FOMO: WhatsApp for marketing emerging as a direct channel for brands
WhatsApp for Business has quietly flourished throughout the year. With an increase in businesses adapting WhatsApp, for their personal accounts, dedicated business profiles, or API solutions, the numbers speak volumes.
Now, more than ever, the message is clear this is the right time to harness the power of WhatsApp. As WhatsApp for marketing as a direct channel continues to redefine direct marketing, the question isn’t why but why wait.
Most brands have started using WhatsApp for marketing as a direct channel because it’s showing great results in improving brand-consumer engagement. It’s simply a ‘hello’ away on WhatsApp.
In this blog, we’ll explore why brands are betting big on WhatsApp in 2024.
Why is NOW the time for brands to embrace WhatsApp for marketing as a direct channel?
WhatsApp is too big a platform now to only be used for personal messaging. People across 180 countries are using WhatsApp, so irrespective of which part of the globe you want to target the audience is there on WhatsApp. Here are some reasons why you can’t avoid WhatsApp for marketing efforts:
1. Vast demographic of users
WhatsApp, with a colossal 2 billion active users globally, is a demographic melting pot. Here’s the kicker – 54% of WhatsApp users fall into the lucrative 25-44 age bracket, the powerhouse behind most purchasing decisions.
No matter your industry, your prime audience resides on WhatsApp. In the age of diminishing data from privacy policies, WhatsApp is the single channel to directly reach them.
Social media, once the beacon of targeted marketing, now faces a threat due to privacy policy shifts. Platforms are stripping away valuable targeting options, making cost-effective customer acquisition difficult.
WhatsApp emerges as an alternative and as the direct lifeline to a different, engaged demographic. The message is clear – while other channels grapple with limitations, WhatsApp is untapped, and your audience is waiting for you there.
JioMart’s success story is a testament to WhatsApp’s unmatched potential. Mark Zuckerberg posted JioMart’s WhatsApp automation as the “first-ever end-to-end shopping experience on WhatsApp.” Since its November 2021 launch, JioMart has witnessed a staggering 68% repeat purchase rate through the WhatsApp channel.
The competition is capitalizing on WhatsApp; the question is, can you afford to be left behind? Act now or risk missing the wave of direct, effective consumer engagement on the world’s most expansive messaging platform.
2. Personalized engagement
In an era of mass communication, WhatsApp is your channel to go a little personal. Unlike other marketing channels that now feel like broadcasting megaphones, WhatsApp thrives on one-to-one, direct interactions.
The ‘State of WhatsApp Marketing 2023’ report reinforces this shift, revealing that a staggering 72% of consumers prefer engaging with brands through personalized messaging.
Do you not want the opportunity to break free from the one-to-many monotony and embrace the power of direct, personal engagement? As consumers increasingly demand tailored experiences, WhatsApp becomes the beacon of customized communication.
The report further underlines that 85% of consumers crave proactive notifications, opening doors for brands to provide personalized content like product recommendations and pricing updates.
Individuality matters a lot for your brand to be remembered, and missing out on WhatsApp’s personalized engagement means losing the chance to build meaningful connections that resonate with your audience on a personal level.
3. Building better relationships
WhatsApp Business, since its inception in 2018, has evolved to become a comprehensive customer engagement platform. WhatsApp is allowing businesses to build sustainable relationships with their customers.
When it comes to direct marketing channels, WhatsAppfor marketing stands out as a continuous, rarely terminal conversation – a channel for brands to seamlessly connect with their ideal customers.
As the ‘State of WhatsApp Marketing 2023’ report highlights, the one-to-one nature of WhatsApp interactions leads to a better path for understanding customers. On WhatsApp, repeat sales aren’t transactions; they’re the natural progression of a relationship built on direct communication.
4. Customer journeys
With WhatsApp’s API capabilities, especially with Interakt’s Enterprise Solutions, you can have limitless possibilities. With Interakt, campaigns go beyond mere messages, becoming strategic engagements that resonate with customers.
Leverage out-of-the-box connectors to streamline your marketing ecosystem, ensuring campaigns align seamlessly with your goals. You can even activate event-based workflows for customer acquisition, moving qualified leads down the sales funnel at scale.
This integration allows you to dive deep into campaign analytics, optimizing for maximum returns on your marketing investment. WhatsApp’s API and Interakt combined transform mundane campaigns into journeys, creating an unparalleled direct marketing experience.
5. Owned data advantage
We are in an era where the more decisions you make based on data, the more likely your business is to succeed. And using WhatsApp for engaging customers gives you a unique advantage – unrestricted access to all engagement data.
Having access to this data allows you to refine your target audience with precision. Unlike other channels wrestling with data restrictions, the data you collect via WhatsApp is first-party. The insights it generates can guide you to create a direct and refined WhatsApp for marketing strategy.
If you’re missing out on this data, you are already a step behind your competitors because most of them are using it. As the ‘State of WhatsApp Marketing 2023’ report suggests, this isn’t about having data; it’s about having the right data, which is now possible through WhatsApp.
6. Lesser competition
While businesses currently treat it as another broadcast channel, WhatsApp remains an untapped channel for those ready to pioneer innovation in marketing.
The ‘State of WhatsApp Marketing 2023’ report reveals that WhatsApp messages boast a 98% open rate and a 45% clickthrough rate. There’s no shortage of ways in which you can leverage this direct channel — not just for broadcasting but across the entire customer journey, sales, and support.
With Interakt’s WhatsApp automation CEAT‘s lead generation costs on the WhatsApp channel are a whopping 70% lower than that of other social media channels.
The competition is lagging; the possibilities are if you’re using WhatsApp to engage your customers. It’s a direct route to redefining your marketing success.
Seize the future of WhatsApp for marketing as a direct channel with Interakt
WhatsApp is changing the way businesses used to engage their customers. The ‘State of WhatsApp Marketing 2023’ report paints a clear picture – customers now need personalized interactions, enriched relationships, and orchestrated journeys — and WhatsApp makes all these things possible.
If you’re not using WhatsApp to engage your customers; you’re missing out on its 2 billion active users, unrivaled engagement rates, and unparalleled ability to connect, engage, and convert.
As businesses struggle with the changing tides of privacy policies and diminishing returns on traditional channels, WhatsApp, coupled with Interakt, becomes your chance to get a step ahead of them.
Don’t just read about it; experience it.
