Today’s companies have adopted a business mode oriented towards social networks. This is because most of the potential customers are active and present on Facebook, Instagram, Telegram and WhatsApp. That’s why businesses and small business owners focus on creating strategies for their brands in order to sell more online. They know how difficult it is and that the competition is growing day by day, in a digital environment where everyone is competing for the most sales. The brand that drives customers the most is the one that will get a much bigger slice of the pie than the others.
At this point it is very important to understand how to create, establish and sell your brand. Since this determines whether or not you will survive on the Internet. There are multiple strategies that we will discuss below that can help you build a successful business on social networks.
So, we wonder: what is the most popular channel through which companies make the most sales? It’s WhatsApp Business. This is because the aforementioned platform manages the largest number of users worldwide. Millions of sales and orders are made through it every day. In addition, all the updates that WhatsApp has made to its app, such as the catalog, schedules, information, company verifications and the WhatsApp API have made this service the number one for sales, customer service or tech support.
To understand which type of WhatsApp can work best with your kind of business it is extremely necessary to know what WhatsApp Business and WhatsApp API are.
WhatsApp Business App
This is an app designed for small or large companies that allows you to open a more professional, practical, safe and effective contact channel within the same WhatsApp platform. In this way, each company will be able to use their WhatsApp Business account without having to use personal numbers.
This has great benefits. Since WhatsApp has improved this Business app, optimizing it for the sale and communication of companies with their users, it has allowed them to view and insert elements such as catalogs, company information, address, article, activity, logo, and much more.
In general, it works the same way as WhatsApp with, however, the ability to add a catalog, company information and purchase buttons, as well as the fact that your profile will appear as that of a company and not as a personal one.
WhatsApp API
The WhatsApp Business API is very different from the standard app. It is specially designed for large and/or growing companies. This version provides very special, advanced and unique features, optimized for the business environment and that you will not be able to find in the normal WhatsApp Business. One of the distinctive features is the ability to add the green check to your WhatsApp profile which verifies the legitimacy and reliability of your company.
Any business wishing to obtain the services of the WhatsApp API will need to request it or contract the services of a business solution provider (BSP) and a WhatsApp partner such as Callbell.
Like any other service, this one is paid too, but it is extremely worth it, as it allows you to get features that no other WhatsApp account, aside from the API, has including process automation and contact synchronization, team inbox, centralized dashboard and much more. Companies like Callbell give you access to all of these features.
The first thing we need to do is for our potential customers to specifically identify our company: this is done by creating phrases, images and, in general, elements that can identify us as a company . For example, for WhatsApp Business, it is best to start applying this strategy with our customers and not with new and potential leads. This is because it is much easier to stay in the minds of loyal consumers than new ones.
The main idea is that your contacts save your phone number and quickly identify you as a business. Once you have achieved this, what you can do is stay in touch with them by sharing the most useful information. Remember to always identify yourself with your brand so that your customers remember your name at all times.
To identify the best WhatsApp strategy for your business, you need to understand the best way to act and where we can focus on getting more customers. As a first key point, you have to integrate the use of WhatsApp Business with other service channels such as Instagram, Telegram or Facebook.
In this sense, here are some good practices to better retain your customers through WhatsApp:
1) Define a good message strategy
The idea is that you know exactly which messages to send and when to do it. This is because it is extremely important to create an appropriate message flow for each type of customer or for each industry. Remember that not all customers are the same.
2) Avoid sending too many messages
This is taboo in customer service. Sometimes we inadvertently send unnecessary messages that cause annoyance to our customers. You have to be very careful, as sometimes sending too much information can cause us to lose a sale or cause disinterest in the customer.
3) Personalize all your messages
The idea behind each message is that it differs from the competition, and from its own brand identity. This is what needs to be done to capture the attention and minds of consumers. Add that personalized touch, stickers, phrases or slogans of your brand to your messages.
