Did you know that whatsapp messages are opened twice as often as emails ?

What if Whatsapp became your main marketing channel ? At least, that's what statistics on message open rates on this application owned by Meta, Facebook's parent company, suggest. In fact, WhatsApp has been found to outperform e-mail in terms of open rates : around 90% of messages sent via WhatsApp are opened, compared with just 40% for e-mail messages. An open rate that could make any marketer dream…

Does this mean that Whatsapp is bound to become your main communication or marketing tool by tomorrow ?

Nothing is less certain. A number of factors need to be taken into account before relegating the good old e-mail to the marketing museum !

The figures. What do those opening rate figures mean? We're not always sure we're comparing the same thing. Messages received on Whatsapp generally come from friends and family. And very few from companies or brands. This may explain why messages are almost systematically opened, whereas messages received by e-mail may contain many more impersonal messages… less likely to be opened.

Then there's your target audience to consider. According to analysis by We Are Social and Hootsuite in 2022, around 32% of the world's population aged 13 and over uses WhatsApp every month. That's obviously huge when you consider that's over 2 billion users. And it's probably even bigger if we consider only modern countries (Europe, USA, etc…). But it also means that a very large part of the population doesn't use Whatsapp at all, or at least not on a daily basis. So it's best to make sure your main target has downloaded Mark Zuckerberg's messaging app… and is using it.

Secondly, the type of messages is very specific on the messaging system from the group behind Facebook. Like all messaging systems, Whatsapp is generally used for short, concise and informal messages. A bit like text messaging, in short. This means that Whatsapp has its own tone and codes, which you'd do well to heed. Long promotional messages written on Whatsapp by a brand or company are unlikely to interest users… or even annoy them. It's important to adapt messages to the medium and the target. If you have the right information (data…) to do so, you can use this messaging tool to, for example, send special offers to loyal customers, product recommendations to users who have shown previous interest, or information on local events to people in a specific geographical area…

But before embarking on Whatsapp marketing campaigns, there are two important points to bear in mind.

Firstly, the cost of Whatsapp campaigns can quickly prove more expensive than sending e-mails. WhatsApp Business API, which is used to send mass messages, is generally charged per message sent. In addition, when setting up a WhatsApp campaign, there may be initial set-up costs associated with configuring the API, systems integration, creating verified phone numbers or other technical requirements.

Secondly, and not insignificantly: It's important to comply with data protection regulations, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the European Union. Make sure you obtain the appropriate consent before sending marketing messages by e-mail or via messaging platforms such as WhatsApp. To do this, you need to set up a specific database obtained in the rules of the art…

That's why, today, the most regular use of Whatsapp in marketing terms is probably not adapting the classic newsletter technique to the messaging format to shoot promos. No, it's certainly more effective to use the specificities of the medium to interact with your customers or users. WhatsApp enables real-time interaction and personalized communications. This can be particularly useful for customer service interactions, for example. It's a convenient and ideal tool for consumers to ask questions or request information. As a customer service department, you can provide fast, accurate answers to help them with their purchasing decisions or to solve their problems. Customers can use WhatsApp to get updates on the status of their order. You can provide them with real-time information on the location of their package, the expected delivery date or any other question related to their order. Or, WhatsApp can be used to collect customer feedback on their shopping experiences or to gather suggestions for improvement. This provides valuable information for improving your products, services and processes…

The most important thing before taking the plunge is to identify the reasons why you would use Whatsapp, what it can do for you… but above all what it will really do for the customer and how they will welcome your requests…

Would you like to develop your prospecting through whatsapp ? At Inoopa, we have over 640 000 mobile phones. Contact us to discuss your needs.