Top 5 WhatsApp Marketing Ideas + 5 Successful Campaign Examples
Let’s talk about marketing on WhatsApp. With platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Viber, marketing and advertising products is a straightforward thing. But what about WhatsApp? Since its launch in 2009, WhatsApp has remained ad-free. The rule still stands, even now, when Meta owns the messaging app.
So, are we wrong to say that WhatsApp is a great tool for marketing and promotion? Not at all! WhatsApp has a 97% open rate - higher than any other social media platform. If you only message customers who opted in to receive your messages and respect WhatsApp’s Business messaging policy, it can be quite an effective tool for marketing.
In this article, we’ll cover five simple but effective WhatsApp marketing ideas and share a few real-world marketing campaign examples that made it big.
1. Promote Exclusive Offers & Discounts
Who doesn’t love a good deal? Exclusive discounts and special offers through WhatsApp make your customers feel valued and encourage them to take action. You can create a sense of urgency by making these offers time-limited or exclusive to WhatsApp subscribers.
2. Announce Product Launches
Got a new product or service? Announce it first on WhatsApp and let your customers know that they get the first look before everyone else! This will make them feel valued and can increase their loyalty, boost engagement, and increase your sales. Here’s how to do it, the right way:
Share personalized content
Personalization is key in using WhatsApp for marketing. It offers a unique opportunity to deliver tailored content directly to your audience. Take the time to segment your audience. Identify who would be most interested in your new product or service. This applies to both existing customers and potential leads.
By targeting these segments with tailored messages, you increase the chances of engagement and conversion. For example, offer exclusive early access to loyal customers or special launch discounts to new leads.
Craft engaging marketing messages
Your WhatsApp message should be simple & grab attention immediately.
- Start with a compelling headline, such as “Our New Product Has Arrived!”.
- Follow this up with a brief description highlighting the product features & benefits.
- Finally, add a clear call to action, directing people to take a specific step. This can be anything from visiting your website to signing up for a demo or purchasing the product.
Send broadcast campaigns
Use the WhatsApp broadcast feature to send your announcement to multiple contacts. Don’t forget to get your message templates approved by WhatsApp beforehand. Notify your agents about the upcoming campaign, so that they’re ready to engage with customers on WhatsApp.
If you expect a lot of customers to respond to your message, set up a WhatsApp chatbot to take care of the initial conversations, before assigning leads to agents.
Additionally, consider using WhatsApp Status to post a teaser before the launch and a full announcement on the day of the release.
3. Include Videos in Your Strategy
Videos are a fantastic way to capture attention and communicate your message quickly. Whether it’s a quick demo, a customer testimonial, or a behind-the-scenes look at your brand, videos can make your message more engaging and help it stand out.
Consider using an online video editor with robust features such as AI video generators and AI voice generators to create personalized and high-quality visual content that resonates with your audience.
4. Send Reminders & Automated Follow Up Messages
Sometimes, people just need a little nudge. Use WhatsApp to send reminders about upcoming events, appointments, or even abandoned carts. Make sure your reminders are friendly and helpful, rather than pushy, to maintain a positive relationship with your audience.
Use automated workflows for follow-ups. If you use Rasayel, you can set up a sequence of messages with delays between each.
5. Get Creative With Content Types
Make the most out of WhatsApp. The platform offers tools and features you can use to connect with your audience in unique and engaging ways. Here’s how you can infuse creativity into your WhatsApp strategy:
Send interactive polls & surveys
Engage your audience by asking for their opinions or feedback. Polls and surveys can be a fun way to gather insights while making your customers feel involved in the product development process.
Share behind-the-scenes content
Share sneak peeks or behind-the-scenes content that makes your audience feel like insiders. This could include previews of upcoming products, a day in the life of your team, or how your product is made.
Gamify your offers
Create interactive games or challenges that encourage participation and reward winners with discounts or exclusive offers. This will help you boost engagement because it adds an element of fun to your marketing efforts.
Use WhatsApp emojis and GIFs
Add personality to your messages with emojis and GIFs. These can help convey emotions and make your communication feel more relatable and human.
Examples of Successful WhatsApp Marketing Campaigns
Ready for your next killer campaign? Need some inspiration? These brands have gone the extra mile to boost their profits, retain customers, and build their brand image with WhatsApp.
Omay Foods
A snack manufacturer from India, Omay Foods wanted an easy and human way to guide customers through ordering. The company also needed a convenient and quick method to communicate with retailers and wholesalers outside of email.
The company integrated a WhatsApp button into its website, Facebook Page, and Instagram profile making it easy for potential customers to ask questions and start conversations in just a few clicks. Additionally, Omay Foods integrated a product catalog into its Business profile to drive sales directly through the app. They used features like automated welcome messages and quick replies to boost engagement rates.
WhatsApp also became an important communication channel for driving repeat sales, as many of Omay Foods’ customers prefer to message the business directly in WhatsApp when they want to place a new order.
The company incentivized prospective customers to make their first purchase with discount coupons. This proved to be a winning approach to increasing conversions and customer loyalty.
