Like most starting entrepreneurs, do you also struggle with connecting with your users using personalized, cost-effective messages?

Not so long ago, meeting your users on SMS and emails was completely fine. But now, text messages go directly to the bin and unopened emails get sent to spam. 

Enter WhatsApp. With a smartphone in everyone’s hands, you’ll be hard-pressed to find someone who is not “online”. And if you ensure your communication is helpful, relevant, and quirky, you will definitely find takers for what you have to sell. 

Still not too convinced? Here’s us trudging you along. 

Why you should establish your business’ presence on WhatsApp

1. WhatsApp is the center of gravity

There is no other application that is as pervasive as WhatsApp in the world today. For billions of people across the globe, WhatsApp has become the center of gravity. 

If as a business you want to meet the users where they are, WhatsApp needs to become your essential marketing channel. 

2. WhatsApp is the world’s most popular mobile messaging service

With more than 2 billion monthly active users, WhatsApp is the world’s most popular mobile messaging service. Surprisingly, only 7% of marketers use WhatsApp for business. The platform still remains a large market that is yet untapped. 

3. WhatsApp is business friendly

While for users it is free forever, WhatsApp has done a great job at including multiple tools that would allow you to offer personal customer support to your audience with automated messages and chatbot-like capabilities. For instance, if you're launching a new product, WhatsApp can automatically send the messages you've created to the customers you select. Much like your personal broadcast list. 

WhatsApp also allows you to create memorable experiences for your users. You can leverage their API to deliver compelling conversational flows with interactive CTAs, dynamic product lists, rich media, and more.

4. Connecting with users here is super cost-effective

If you have a global audience or customer base, connecting with them on WhatsApp would prove to be super cost-effective for you, since WhatsApp does not charge you anything for international communication. You can drive marketing, sales, and support outcomes with two-way conversations that engage across the customer journey.

Next, we will show you how to get your business on WhatsApp done the right way. 

How to get your business on WhatsApp

1. Verify your business account: To use WhatsApp, you must verify your account first. This can be done by providing your business phone number and confirming it via a code sent to the number.

2. Create a Business Profile: Once your account is verified, you can create a business profile that includes essential information such as your business name, address, website, and email.

3. Use WhatsApp Web: WhatsApp Web is a computer-based extension of the WhatsApp account on your phone. The messages you send and receive are fully synced between your phone and your computer, and you can see all messages on both devices.

4. Use WhatsApp Business API: WhatsApp Business API allows businesses to send and receive messages with customers, automate customer service, and build customer engagement through WhatsApp.

5. Use WhatsApp for customer service: Use WhatsApp to provide customer service, such as answering questions, providing support, and resolving issues. You can also use it to send automated messages to customers, such as appointment reminders or shipment tracking updates.

6. Use WhatsApp for marketing: Use WhatsApp to send promotional messages to customers, such as new product announcements or special offers. Be sure to comply with WhatsApp's guidelines and regulations on sending marketing messages.

7. Use WhatsApp for team communication: Use WhatsApp to communicate with your team, share files, and collaborate on projects. You can create group chats for different teams or departments, or for specific projects.

8. Track and analyze your WhatsApp activity: Use WhatsApp's built-in analytics to track the performance of your messages and customer interactions. This can help you improve your messaging strategy and customer service.

9. Be responsive: Make sure to respond to customer messages promptly and professionally to build trust and loyalty.

10. Follow WhatsApp guidelines: Be sure to comply with WhatsApp's guidelines and regulations at all times, to avoid any potential issues or penalties.

How can a text expander help you get more out of WhatsApp?

If you wish to engage your customers over WhatsApp, your experience would involve typing and sending out the same message to multiple people. 

To simplify this incessant typing and outreach, you can use a text expander. A text expander is a productivity tool that helps you summon and fill out content on cue with shortcuts such as o/product-update or o/feedback-response. It helps convert your most-used content, images, or formatted text into simple, easy-to-remember shortcuts that auto-expand into snippets wherever you work. 

Text expanders ensure that you do not waste time and effort coming up with the message each time you need to send it out on WhatsApp. 

They also help you type out a message that is personalized in under a second, so you can send out as many as you want - 30x faster. Apart from supercharging your speed of outreach, text expanders also prevent you from embarrassing yourself thanks to typos and poorly (read: hurriedly) crafted messages. 

Now that we know why you need a text expander to win over your customers, let’s delve into the how. 

How can you use a text expander on WhatsApp? 

WhatsApp messages are effective when they are conversational and personalized. This is why your customer support team can steer the conversations their way by using a text expander to send out these important messages. 