4) Identify the WhatsApp API resources
The WhatsApp API has great resources that we can use if what we want is to provide phenomenal customer service. Callbell, one of the providers of this type of WhatsApp account, allows us to create multiple users and join from a single WhatsApp Business number. Furthermore, we can also connect other networks such as Instagram, Facebook or Telegram and along with these many other unique features of the API.
5) Use WhatsApp as your customer service platform
WhatsApp is a personal communication platform; however, there are tools like Callbell that allow you to use WhatsApp and other social networks from a single message bar. By connecting multiple agents and offering a single platform optimized for customer service.
Callbell has also recently integrated the bulk message function for WhatsApp, with which our customers who use the WhatsApp Business API will be able to reach many users.
The most interesting difference between broadcast messages sent by WhatsApp API and traditional broadcast messages (those available for free on the WhatsApp App or WhatsApp Business) is that it is also possible to send a predefined message to all senders who have not saved your company number in the address book. The message will then be received by all users in the mailing list. In this way it will be possible to communicate with a large number of users (there is no limit of 256 contacts per sending), to thus effectively promote the company’s products or services.
To send a broadcast, you must first be a Callbell customer, with an active WhatsApp API account. You will then have to complete this short form . Once received, a member of our team will quickly contact you to share the cost of the service and schedule the shipment.
Although WhatsApp was created as a private messaging app, therefore useful for communicating personally with each user, it allows the sending of mass messages aimed at promoting, selling or disseminating company information.
If you decide to use this feature, keep in mind that it is always important to have obtained the users’ consent to receive your communications, otherwise you risk that the number will be blocked as it is considered spam. WhatsApp, after several reports from users, may decide to temporarily block the number.
You can find more info on our dedicated knowledge base.
Callbell Shop is the new Callbell tool to create a product catalog on WhatsApp and be able to sell without needing a website. All you must do is register on Callbell Shop with a Google account, enter the name, description and logo of your business to start configuring your catalog.
Once the shop has been created, in the “Catalogue” section you can enter the products or services you wish to sell via WhatsApp. You will be able to divide the products into categories, add prices, descriptions, delivery methods and everything you need to be able to sell on WhatsApp.
With Callbell Shop you can create a real online store for free and without needing a website. Once your digital catalog has been created, you will have a shareable link that refers to your digital catalog (e.g. v2project.callbell.shop)
You can connect your WhatsApp catalog to Facebook or Instagram, sharing the shop link on a post or story, or create an ad that refers to the catalog , so that your users can easily add products to their cart and order them directly on WhatsApp.
Frequent Questions
How to create a brand on WhatsApp?
The first thing we need to do is for our potential customers to specifically identify our company: this is done by creating phrases, images and, in general, elements that can identify us as a company . For example, for WhatsApp Business, it is best to start applying this strategy with our customers and not with new and potential leads. This is because it is much easier to stay in the minds of loyal consumers than new ones.
The main idea is that your contacts save your phone number and quickly identify you as a business. Once you have achieved this, what you can do is stay in touch with them by sharing the most useful information; for this reason, we recommend that you use WhatsApp CRM and management tools such as Callbell. Remember to always identify yourself with your brand so that your customers remember your name at all times.
What is WhatsApp API?
The WhatsApp Business API is very different from the standard app. It is specially designed for large and/or growing companies. This version provides very special, advanced and unique features, optimized for the business environment and that you will not be able to find in the normal WhatsApp Business. One of the distinctive features is the ability to add the green check to your WhatsApp profile which verifies the legitimacy and reliability of your company.
Any business wishing to obtain the services of the WhatsApp API will need to request it or contract the services of a business solution provider (BSP) and a WhatsApp partner such as Callbell.
Like any other service, this one is paid too, but it is extremely worth it, as it allows you to get features that no other WhatsApp account, aside from the API, has including process automation and contact synchronization, team inbox, centralized dashboard and much more. Companies like Callbell give you access to all of these features.
About the author: Hello! I am Alan and I am the marketing manager at Callbell, the first communication platform designed to help sales and support teams to collaborate and communicate with customers through direct messaging applications such as WhatsApp, Messenger, Telegram and Instagram Direct