108. Is WhatsApp Taking Over Emails? (Social Media Marketing)

In this blog we’re going to talk about is WhatsApp taking over emails and how it works for social media marketing.

Emails, What Emails? 📨

We exist in a world where businesses operate at an eye-watering pace across the globe. As everything continues to develop, we can’t help but notice that emails on the most part have stayed the same. During this period of working at home consistently, the question arose; is social media platform WhatsApp taking over emails?

Social media is where people are congregating 👋

Think of it this way, when we break it down to numbers, Facebook is where we do most of our marketing, why? Well, 1.6 billion users probably have something to do with it. WhatsApp has how many users? ONE BILLION, are we marketing there? Probably not, but we are still sending emails and newsletters. Well, WhatsApp works in exactly the same way. If your customers have opted in, they are able to receive your messages until opting out.

In your last marketing email marketing campaign, what was the open rate, 30%? If so, you were lucky! We’ve witnessed campaigns struggle to reach half that number and businesses have been happy with those results. The WhatsApp message open rate…98%.

Social Media Marketing problems 😰

The truth of the matter is, WhatsApp doesn’t like advertisements. There is no way to monitor success, and you can’t address your open rates or create a demographic. Nor can you throw money at it to increase reach.

However, WhatsApp is a social media platform where it’s far more likely those you are marketing to will see your content, and that is a win in itself.

Is informal the new formal? 👔

Most of the pros and cons regarding the use of WhatsApp within your business arise due to the informality of the app itself. Sending messages is and always has been something we do with our friends and family. So messaging a customer from your company has an initially strange feel to it. However, this is a traditionalist view to messaging and overlooks the fact that WhatsApp is a social media platform in its own right.

Think about the message streams between you and your potential customers when discussing a proposal, or re-jigging a piece of graphic design. Sometimes, when these conversations take place over email, it can take weeks to get to the final hurdle (where we all want to be). Utilising WhatsApp can mean a quicker and more responsive form of communication, speeding up traditionally slow business processes. That’s a win for all of us!

The benefits are clear, people will open your messages, meaning you won’t sit in a mountain of unread emails about discounts etc. But, could your messages be treated flippantly by the potential customer? Well, yes, in a sort of I’m not interested although I must be a little interested as I signed up kind-of-way.

How messaging has reached its potential elsewhere ✉️

When addressing the popularity of a messaging platform compared to emails, it’s impossible not to take note of the success of WeChat. WeChat is China’s most successful messenger app, with over one billion users each month.

WeChat hosts other applications or add-ons, meaning you can do everything from paying for your shopping to engaging in competitions within the mini-games available in the app. The company that owns the messenger platform has stated that they want to become a one-stop-shop, highlighting the potential a messenger app has in the market. Think outside the box and be innovative with what you do, or why not try using What’s App Business to speak to your clients?

A fresh outlook 👓

So, for future campaigns, why not communicate with those who have opted into your contact list? Think outside the box and be innovative with what you do. If you are looking for a whole host of other marketing information, why not visit our comprehensive social media guide below.

100. Ultimate Social Media Marketing Plan for Beginners 2020

For more helpful tips about social media and digital marketing take a look at the posts below:

• Ultimate Social Media Marketing Plan for Beginners
• How to Get the Most Out of Your Social Media Presence
• Are all Social Media Platforms merging?

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