How to achieve success with WhatsApp marketing: Tips and tricks for businesses
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WhatsApp has become an important channel for modern customer communication. With over two billion active users worldwide and open rates of over 90 percent, it offers companies enormous opportunities to communicate directly, quickly and personally with their target audience.
WhatsApp newsletters are an extension of traditional channels such as email or SMS, enabling new forms of corporate communication. They are direct and interactive, and comply with GDPR. In this article, we demonstrate how to successfully implement WhatsApp newsletters and explain why this channel can be seamlessly integrated into your marketing strategy with the eworx Marketing Suite.
The WhatsApp newsletter
The WhatsApp newsletter is at the heart of every successful WhatsApp strategy. These are structured, subscribed messages that are sent regularly to your contacts, for example with news, offers, event invitations, or updates.
These messages land directly in your customers' WhatsApp chat. This ensures exceptionally high open and interaction rates.
Advantages of WhatsApp newsletter marketing for businesses
WhatsApp is a perfect complement to existing channels, such as email marketing, and offers specific advantages in many use cases:
- High open rates of over 90%.
- Direct communication: personal, direct and immediate
- Interactive content: surveys, buttons, quick replies
- Multimedia: text, images, video and audio.
- Legal certainty: opt-in and GDPR-compliant delivery
- Seamless integration into existing marketing processes
WhatsApp is particularly effective when used alongside email, event and SMS marketing, and the eworx Marketing Suite is the ideal platform for doing just that.
Possible uses for WhatsApp newsletters
WhatsApp can be used for a wide range of marketing and customer service applications. Here are some proven examples:
- Promotions and special offers
- Order confirmations and updates
- Highly relevant transaction messages
- Time-sensitive promotions or flash sales
- New products and launches
- Event invitations, reminders and live updates
- Surveys and feedback
- Interactive messages with quick replies or buttons
- Customer service and FAQs
What should be considered when sending WhatsApp newsletters?
Companies that want to use WhatsApp for business purposes need a solution that enables the legally secure and GDPR-compliant bulk sending of WhatsApp messages.
In order to send WhatsApp newsletters, a WhatsApp Business account must first be linked to your marketing solution. Please note that WhatsApp newsletters require advance approval from Meta (WhatsApp's parent company) before they can be sent.
Important: Recipients must actively agree to receive WhatsApp newsletters in advance. This is done using the double opt-in procedure familiar from classic email marketing. Recipients are then assigned to target groups that can be selected when sending a WhatsApp newsletter. The WhatsApp double opt-in procedure
In the eworx Marketing Suite, the technical steps for newsletter activation are automated, so users do not need to spend any time on them.
Sending WhatsApp newsletters is particularly straightforward. Select a newsletter template that has been created and approved by Meta, define the desired target group and send your message. Messages can be sent either manually or at a time that is flexible and defined by you.
How to collect WhatsApp contacts
The success of your WhatsApp marketing depends on a clean recipient list. The process for adding recipients to your list is very simple. Recipients simply need to scan the QR code or open the WhatsApp link, send the pre-written message and confirm the automated welcome message by clicking on a button. The following methods of promoting your newsletter offer have proven particularly effective:
- Website integration: - WhatsApp button, QR code, Registration form
- QR codes: On flyers, posters or receipts.
- Social media: e.g. via a link in your bio or sponsored posts.
- Email signature: With a reference to your WhatsApp newsletter.
- Events and trade fairs: Activate contacts directly on site.
- Registration incentives: Exclusive discounts, downloads or advance information.
WhatsApp newsletter statistics
The success of WhatsApp marketing can be measured using clear, actionable KPIs:
- Number of messages sent and successfully delivered
- Open rates
- Clicks on buttons and links
- Reactions with emojis
- Unsubscriptions
Based on these metrics, you can continuously optimise your newsletter campaigns.
Common mistakes in WhatsApp newsletters
– and how to avoid them
WhatsApp is a powerful tool, but only when used wisely. Here are some common mistakes to avoid:
- Sending messages too frequently: Avoid overcommunicating; find the right frequency for your business.
- Lack of personalisation: Segment your target audience and tailor content to their interests.
- Lack of relevance: Always focus on providing clear added value.
- Unclear calls to action: What should the recipient do? Make it clear.
- GDPR errors: Only send emails to people who have explicitly given their consent, and make it easy for them to unsubscribe.
- Sending at the wrong time: Choose times when activity is high.
- Lack of performance measurement: Analyse your key figures and optimise your mailings based on this information.
WhatsApp marketing belongs in every modern marketing mix
WhatsApp newsletter marketing is a strategically important communication channel. Thanks to its proximity to the target group, high visibility, and versatile options, it is the ideal addition to existing channels, such as email, events, and SMS marketing.
However, strict rules govern the sending of WhatsApp newsletters and these must be observed.
The eworx Marketing Suite automates and streamlines the processes involved in creating and approving WhatsApp newsletters. This allows you to seamlessly and swiftly integrate WhatsApp newsletters into your marketing communications. We are happy to support you in this process.