WhatsApp has become one of the most popular messaging platforms for both personal and business communication. With over 2 billion users worldwide, it offers a huge potential reach for businesses looking to connect with new customers. However, while many people use WhatsApp regularly to chat with friends and family, they may not be as receptive to receiving business messages on the platform. This means it’s important to introduce your business carefully to avoid coming across as intrusive.
Some key things to consider when reaching out to new clients on WhatsApp include:
Get contacts legitimately
The first step is to build up a list of relevant phone numbers to message. While it may be tempting to scrape numbers online, this will likely lead to irritated recipients and a poor response rate. The best practice is to only message those who have explicitly shown an interest in your business and provided their details for you to contact them. This could be through opt-in forms on your website, business card contact details collected at events, or referrals from existing satisfied customers.
Personalize your approach
Even when messaging contacts who have given you permission, it’s important to ensure your messages are tailored and do not come across as spam. Address people directly by their name and try to demonstrate you are a real person they can have a conversation with, not just a faceless business bot. Reference any prior interactions you’ve had or explain why you think they would be interested in your offering based on what you know about them. This personal touch can help distinguish your message from the many impersonal sales pitches people receive daily.
Introduce yourself and your business
Briefly explain who you are and give a short description of your business. For example “Hi John, I’m Sarah from ABC Company, we provide digital marketing services to help businesses improve their online visibility.” This gives the context for you reaching out and helps build familiarity with your brand.
State your purpose clearly
Be upfront early on about why you are messaging and what you are offering or requesting. This could be sending over some information about your products/services, providing a special discount offer, or requesting a meeting to discuss how you can help their business. Getting quickly to the point avoids misunderstandings and shows respect for the other person’s time.
Emphasize the benefits
Rather than just describing features of your offering, focus on tangible outcomes and value for the prospect. For example, “Our social media management service can help you acquire more customers and grow brand awareness through targeted postings.” This gives people a reason to be interested beyond just learning about your business.
Use high-quality media
Including photos, videos, voice messages, or documents can help your presentation stand out from standard text-only messages. However, ensure the media is optimized for mobile screens and genuinely enhances your message rather than just being promotional filler.
Be polite and professional
Adopt professional, courteous language suitable for written communication. Avoid overly relaxed or formal tones and be conscious of using positive, enthusiastic phrasing free of slang or abbreviations. This style can project competence and trustworthiness.
Make it easy to respond
Provide clear calls to action to make it simple for the other person to respond or move the conversation forward if interested. For example, you can include links to your website, a calendar booking link for scheduling meetings, or contact details to get in touch with any questions. Removing friction increases the chance of engagement.
Do not overstay your welcome
Keep your initial messages concise and do not overburden people with lengthy blocks of sales text. Follow the principle of least disruption – say what you need to briefly and directly, then let the recipient take the lead if they want more information. Wait for a response before sending any follow-up messages.
Suggest alternative contact channels
If appropriate, you can offer to continue the conversation through other communication channels such as email, a website contact form, or phone call. This gives them the option to engage in the way most convenient for them.
Follow up politely if needed
If you have not received any reply after a few days, you can send a polite follow-up to restate your interest in connecting. However, make sure to still give them the option to easily opt out if they are not interested. Never harass contacts who do not respond.
Thank them for their time
Express your appreciation for them taking the time to engage with your message, whether or not they ultimately become a customer. This helps maintain goodwill and enhances your brand reputation.
Tips for Crafting WhatsApp Messages
Here are some additional tips for creating effective WhatsApp messages to connect with potential new clients:
Keep messages short
WhatsApp is designed for quick back-and-forth communication. Craft your key points into short, readable sentences without unnecessary filler. Get to the core of what you want to say directly.
Check spelling and grammar
Typos or grammatical errors can create a bad first impression and undermine your professionalism. Proofread messages carefully before sending.
