As of 2022, WhatsApp has surpassed WeChat and Facebook Messenger to become the most popular mobile messenger app in the world at approximately two billion monthly active users. Part of the reason why WhatsApp is so widely used can be attributed to the app’s agility and adaptability to the needs of its users. Thus, it’s little wonder that marketers from many industries are choosing this platform to connect with their customers at scale.
WhatsApp marketing, as it is now widely called, is a type of marketing via social messaging, which promotes a brand through the WhatsApp app. Through the WhatsApp Business platform, marketers are able to set up digital catalogues and set automated responses that ensure better customer engagement and improve customer experience.
To provide better context on WhatsApp marketing, let’s look at some informational facts and stats. What are other things you should know about WhatsApp marketing?As one of the most used apps in the world, many customer segments are keeping WhatsApp very close to their everyday routine. This is an app that connects them to family, friends, work, social activities and more. Thus, it makes sense for marketers to capitalise on the platform to stay close to where their target audience is.
Behind just Facebook and Instagram, WhatsApp has become its own social media platform to share updates, connect with contacts, and keep abreast with the latest news. In countries like Malaysia, WhatsApp even ranks first and is currently the most-used social media app.
The user base is larger in Malaysia where the app surpasses the other two Meta giants: Facebook and Instagram to become the most-widely used social media platform in the country. At the same time, WhatsApp is the most popular messaging app compared to Facebook Messenger or Telegram.
Out of WhatsApp’s 2 billion users, 30 million of them use WhatsApp exclusively and no other social media platform. This can indicate an advantage WhatsApp marketing has over social media marketing, where the app allows wider reach to customers who are on WhatsApp but not on other social media channels like Facebook and Instagram, etc.
Marketers will follow where the crowd is, which can explain why businesses are downloading the app as well. WhatsApp Business is popular not just among Southeast Asian businesses, but also the rest of Asia and parts of Europe and North America. It provides the opportunity for businesses to have a far greater reach beyond their home base.
WhatsApp Business, especially when paired with intelligent conversational AI, makes it easier to create a personalised experience for customers, emulating a 1-on-1 conversation. This can help to streamline customer service and increase likelihood for sale.
There are many actions brands can take to get customers to buy from them over a competitor. But responsiveness ranks high over other factors such as social engagement and content creation. Responding to customer queries in a timely manner is the best way to get customers to buy from a brand over a competitor. Which is why WhatsApp marketing, powered by AI chatbot has become more useful nowadays.
With high usability in many key demographics, WhatsApp is set to become a mainstream channel for marketers to engage, inform, and delight their customers using better technology. WhatsApp Business offers a variety of features unique to its platform, including:
It is clear by now that WhatsApp marketing is beneficial for the modern business who wants to adopt a digital-first approach to marketing. What would be the next step to learn more about this powerful channel? Which solution is able to provide you with value-added services apart from the features mentioned above?With AiChat, your WhatsApp marketing efforts will be given a boost to include our WhatsApp Business API features such as:
Since its launch, WhatsApp has taken over market segments by the storm and transformed how everyday communication works. And seeing how useful and widely-used the app is, businesses and marketers are realising its benefits and opportunities to grow customer base and ultimately, revenue.
AiChat’s WhatsApp Business API is one of the best solutions for SMEs today to create a seamless customer experience. Explore our solutions catered for businesses of all sizes and across industries. Get started today!WhatsApp Chatbot - Guide to the WhatsApp Business API and Chatbot Integration Benefits