories. It allows businesses to communicate with potential customers, build meaningful customer relationships, increase conversion and retention rates, and drive more sales.
Nowadays, if you’re running an automobile business, WhatsApp should be an integral part of your marketing strategy. For the sake of giving you the most helpful advice on how to craft your WhatsApp promotional messages, I’m going to assume you already have a WhatsApp Business account. However, if you need more information on WhatsApp Business, read these articles:
- How to get started on the WhatsApp Business app
- What Is the WhatsApp Business API?
- The difference between WhatsApp Business app and WhatsApp Business Platform/API
How to enhance your WhatsApp marketing strategy?
Set up a Business profile
Your Business profile is what customers see when they search for your brand on WhatsApp. A business profile lets you establish a formal business presence on the app. It gives your customers important information about your business, such as your brand name, description, address, business hours, and category.
Set up automated greeting and away messages
Customers expect a quick response when they message you on WhatsApp. Not only will this handy feature increase customer engagement, but it will also enable you to automatically respond to messages outside of business hours.
Collect opt-ins
WhatsApp has stringent rules about business messaging. To avoid spam, WhatsApp requires that the customers you interact with opt-in to receive your messages.
It is imperative to only send messages to customers who opted in, as sending messages without permission violates WhatsApp’s Business policy. If multiple customers report your business for unwanted messaging, WhatsApp may restrict or completely ban your account.
To increase opt-ins, invite users to click to opt into your campaign through Facebook, Instagram, and your website.
More importantly, if you use the WhatsApp Business app, your clients would have to have your number saved into their phone’s address books. Otherwise, they won’t be able to receive your messages.
Use WhatsApp Broadcasts
WhatsApp Broadcast is a feature that allows you to send a message, an image, a video, or a document to multiple customers at once. Marketers and business owners see an enormous value in this feature, as it helps them reach a much greater audience of potential customers.
A broadcast message appears as a private chat between a WhatsApp Business account and its customers. If the recipients respond to the broadcast message, it will come in an individual chat.
Set up a Catalog
Product Catalog is a handy feature that allows you to display your car models into your WhatsApp Business profile. Customers can browse through your catalog, include an item from the catalog into their message when they want to ask a question about that particular model, or share it with their friends.
Catalogs are a great way to keep your customers engaged without having to direct them to visit your website. It keeps the conversation open and gives you more possibilities to build a relationship with your customers.
Craft your promotional messages that deliver a personal touch
Use WhatsApp to send promotional messages to existing and potential customers interested in your business or specific car models. Once a customer visits your showroom and you learn their interests, send them relevant information about the car models they are interested in. You can also use WhatsApp to send information about new models, promotions, or special offers.
Be conversational
The success of WhatsApp relies on conversations. Here are some texting tips to keep your messages conversational:
- Include emojis
- Use contractions (“don’t” instead of. “do not”)
- Avoid complex words (jargon)
- Ask questions
- Add humor
Craft short messages
Make sure your messages are short and to the point. People don’t have the time and patience to read long messages. Consider what your customers want to learn and serve them the right information.
Share videos and images
Use WhatsApp to share videos and images of your products or dealership. These types of files can help potential customers better understand what you offer and help you stand out from the competition.
Find more information on what types of messages you can send via WhatsApp in this article: “WhatsApp message types and use cases.”
Add a WhatsApp chat widget to your website
A WhatsApp widget is a pop-up chat window on your website, providing an easy way for your clients to chat with your business via WhatsApp. All you need is to paste a javascript code onto your website to use this feature. Feel free to use our free widget generator and create your own.
WhatsApp widgets offer customization options. You can add additional channels for various messaging platforms (such as Messenger, Instagram, etc.), a welcome message, and a call-to-action button. These additional features help increase engagement with your visitors, and gets them closer to chatting with you on WhatsApp.
Take advantage of the Status feature
WhatsApp Status allows you to share quick updates with your audiences, such as text, photos, videos, and GIFs. These updates will disappear after 24 hours, similar to Instagram stories. Use this feature to create attractive flyers, videos, and graphics promoting your business and car models.
Improve user experience with helpful content and meaningful messages
The key to WhatsApp marketing success is finding the perfect balance between messages aimed at increasing sales and offering helpful information your customers will benefit from. Not only will this type of interaction increase your sales and customer engagement, but it will also improve customer loyalty and retention. Here’s a list of ideas to develop your WhatsApp content and marketing strategy:
- Advertise vehicles and special offers
- Quickly answer customer queries
- Schedule viewings and test drives
- Book sales or service appointments
- Sent appointment reminders
- Market new cars with photos and videos
- Advertise promotions
- Offer after-sales assistance
- Offer helpful tips
- Get customer feedback
Use WhatsApp Business Platform/API for better conversions
If you want to unlock the full potential of WhatsApp Business, you can try WhatsApp Business Platform/API, the more advanced version of WhatsApp Business. You can use one of two API options: WhatsApp Cloud API, which can be acquired directly from Meta, or WhatsApp Business API, available through third-party services called Business Solution Providers.