Use emoji and persona appropriately
Occasional use of emoji in your messages can help convey tone and personality. However, do not overdo it or come across as overly casual. Remain mindful of projecting expertise.
Pay attention to first messages
Put extra effort into making sure your initial outreach message hooks interest and encourages a reply. A poorly constructed greeting risks being immediately ignored.
Respect opt-out requests
If any contact asks you not to message them again, respect their wishes immediately. Forcing communication on unwilling recipients will damage your brand reputation.
Avoid excessive marketing content
While it’s fine to briefly mention your products or services, do not overload contacts with marketing pitches right away before establishing rapport. Build relationships first.
Adjust messaging hours appropriately
Avoid messaging at inconvenient times like extremely early mornings or late nights unless you know the recipient keeps unusual hours. Adhere to typical business messaging hours as much as possible.
Experiment and refine your approach
Not every recipient will respond well to the same style of messaging. Try slightly different approaches and analyze the response rates to guide optimizations.
Integrate with your other marketing
Ensure your WhatsApp outreach aligns with the branding and messaging across your other marketing channels for consistency.
WhatsApp Business Features
WhatsApp offers a range of features through its WhatsApp Business app that can be useful for managing client communication at scale. Some key capabilities include:
Business profiles
Create a verified business profile with details like your company description, email, store addresses, and website to showcase credibility.
Smart messaging tools
Auto-responders, greetings messages, and away messages can help automate and streamline communications.
Message templates
Build customizable message templates to quickly send info about your business, products, services etc.
Real-time analytics
View usage metrics to observe engagement and optimize your approach over time.
Lead generation via links
Share links in messages that allow contacts to opt-in for more updates from your business.
Catalogue sharing
Present your products/services and enable purchases right within WhatsApp.
Desktop app
Manage conversations conveniently from a desktop computer as well as on mobile.
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Business profiles | Create a verified business profile with details like company description, email, store addresses, and website. |
| Smart messaging tools | Auto-responders, greetings messages, and away messages to automate communications. |
| Message templates | Build customizable templates to quickly send info about business, products, services. |
| Real-time analytics | View usage metrics to observe engagement and optimize approach. |
| Lead generation via links | Share links for contacts to opt-in for more updates. |
| Catalogue sharing | Present products/services and enable purchases within WhatsApp. |
| Desktop app | Manage conversations conveniently from desktop and mobile. |
Best Practices for Client Communications
Beyond just your introduction, there are some overarching best practices for ongoing communications with clients on WhatsApp:
Stay organized
Keep client conversations neatly organized in threads and use tools like tagging and pinning for easy reference. Don’t let important messages get lost in the shuffle.
Set expectations upfront
Inform clients of your typical response time, hours of availability, and preferred contact protocol. This avoids unclear expectations.
Keep conversations focused
Stick to discussions relevant to your business dealings rather than drifting into personal small talk. Maintain a degree of professional distance.
Transfer long conversations to email
For complex back-and-forth exchanges, switch to email threads to retain thorough records and avoid messaging fatigue.
Get agreement on price and terms
Clearly outline pricing, payment methods, delivery timelines, and cancellation/refund policies to clients in writing over WhatsApp before proceeding.
Share important updates proactively
If there are changes in timelines, product availability etc. – notify clients promptly through WhatsApp rather than waiting for them to ask.
Resolve complaints transparently
If clients voice complaints over WhatsApp, address the issues directly with empathy. Transparency builds trust.
Keep privacy in mind
Avoid sending clients’ private information like contract details and transaction records over WhatsApp where security is not guaranteed.
Use WhatsApp alongside other channels
WhatsApp alone may not suffice for total client management. Use it as part of an omnichannel strategy encompassing phone, email, your website etc.
Automate when possible
Explore automating repetitive responses and alerts through chatbots to streamline at scale. But ensure critical touchpoints retain a human, personal feel.
Send appreciative check-ins periodically
Occasionally check in with established clients just to thank them for their business and offer any assistance – no sales agenda attached.
