WhatsApp currently holds the title of the world’s most popular messaging app, ranking in third place with over 2 billion active users and 5 billion downloads on Android and iOS devices. Since its active involvement in the business domain, the app has evolved into a versatile platform for business communication, offering customer support, marketing activities, sales, etc.
Offering more than just an interactive experience, the transition from traditional SMS services provider to WhatsApp delivers multiple benefits for businesses looking to increase their global accessibility. However, without proper guidance, businesses are likely to be susceptible to common mistakes that can be easily avoided.
Avoiding Common Mistakes in SMS to WhatsApp transition for maximum results
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Businesses are advised to carefully monitor the switch from SMS to WhatsApp marketing to avoid any unnecessary disruption. Even if the transition is handled by a reliable SMS services provider, it is recommended to follow the implementation process closely to avoid any mistake that may be expensive and harm the brand’s reputation in the future.
Common Mistakes and Solutions
- Selecting the wrong SMS Encoding Type
Choosing the wrong encoding format for messages might cause spaces between texts which disrupt the flow of content, potentially causing frustration for readers.
Businesses are recommended to select the right encoding type between GSM7 or UCS-2, based on their messaging content and format.
- Neglecting customer consent
Messaging customers without obtaining explicit permission to do so, can result in a loss of potential engagement and reputational damage.
Businesses need to grow their list of customer contacts organically through social media, forms, or newsletters. The message must only be sent to interested contacts.
- Sending repetitive messages
Sending repetitive messages with no relevant insight or alignment with the customer’s interest leads to annoyance and disengagement.
Businesses must use different content formats targeted towards customer interests to maintain a stable frequency of traffic and relevance.
- Skipping the Welcome message
Neglecting the first message to welcome a customer onboard may result in doubts regarding the brand’s enthusiasm to connect with new consumers.
Businesses should always send a friendly welcome message to assure customers of their support and attention.
- Sending basic messages
Standard messages with no relevant detail to the customer or engaging content fail to attract attention and don’t create a good impression.
Businesses must utilize the data on customer interests and create more personalized messages for engagement.
- Ignoring customer responses
Sending only one-way conversations with no concern over customer responses results in ignorance and lack of engagement.
Businesses must create an automated interactive system to attract engagement and actively converse with consumers.
By conducting proper research, creating an effective strategy, testing the initial environment for WhatsApp API to send messages, and integrating it with their existing marketing systems, businesses can easily mitigate the above chances of discontent and lack of engagement.
Future of WhatsApp Marketing
Although the transition to WhatsApp API send messages may be complex and require familiarity for marketers, in the end, it is guaranteed to deliver great results. With reports highlighting its impressive 99% open rates and 225% improvement in customer services, WhatsApp marketing has the potential to grow 7X from 41 billion to 290 billion in 2025.
Businesses can strategically improve their marketing operations with the help of modern messaging solutions and gain wider exposure to customer insights. A traditional SMS services provider like Airtel with experience in SMS solutions can easily help businesses integrate WhatsApp API Send Message services into their existing systems.
