How WhatsApp for
Business can benefit your Small Business
WhatsApp has effectively replaced the traditional SMS in India. There are two primary reasons behind the platform’s success – a fall in mobile data costs and the advent of affordable smartphones. The success of WhatsApp eventually invited the interest from the American IT giants and soon after it was taken over by Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook, another social media platform. Facebook had been promoting the social media for small business promotions for some time before its takeover of WhatsApp, and naturally the development veered towards creating a WhatsApp for Business. Truth be told, WhatsApp for Business is a more realistic social media solution for small business owners due to its real-time approach. With WhatsApp for Business, small business owners can readily connect with their target audience, which is not the strongest point of a business profile on social media platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn. In saying this, we are simply pointing out the fact that those platforms are a little more niche for a small business owner still learning the ropes of digital marketing rather than condemning them. So, let’s have a look at the features that make WhatsApp for Business ideal for your small business’s growth.
A Free Digital Marketing Medium As is with the regular chat client, using WhatsApp for Business is totally free of cost. This gives WhatsApp for Business leverage over other social media tools for business promotion which often require payments for promoting your page. WhatsApp for Business also effectively replaces the SMS marketing which is costly and nowadays seems positively pre-historic. In essence, with WhatsApp payments system already in testing mode, WhatsApp for Business can replace the
need of having a native app for many a small business in the country, thus earning finances rather than expending them.
Create Digital Business Profiles
In today’s world, having a digital profile is essential for every business owner. WhatsApp for Business allows you to have a detailed digital profile containing information like your physical address, company email, phone numbers and social media links, without having to invest in a website or app. WhatsApp has a very stringent verification method as well. A green tick appears beside your business name only when the WhatsApp has verified its existence and credibility. This in turn cements the trust of customers in your brand.
Mass Messaging Support
WhatsApp for Business comes with some business centric messaging options to ensure that you are always there for your customers. You can setup standard responses for frequently asked questions and send them to customers with a single tap of finger by using the ‘Quick Reply’ option in the app. A custom greeting message can be sent to new leads who connect with you on WhatsApp, telling them about the nature and salient features of your enterprise. Similarly, you can also set up a custom message for off-hours or when you are busy. All of these functions make your business seem more connected and personalised.
Data Collection and Analytics WhatsApp for Business also includes handy data and analytics tools – features that we expect to become more extensive over time – and allow you to know exactly how many of your messages were read and responded to. With these insights, you can modify the content of your messages and target more relevant audience.
Web & Desktop Apps Always using your smartphone to respond to customers and leads can be a chore in itself. If you are more comfortable using a traditional keyboard and desktop screen, WhatsApp solves that problem for you with the Web and Desktop clients for Windows and macOS. You need to have your smartphone connected to the internet in order to access the service but that’s all that is required. It is quite helpful if you are getting a ton of messages every day and need to reply quickly and more efficiently to the queries. All in all, WhatsApp for Business gives small business owners a platform for extending their reach without having to spend ridiculous sums of money on web development, mobile apps and assembling customer support teams. It also connects a business at a personal level with the consumer, and with a right agenda and marketing strategy, it can become a gold mine for acquiring new customers and leads.
Lendingkart Finance is an NBFC which helps small business owners integrate with the digital economy by providing small ticket working capital loansand keeping them updated about the latest happenings in digital India. To know more about quick business loans online, visit us at www.lendingkart.com