Monitor client satisfaction
Pay attention to client feedback in your WhatsApp history for clues about improving their experience and exceeding expectations.
WhatsApp Alternatives for Business Messaging
While WhatsApp is popular, there are some alternative business messaging platforms to consider as well:
| Platform | Key Features | Use Cases |
|---|---|---|
| SMS/Text Messaging | Ubiquitous reach, open rates up to 98%, minimal setup. | Appointment reminders, alerts, 2FA codes. |
| Facebook Messenger | Integrates with Facebook pages, chat plugins for websites. | Customer service, social media management. |
| Telegram | Cloud sync, group chats up to 200K users, file sharing. | Community building, collaboration. |
| Slack | Robust apps and bots, threaded conversations, secure. | Internal team communication. |
| LiveChat | Real-time website chat, canned responses, contact forms. | E-commerce customer support. |
Factors like your target audience, use case, and budget may determine which platform beyond WhatsApp best suits your business needs. Test different options to see what provides the best results.
Tips for Managing WhatsApp at Scale
For larger businesses, handling a high volume of WhatsApp communication requires tools and strategies like:
Using a business manager app
Platforms like ChatDesk, JetBuilt, or ManyChat allow you to manage multiple WhatsApp accounts from one dashboard.
Setting up quick response templates
Create frequently used responses as templates to efficiently reuse rather than typing manually each time.
Using bots for automation
Bots can handle common simple queries to save time and manpower spent on repetitive conversations.
Assigning conversations to teams
Inbox categorization and assignment tools let you route different message types to relevant specialists.
Monitoring data and insights
Analytics on response times, customer satisfaction, agent performance etc. can help continuously improve operations.
Integrating with other channels
Unified solutions let you manage WhatsApp alongside your email, social media, live chat etc. in one system.
Documenting processes
Ensure all team members know your standard protocols for communication tone, response times, issue escalation etc.
Providing good agent training
Invest in your customer service team’s skills in areas like empathy, problem-solving, stress management and communication.
Keeping your community informed
Broadcast timely notices on things like new products, maintenance downtime, delays etc. proactively to customers.
WhatsApp Legal and Privacy Considerations
When messaging clients on WhatsApp, there are some key legal and privacy issues to keep in mind:
Obtaining consent
Always get recipients’ permission before adding them to WhatsApp groups and clearly offer opt-out abilities.
Respecting privacy
Do not send private customer information over WhatsApp. Keep business communications generic unless client authorizes otherwise.
Avoiding restricted content
WhatsApp prohibits sending illegal, objectionable, dangerous, deceptive, discriminatory, or infringing content.
Staying compliant
Adhere to local laws and regulations like the TCPA on unsolicited messages when connecting with new contacts.
Securing sensitive data
WhatsApp messages are not encrypted by default, so do not send unprotected confidential data.
Retaining message records
Back up important client agreement records from WhatsApp in case a dispute arises later.
Disclosing affiliation
Clearly indicate you are messaging contacts in your capacity as a representative of your business.
Handling disputes gracefully
If conflicts arise with clients, aim for good-faith resolution through open communication rather than legal threats.
Making legal terms clear
Specify any applicable legal terms and conditions upfront to clients when transacting business over WhatsApp.
Overall, maintain high ethics just as you would in any other communication channel when connecting with clients over WhatsApp. Transparency and respect should guide your messaging approach.
Conclusion
WhatsApp can be a fast, convenient way to introduce a business to new potential clients at scale. However, brands must be careful to build up contact lists ethically, craft personalized messages, clearly communicate their offerings, and provide recipients ample control over the conversation.
Adopting best practices for initial outreach and ongoing client communications while leveraging built-in tools can help maximize WhatsApp’s marketing potential while avoiding missteps. With the proper strategies, businesses can leverage WhatsApp as an effective new client acquisition channel alongside their broader marketing efforts.