In our previous lesson, we covered why and how you can convert your personal WhatsApp account into a WhatsApp Business account. As the next steps to making the most out of what WhatsApp Business has to offer, this lesson does a deep dive into setting up a WhatsApp Business profile – the identity your business is going to have on the messaging platform; similar to a Facebook page for your brand.

But in case you don’t have a WhatsApp Business account yet or would like to set up a new one, we’re going to start with a quick summary on setting up one.

 

What is a WhatsApp Business profile?

Once you install the WhatsApp Business app on your device and create an account, you will be prompted to create a ‘profile’. A WhatsApp Business profile is a WhatsApp for business feature that enables you to create a front-facing, formal brand presence on the messaging platform. Similar to a Facebook page, a WhatsApp Business profile lets you include crucial information about your brand that includes:

1. Business name

2. Description

3. Hours of operation

4. Location

5. Contact details (website, email address, etc)

6. Business category

7. Product catalog

Simply put, it’s a summary of everything you need to boost brand recall and recognition amongst your consumer base on the messaging platform.

 

Here’s what a WhatsApp Business profile looks like:

 

How to create a WhatsApp business profile?

To be able to create a WhatsApp Business profile, you need a WhatsApp Business account. Here’s how to get one if you don’t have it already:

• Make sure that WhatsApp is available in your region

• Select a dedicated phone number that can be used for your business

• Download the WhatsApp Business App from the app store

• Open the app and click on ‘Agree and Continue’ to proceed

• Verify your business phone number

• Set up your business profile (more details below), add your business name, logo, and business category

• Tap on the menu button and go to the profile settings to fill in more details

Now that you have a WhatsApp Business account, we’re going to look into setting up a business profile on it – the second last step above.

 

What are the tips to set up a WhatsApp Business profile with examples?

In the following section, we’re going to cover every aspect of a WhatsApp Business profile. It includes the steps you need to take to set things up and tips from our experts.

 

1. Profile picture

Profile picture is the very first thing that a consumer sees on the messaging platform – similar to that of your friends. That’s why it is important to add one that is professional, clear and relevant to your business.

Note: Your profile picture also impacts whether or not a recipient opens your message.

Here are some tips to follow when setting up a WhatsApp business profile picture:

• Do not use personal pictures or random images

• Do not use full logos as a profile image (the image may not be clear or could get cropped)

• Make sure the logo size is adjusted (square of at least 640×640 px)

• Keep your logo background either transparent or plain

How to set up a WhatsApp Business profile photo?

1. Go to your WhatsApp Business account

2. Click on profile picture -> select Edit

3. Choose an existing photo -> tap Gallery or Take a new photo -> tap Camera

4. Crop or rotate the photo as needed

5. Click done

Note: You can also remove or change your WhatsApp Business profile photo by tapping on Remove or Edit photo.

 

2. Business category

The category field in your WhatsApp Business profile basically lets you define or state the industry your business is in. The WhatsApp Business App comes with a list of industry options to choose from – we recommend choosing one that is relevant to what your brand sells.

Here are some tips to keep in mind when setting up your business category:

• Choose an industry that your products or services fall under

• If you don’t find an industry, choose one that is closest to it

• Do not select an irrelevant industry as that may hamper your brand image

How to set up your WhatsApp Business category? 

1. Open WhatsApp Business app

2. Go to your WhatsApp business account

3. Click on category field -> tap Edit

4. Choose up to three categories that are relevant to your business.

 

3. Business description

Just like the ‘about me’ section on a social media profile, a business description summarizes what your business is about. This section of your profile needs to be crisp and clear, including just the right amount of information about your brand.

A business description is meant to let your customers know who you are, what you sell/ do and what they can expect from you in no more than a few sentences.

 

Here are some tips to keep in mind for the same: 

• Make sure your business description clearly describes what your brand does

• Encourage customers to take an action on reading the description (CTA)

• Avoid any typos and grammatical errors

• Make sure you keep the wording simple and understandable

How to set up your WhatsApp Business description? 