The WhatsApp Business Platform offers superior features compared to the WhatsApp Business mobile app, such as a shared team inbox, advanced broadcast campaigns, complex automations and chatbot building, and more. There is also no limit on the number of teammates and devices that can work simultaneously.
If you want to learn more about the different possibilities of the app and the API, read our article:
“The difference between WhatsApp Business app and WhatsApp Business Platform/API.”
It’s important to note here that WhatsApp Business Platform/API doesn’t have a user interface, so to use it, you need a third-party tool such as Rasayel, a communication platform built for WhatsApp.
Ideas for customer retention via a superior customer experience
An exceptional customer experience is crucial for keeping your customers happy and loyal to your brand. If you want to go beyond the regular interactions with your customers to make sure they feel heard, appreciated, understood, and valued, consider integrating these ideas into your marketing strategy.
Use personalized communication with your customers
If you use WhatsApp Business Platform/API, you’d have to use message templates to initiate a conversation with your customers. Templates have placeholders and variables that you can fill in with data relevant to your customers.
Increase engagement with interactive message templates
Interactive WhatsApp message templates give your customers options of answers or actions to take by tapping on their desired option in the message. These templates can provide the recipients with either call-to-action or quick reply buttons.
Call-to-action buttons to let your customers call a number or visit a website.
Quick reply buttons to give your customers up to 3 answers they can choose from.
Offer customer support via WhatsApp
Use WhatsApp to provide customer support to current and potential customers. This can be a quick and easy way for customers to get the information they need and can help build trust and loyalty.
Deploy a WhatsApp chatbot to handle common queries
Normally, customers visit dealers or contact call centers with limited hours to ask questions about color options, engines, quotes, or other details. Interacting with a WhatsApp chatbot will allow them to explore all available options and submit their requests directly through the app.
Conversational AI can interact with visitors and respond to their queries as a customer service agent in a matter of seconds. A chatbot can guide your car shoppers, collect customer details, recommend vehicles based on their preferences, and help them compare models. And if the bot finds that the customer is genuinely interested, it can even attract them with catchy conversations and exciting deals to book a test drive, which it can schedule in a minute.
For example, the WhatsApp chatbot helped Nissan KSA generate over 5,000 leads since its introduction as part of Nissan’s marketing strategy. Nissan can already attribute 32 cars sold, and considering just the increased car sales alone, that’s 34 times the ROI from the initial investment achieved in about six months.
Source: Facebook
Here’s a list of benefits of having a chatbot for your automobile business:
- 24/7 assistance
- Automatic service scheduling
- Boost lead generation
- Personalize support
- Deliver the right content at the right time
- Qualify leads
Offer roadside assistance via WhatsApp
By integrating the roadside assistance service directly through WhatsApp, you can provide effective and immediate solutions to your customers facing trouble on the road, giving them peace of mind that help is only a click away.
Recommendations for safety in traffic can also be helpful to promote your automotive business and, at the same time, give vital information to users.
Invite customers to check vehicles before going on holiday
You can create a broadcast campaign with a message template designed to remind customers to check their cars before they start their long holiday or summer trips. This can be done at different times of the year, even several times, whether there are holidays or long weekends.
Remind customers it’s time to change tires before the winter season
Design a message template to remind your customers when it’s time to switch from summer to snow tires. This campaign’s focus should be the vehicles’ safety and proper functioning.
Check out WhatsApp Message Templates
Wrapping up
Using WhatsApp to build and nurture customer relationships can be what separates you from your competitors. You can grow your business, improve customer experience, and increase your profit with conversational sales. Feel free to copy the templates I included in the article or craft your own that suit your brand.
If you’d like to learn more about how WhatsApp can help you grow your business, please reach out to us on WhatsApp at +13024070488.
We also offer a free consultation session where we review your use case, answer any questions about WhatsApp, and help you build a strategy to make the best out of the platform. Book a call with us here. We’d love to speak with you:
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Miodrag brings over 15 years of hands-on experience in content writing and marketing, with a talent for making even the trickiest topics clear and interesting. His passion lies in guiding businesses to effectively utilize WhatsApp to build stronger customer relationships and drive results. With an eye for detail and a heart for storytelling, he’s here to show how effective WhatsApp communication can boost sales and enhance customer engagement.
