06 Jan
Did you know that about 1.5 billion people use WhatsApp on a monthly basis?
And that’s exactly what makes it one of the most popular messaging platforms out there.
With the era of digitalisation finally looming upon us, businesses all across the world are constantly trying to figure out various tactics to promote their promotes and services to a wide audience.
In the previous blog post, we took a brief look at what Instant messaging marketing is all about and why it’s the real deal in today’s digital world.
And that’s the reason you need to equip Instant messaging marketing in your Digital Marketing campaign right away.
In the past year, we witnessed “WhatsApp Business” come into existence.
However, not many business owners have given it a shot up until now.
Don’t worry if you don’t already know what WhatsApp Business is all about.
In this blog post, not only will we take a brief look at what exactly WhatsApp Business is, but we will also be learning why it’s SUPER-DUPER important for just any business out there.
And that’s not it.
We’ll also be shifting our focus towards how you can effectively start investing in WhatsApp Business.
Well, then!
Let’s just get started right away.
What’s WhatsApp Business exactly?
Remember the time when WhatsApp cost about 99¢ each year?
That’s not the case anymore.
It’s absolutely FREE. Anyone and everyone can access the instant messaging platform without being frustrated by the annoying advertisements.
2014!
That’s the year when Facebook acquired WhatsApp for $19 Billion.
And that’s when people used to wonder what WhatsApp’s business model would be.
WhatsApp Business.
That’s the answer.
Businesses had already included WhatsApp as a part of their marketing strategy, long before WhatsApp Business came into existence.
WhatsApp Business is one of the most popular iOS and Android messaging applications for small business owners, helping them connect with their prospects and consumers in a more reliable manner.
It’s no secret that the user engagement on WhatsApp is really high.
As revealed by Tech Crunch, about more than 3 million business owners have already started equipping WhatsApp Business for effectively reaching out to their consumers and prospects.
With the help of additional functionalities, WhatsApp Business makes the job a lot simpler for the businesses out there.
Below listed are the five key differences between WhatsApp & WhatsApp Business:
Group Chats With Labels
With WhatsApp Business, you can group your chats with labels, which isn’t the case with WhatsApp Messenger.
Here are the following labels that you can use:
- New Customer
- Returning Customer
- Customer Awaiting Orders
Automated Responses
With WhatsApp Business, you can easily automate messages like greetings, quick replies, or away messages.
With the help of Greeting Messages, you can share information about your company with your consumers.
With the help of Away Messages, you can let your customers know that you are busy.
Set Business Timings
With WhatsApp Business, you can set your business hours in the application itself.
Messaging Statistics
It’s now possible for you to manage your messaging statistics.
For instance, it’s now possible for you to check how many messages were sent by you and how many of them were read.
In short, you are able to track the performance of your campaign effectively.
Create a Business Profile
WhatsApp Business allows you to create your own professional business profile.
You can add various pieces of information about your business, such as contact information, company’s website as well as location.
And that’s something that will help you build the credibility of your business.
Why should you invest in WhatsApp Business?
For starters, as we mentioned above, WhatsApp has a tremendously high user base and is considered as the best messaging platform all across the world.
According to 2019 reports, about 300 million people in India use WhatsApp on a monthly basis.
The second position goes to Brazil, having an active user base of about 120 million people.
WhatsApp user base isn’t just limited to these two countries. Instead, it dominates about 104 countries. And that’s something that shouldn’t ever be ignored.
And these numbers are proof as to why WhatsApp is the best instant messaging platform out there.
There are two different WhatsApp Business models available for businesses out there, depending on their requirements:
- WhatsApp Business App
- WhatsApp Business API
Each of their pricing structure is quite simple.
You won’t be charged for using the WhatsApp Business application.
Instead, you’ll have to pay for some additional services.
Before installing the WhatsApp Business app, make sure that you have a separate phone number dedicated to it.
WhatsApp Business App is reserved for a single user only.
In the case of WhatsApp API, you’ll have to pay the price for each message.
Until and unless WhatsApp makes their API available directly, you’ll have to pay fees to two different parties out there:
WhatsApp
WhatsApp Partner With Which You Opened Account With
However, you won’t have to pay anything if you respond within 24 hours of contact. Plus, incoming messages are totally FREE.
If you are a business owner, you need to begin with your WhatsApp Business journey right away.
However, the tough question is:
Which one should you go with?
Let’s take a look.
WhatsApp Business App OR WhatsApp Business API?
If you are a business owner, the chances are that you might be confused about which one should you opt for.
Tough choice to make, right?
Well, then! Let us make us easy for you.
Let’s analyse each one of them.
WhatsApp Business App
With WhatsApp Business App, small as well as medium-sized businesses can easily engage with their customers via a smartphone application.
Here are the top features offered by WhatsApp Business App:
- Business profile/hours
- Conversation labels
- No API Access
- No integration with other systems
- Quick replies
- Set an away message
- Single-agent access
WhatsApp Business App Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Easy to Get Started
- No Messaging Limitations
- Broadcast up to 256 Contacts at a Single Time
Cons:
- Account Use Limited to A Single User
- Limited Automation
- ERP/ CRM not connected
WhatsApp Business API
This one, right here, is the perfect solution for large businesses that have a large messaging volume.
How many messages does your business have to deal with?
Answer to this question is the only way you will be able to decide which platform to go with.
Here are the top features offered by WhatsApp Business API:
- Access available through an official provider exclusively
- Integrate with other systems
- Multi-agent access
- Send bulk notifications
- Use automation
- Verified Business profile
Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of WhatsApp Business API.
Pros
- Unlimited Devices & Users Support
- Programmatic Messaging
- Easily Connect To WhatsApp CRM or WhatsApp Business Solution
Cons
- You Should Respond To The Messages Within 24 Hours
- Pre-Approval Required For Template Messaging
- Account Creation Requires Approval
Which One Is Best Fit For Your Business?
If you are a small or medium-sized business owner that doesn’t have to deal with a huge volume of messages on a regular basis, WhatsApp Business App will be the best fit for your business.
However, if you are a large organisation that deals with a huge volume of messages on a regular basis, you shouldn’t opt for anything less than WhatsApp API.
Knock Knock! Who’s This?
It’s SleekFlow To Save The Day!!
Time and time again, experts in the industry have predicted instant messaging marketing to be the NEXT BIG THING.
Handling each of the platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, as well as WeChat can be quite hectic at times.
And that’s where SleekFlow knocks it out of the park.
Introducing SleekFlow, “Sales, Marketing & Service Software For All Messaging Apps.”
With SleekFlow, it’s now possible for businesses to manage conversation as well as accelerate the team workflow on all of the messaging platforms altogether. Not only does SleekFlow integrate with WhatsApp, but it also works perfectly with Facebook, WeChat, Line with an integrated growth chat widget.
The “Team Inbox” feature allows your team to respond and automate chats across multiple messaging platforms in a single place, thereby allowing you to interact with your prospects and customers without any hassle easily. Our powerful business modules with advertising capabilities will definitely work for your company.
So, what are you waiting for?
It’s time for SleekFlow to hit the home run for your business.