1. Go to your WhatsApp business app and open your account

2. Click on settings -> profile

3. Scroll down to business description

4. Make the necessary changes

5. Select OK or SAVE when done

 

4. Hours of operation

WhatsApp for Business aims to make the interaction between businesses and consumers more conversational and convenient. But that doesn’t mean you need to be on the platform 24/7 to respond to incoming queries. This is where the importance of setting up your business hours/ hours of operation comes in – this lets a consumer know when they can expect to hear from your brand.

Here are a few tips to follow when setting up your business hours: 

• Define your schedule

• Set up your availability across all days of the week (remember to edit the time)

• Set up an away message or custom auto replies for FAQs for times you are not available using Interakt

 

How to set up your business hours on the WhatsApp Business account? 

1. Go to your WhatsApp Business account 

2. Click on Business Hours

3. Tap edit

4. Select schedule (always available, open for selected hours, by appointments only)

5. Set up availability hours on each day of the week

6. Save changes

Note: You can reset your business hours of operation any time.

 

5. Location/ Business address

Even if you’re running an online business, it’s important to help consumers trust your brand. That’s where having a legitimate business address/ location comes into play, making your business look more professional and hence trustworthy to interact with.

Here are some tips to follow when setting up your business profile: 

• If you are adding your home address, we discourage adding your exact details

• If you are adding a brick and mortar store location, we recommend adding a deliverable address including pin code

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How to set up your business address/ location? 

1. Go to your WhatsApp Business account

2. Click on the address field -> Edit

3. Enter your business address

4. You can also ‘set location on map’ or ‘update location on map’

5. Click done once edited

 

6. Contact information

This section of your WhatsApp Business profile is meant to include your contact details. Apart from your business account phone number, this section includes fields for your business website and email address.

We recommend adding these details as well in case a consumer chooses to interact with your website directly or over email instead.

Here are some tips to follow when setting up your contact information: 

• Make sure you add a business email address (an id exclusively for your business)

• Add your complete website address (including https)

• Test the deliverability of your email address

• Test your website link

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How to set up your contact information on WhatsApp for Business? 

1. Go to the WhatsApp Business app

2. Click on your profile -> Edit

3. Scroll down to email address and website

4. Add or update your business contact information

5. Click Save once done.

 

7. Product catalog

When you start selling on WhatsApp, it’s also important to let consumers know what you sell – visually. That’s why the WhatsApp for Business app lets you create a product catalog which is similar to a menu that comes with item pictures, descriptions and price.

In this section, you can add up to 500 products or services that your business sells. The product catalog lets a consumer browse through what’s available, share the product or send queries to make a purchase.

Here are some tips you should follow when adding a catalog: 

• Give every product a clear title

• Add details like price, description, product code and website link for each

• Focus on showcasing products you want to sell

How to set up a product catalog on your WhatsApp Business account? 

1. Go to your WhatsApp Business profile -> Edit

2. Tap Manage to update or create a new catalog

3. Add or edit items in your catalog

Note: We will be covering this in more detail in our next lesson. Click here to skip to the lesson on WhatsApp product catalogs.

 

What are the top WhatsApp Business profile examples?

If the above steps feel all too overwhelming to set up, take a look at how some of the leading brands have set up a Business Profile on WhatsApp. Remember, a business profile is similar to the summary displayed on your social media page!

1. Ajio

2. Neemli Naturals

 

3. BlissClub 

 

4. Coastal Habitat 

 

5. Bigsmall.in 

The next step: Getting your product catalog ready

Once you have set up your WhatsApp Business profile with all the information about your brand, the next step is to gear up for selling on WhatsApp.

To sell on WhatsApp, you will need to create a product catalog – this includes listing out the products you sell with product images, description, pricing and website link. But to make the most of the product catalog feature of the WhatsApp for Business app, there are a few best practices you need to follow.

In our next lesson, we will be covering how to set up a WhatsApp product catalog along with examples from some of the leading brands.