WhatsApp Channels for Business
Posted: Wed Dec 04, 2024 6:23 am
If you are running a business in today’s hyper-competitive space, then it is more than likely that you are looking for new ways to improve sales engagement and streamline your marketing processes.
After all, it is crucial to grab customers’ attention by connecting on their preferred communication channels and promoting your offerings in a much more personalized manner. One such tool that has emerged and become a favorite among the people is WhatsApp. With around 2.8 billion active users worldwide, WhatsApp is an unmatched platform Australia Phone Numbers engage with your audience directly. And recently, WhatsApp launched a new feature called WhatsApp Channels, allowing you to build a WhatsApp community on this communication platform.
But what are WhatsApp Channels, and how can you leverage them to scale your business?
Well, in this guide, I’ll explore various aspects of WhatsApp Channels, including their benefits, setup process, best practices, and limitations to give you a clear idea of what to expect before you decide to dedicate resources to it. Let’s get started!
What are WhatsApp Channels?
WhatsApp Channels, a relatively new addition to the WhatsApp platform, allows you to send a message in bulk to a large number of people efficiently. Although the Channels seem similar to WhatsApp Groups, the major difference between them is that Channels only support one-way communication instead of a two-way conversation.
With WhatsApp Channels, your channel members can view and react to your messages (by using emojis) but cannot reply to them like they could in a private chat or a group.
This makes it a one-way communication channel where you inform customers about recent events, news, product announcements, and company updates.
In addition to that, the messages you can send in Channels can include different types of formats, including text, pictures, stickers, links, videos, polls, and audio clips.
Examples of WhatsApp Channels. Source
Why should you use WhatsApp Channels for your business?
Using WhatsApp Channels for your business can be a great way to skyrocket engagement and keep your customers in the loop about what is happening with your brand. Having said that, here are some of the benefits of WhatsApp Channels for business:
Massive user base and extended reach
As mentioned above, with close to 3 billion global users using WhatsApp monthly, it is the most widely used messaging app in the world. This goes to show that there is a huge audience actively using it and you can utilize this fact to extend your market reach to an international audience.
Leverage WhatsApp’s user base and increase your reach
Take advantage of Zixflow’s WhatsApp capabilities to run outreach campaigns and build a strong presence for your brand
Book a Demo
Improved engagement rates
Messages sent on WhatsApp have an astonishing open rate of 98%. This is significantly higher than email which has a 20% open rate.
Having such a high engagement rate greatly increases the chances of your messages being seen and acted upon by your channel members, boosting overall customer engagement.
Share valuable information
Consider the WhatsApp Channels as your business’s forum, where you can share useful information about your company with customers to keep them updated.
For instance, if you are releasing a new product, you can immediately inform your customers about it to build hype around the launch and book pre-orders.
This is just one example of how you can use WhatsApp Channels to promote your business and build a sales engagement model to deliver important messages straight to your customers’ phones.
Internal or external channels
You can control whether you want to make your channel public or keep it invite-only. This customizability allows you to handle how you want to use the channel and for what purposes.
A public channel, which anyone can search and join, is excellent for interacting with customers. On the other hand, a private channel can be used for internal communication and keeping various departments on the same page.
Better customer satisfaction
WhatsApp Channels can also be used for providing clear instructions and customer assistance about matters that affect a range of customers. This interpersonal channel, which is easily accessible to your customers, lets you provide support in real-time, thereby improving overall customer satisfaction.
Steps to create a WhatsApp Channel for your business
You can set up a WhatsApp Channel on either the WhatsApp Business App or WhatsApp Web. Here is the step-by-step process for both of these versions:
For Android and iOS devices
Start by downloading the WhatsApp app according to your device type, open it, and choose the Updates tab from the bar located at the bottom of the screen.
After all, it is crucial to grab customers’ attention by connecting on their preferred communication channels and promoting your offerings in a much more personalized manner. One such tool that has emerged and become a favorite among the people is WhatsApp. With around 2.8 billion active users worldwide, WhatsApp is an unmatched platform Australia Phone Numbers engage with your audience directly. And recently, WhatsApp launched a new feature called WhatsApp Channels, allowing you to build a WhatsApp community on this communication platform.
But what are WhatsApp Channels, and how can you leverage them to scale your business?
Well, in this guide, I’ll explore various aspects of WhatsApp Channels, including their benefits, setup process, best practices, and limitations to give you a clear idea of what to expect before you decide to dedicate resources to it. Let’s get started!
What are WhatsApp Channels?
WhatsApp Channels, a relatively new addition to the WhatsApp platform, allows you to send a message in bulk to a large number of people efficiently. Although the Channels seem similar to WhatsApp Groups, the major difference between them is that Channels only support one-way communication instead of a two-way conversation.
With WhatsApp Channels, your channel members can view and react to your messages (by using emojis) but cannot reply to them like they could in a private chat or a group.
This makes it a one-way communication channel where you inform customers about recent events, news, product announcements, and company updates.
In addition to that, the messages you can send in Channels can include different types of formats, including text, pictures, stickers, links, videos, polls, and audio clips.
Examples of WhatsApp Channels. Source
Why should you use WhatsApp Channels for your business?
Using WhatsApp Channels for your business can be a great way to skyrocket engagement and keep your customers in the loop about what is happening with your brand. Having said that, here are some of the benefits of WhatsApp Channels for business:
Massive user base and extended reach
As mentioned above, with close to 3 billion global users using WhatsApp monthly, it is the most widely used messaging app in the world. This goes to show that there is a huge audience actively using it and you can utilize this fact to extend your market reach to an international audience.
Leverage WhatsApp’s user base and increase your reach
Take advantage of Zixflow’s WhatsApp capabilities to run outreach campaigns and build a strong presence for your brand
Book a Demo
Improved engagement rates
Messages sent on WhatsApp have an astonishing open rate of 98%. This is significantly higher than email which has a 20% open rate.
Having such a high engagement rate greatly increases the chances of your messages being seen and acted upon by your channel members, boosting overall customer engagement.
Share valuable information
Consider the WhatsApp Channels as your business’s forum, where you can share useful information about your company with customers to keep them updated.
For instance, if you are releasing a new product, you can immediately inform your customers about it to build hype around the launch and book pre-orders.
This is just one example of how you can use WhatsApp Channels to promote your business and build a sales engagement model to deliver important messages straight to your customers’ phones.
Internal or external channels
You can control whether you want to make your channel public or keep it invite-only. This customizability allows you to handle how you want to use the channel and for what purposes.
A public channel, which anyone can search and join, is excellent for interacting with customers. On the other hand, a private channel can be used for internal communication and keeping various departments on the same page.
Better customer satisfaction
WhatsApp Channels can also be used for providing clear instructions and customer assistance about matters that affect a range of customers. This interpersonal channel, which is easily accessible to your customers, lets you provide support in real-time, thereby improving overall customer satisfaction.
Steps to create a WhatsApp Channel for your business
You can set up a WhatsApp Channel on either the WhatsApp Business App or WhatsApp Web. Here is the step-by-step process for both of these versions:
For Android and iOS devices
Start by downloading the WhatsApp app according to your device type, open it, and choose the Updates tab from the bar located at the bottom of the screen.