From when the company launched WhatsApp, in March 2020, to April 2021, it saw:
- 5X increase in customer inquiries via WhatsApp compared to the previous email contact channel
- 3X increase in repeat customers via WhatsApp in April 2021 compared to March 2020
- 5X increase in sales for retail channels in April 2021 compared to March 2020
Tata CLiQ
Tata CLiQ, the flagship digital commerce initiative of the India-based Tata Group, wanted to reach all customers who had opted to receive follow-up communications through its website. The company needed a dynamic and reliable communications channel to target more customers with personalized, relevant notifications.
To create custom messages and offerings for each shopper, Tata CLiQ teams looked at how the company interacted with consumers. While customers could opt-in to receive emails, SMS, and in-app push messages through the Tata CLiQ website, these conventional methods didn’t achieve the desired reach.
As a result, Tata CLiQ launched its WhatsApp channel in stages. The first stage involved sending push notifications through WhatsApp to let customers know when their order had shipped and provided them with transaction numbers. The speed and ease of delivering messages via WhatsApp inspired Tata CLiQ teams to ramp up the second stage, which involved more sophisticated customer targeting and customization for high-volume sales days, such as Diwali and Black Friday.
Tata CLiQ teams created marketing campaigns that used data science insights to target a percentage of shoppers with custom messages based on their behavior on the Tata CLiQ website. These personalized messages for opted-in customers featured product recommendations based on a one-month browsing history, abandoned cart follow-up, price drop alerts for wish-listed products and welcome coupons for new users.
After launching customized notification campaigns across its communications channels, Tata CLiQ saw significant increases in customer engagement and purchases and tenfold ROI in two one-month campaigns through WhatsApp in October 2021.
- 10x greater ROI than email, in-app push notifications, and SMS messages
- $500,000 USD in sales in one month attributed to WhatsApp
- 57% clickthrough rate with WhatsApp
- 1.7x more likely that customers will purchase when using WhatsApp
Purple Panchi
This artisanal fashion boutique wanted to provide customers with secure, reliable, and scalable personalized communication and service while reducing customer support costs. At the same time, it wanted to add a second storefront on WhatsApp for an integrated customer experience that makes browsing and ordering even easier.
The company used the WhatsApp Business API to provide customers with a seamless shopping and service experience. Integrating the API with their Shopify platform allowed customers to browse and purchase products, ask questions, and receive notifications, all within the WhatsApp platform. This integration likely made it easier for customers to shop and interact with the company and allowed the company to automate many of its customer interactions.
Purple Panchi has achieved a 20 percent higher average order value for orders placed via WhatsApp than other channels. The customer support team also increased efficiency by 75 percent and reduced customer support costs by 80 percent.
Club Atlético Peñarol
Club Atlético Peñarol, one of the most popular sports clubs in Uruguay, needed to automate engagement to serve the large number of fans who reach out daily in personalized ways that align with the fast, responsive services the club’s passionate fans expect. When the COVID-19 pandemic impacted communities worldwide, the club looked to continue engaging fans and carrying out essential everyday activities such as holding board elections.
Club Atlético Peñarol sought a platform to automate conversations at a massive scale without sacrificing the personal connection that fans expect. Using the WhatsApp Business Platform, the club deployed a custom “Hey Now chatbot” that provides 24/7 responses to everyday questions and allows fans to connect to a service agent if necessary.
The transition to WhatsApp also enables Club Atlético Peñarol to engage fans even when they can’t attend games in person. Using WhatsApp helped the club sustain a remote workforce during the pandemic and drove an advance membership sales campaign when the stadiums were closed. The campaign generated $50,000 in sales through fan engagements on WhatsApp.
By adopting a customer service channel through the WhatsApp Business API, Club Atlético Peñarol has nurtured lifelong relationships with fans while decreasing call center volumes and associated service costs.
- 61% reduction in call center volumes by directing fans to WhatsApp
- 78% decrease in response times compared to traditional fan service outlets
- 96% of WhatsApp interactions don’t need live agent support
- $50,000 USD earned through one advanced membership sales campaign conducted via WhatsApp
KiKUU
KiKUU – an online shopping mall based in China and operating in 16 African countries – wanted to find an innovative way to engage customers and increase sales. With the prominence of WhatsApp usage in Africa and the variability of WhatsApp messaging features, it became an effective tool for them to boost sales and conversions.
KiKUU built a customized workflow and experience on the WhatsApp Business Platform/API. The brand created powerful campaigns to announce product sales for customers who had opted in to hear from KiKUU. By embedding a click-to-product-website button into the experience, customers could seamlessly click to the website and purchase.
With a high throughput of messages per second, KiKUU ran the first test campaign by sending WhatsApp push notifications to randomly selected opted-in customers. To compare performance with established channels, they sent the same messages to everyone else. The results were more than promising. Over one week, they saw that customers opened WhatsApp push notifications 70% more often than messages on other channels, leading to a 60% increase in sales.
Additionally, the KiKUU team observed a 45.4 percent increase in gross merchandise value and a 53.7 percent increase in daily active users.
Conclusion
These WhatsApp marketing ideas can help you connect with your audience on a personal level. With its high open rates and direct communication style, it’s a platform that can truly make your marketing efforts stand out.
Remember, the key is to keep your messages relevant, personalized, and respectful of your customers’ preferences. By doing so, you can build stronger relationships, drive more sales, and create a loyal customer base that looks forward to hearing from you on WhatsApp.
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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.