1. Share important updates with your customers

As someone who is always hesitant while ordering from not-so-known brands online (once bitten, twice shy), I really appreciate it when they go the extra mile to assuage my concerns. This includes sending timely messages that tell me my order is confirmed or that it’s been dispatched on time. And the best way to do that is by sending me the nifty updates over WhatsApp. 

Brands can use WhatsApp to share important updates with their customers which include: 

• Sending order confirmations and shipping updates
• Share appointment availability and other reminders

With a text expander like OSlash, you would be able to write these notifications in a template and ensure consistency of messaging across the entire Support department. With o/product-update, you’d be able to conjure the following message in an instant.
‍

Hi [First Name],

We’ve received your order. Thank you for shopping with us! 

Please allow up to 2 business days (excluding weekends and holidays) for us to ship your order. You will hear from us once the order is shipped. 

Order No.: [OrderID]

Purchased On: [dd/mm/yyyy]

Cheers

Given customers are always eager to know about the status of their order, this message on WhatsApp allows them to stay in the loop and appreciate the extra effort taken by the brand to keep them informed. 

Here is another example of a message that you can send over WhatsApp to ensure quick communication to and fro. 

Hi [First Name], 

Thank you for choosing [Company Name].

This is [Your Name], your consultant from [Company Name].

You have scheduled a phone meeting at 10 pm on [dd/mm/yyyy]. Please reply with YES to confirm. 

With templated messages using a text expander for the whole team, you not only save hours of your time but also ensure that the message is free of typos and embarrassing errors that can slip through even the best of us. 

Recommended reading: Templates for an excellent customer service

2. Make promotions feel more personal

Nobody likes promotional messages. It is no wonder that Google had to invent a whole new tab “Promotions” to keep your attention focused on emails that matter. But as a business, if you don’t find a way to sell, you’re going to be quite literally doomed. 

So how does one strike that balance? By using promotional messages that don’t sound salesly as much as they sound personal. For example, you can write to someone who abandoned their cart and give them a special discount on items they were almost about to purchase. It’s a win-win for everyone. 

As a business, you need to explore WhatsApp to: 

• Drive upsell and cross-sell opportunities
• Re-engage customers after they have abandoned their cart
• Maximize ROI with hyper-personalized promotions

With a focus on enabling better customer engagement through conversational messaging, you can build e-commerce channels through the WhatsApp Business Platform. Engage your users in relevant, high-quality conversations for optimal pre-purchase customer journey engagement. 

With a text expander, it is easier to keep such conversations quirky, consistent, and personalized. So, o/abandon-cart-offer can expand to: 

Hi [First Name],

We have some great news — The item in your cart on [Company Name] is now 20% off. 

[Insert image]

Simply click the link to avail the offer. We’ve pre-applied the discount to make your purchase easier for you. But hurry, the offer is valid only for the next 48 hours. 

[Insert link]

Happy shopping! 

If you are a travel company, a personalized message such as o/custom-itinerary might look something like this: 

Hey, 

Thailand for 10 days in June?

We don’t think it gets better. Enjoy the tropical beaches, opulent royal palaces, ornate temples, ancient ruins, nightlong parties, and life with this customized itinerary just for you. 

Click the link below to uncover the magic of The Land of Smiles in 10 days. 

[Insert Link]

3. Answer customer queries in a single interaction

A great way to use WhatsApp to your advantage is by making it a hub for support queries so that customers don’t have to fight the long waiting hours to get connected with a support agent. Faster query resolution means instant customer satisfaction thereby increasing your retention rate. 

With limited support agents, however, managing a large volume of queries might be difficult. This is where a text expander can help you speed things along. Efficiently addressing customer questions about return or order status, delivery times, changes in delivery address, coupons, payments, or canceling orders is a cornerstone of the company’s respectful customer service. 

However, each call center agent can only help one customer at a time. Customers often cycle through a queue to find a representative who speaks their language, causing increases in follow-up calls and customer tickets.

With templatized responses to each possible query that can be summoned with a keystroke, text expanders can help your agents resolve queries faster and more efficiently. 

For example, if someone were to simply write to you “Where is my order”, o/order-status can be immensely helpful in replying with the below response:

Hi [First Name], 

Your order [Order ID] has been dispatched. You will receive your purchase within 2 days.

Thank you for ordering from [Company Name]. Let me know if there is anything else you need help with. 

Recommended reading: The ultimate guide to canned responses

Showing customers the respect of faster, more responsive service and making shopping even easier never goes out of style.

You can also eliminate app requirements by providing all your help/support features on WhatsApp. You can also go the extra mile and provide a shopping experience right at the fingertips of your users. 

For example, o/christmas-catalog can read: 

Hi [First Name],

It’s Christmas and we’ve got tons of gift items we thought you’d love! 

1. Santa socks
‍
2. Hot chocolate mug
‍
3. Fuzzy blanket
‍
4. Christmas jumper
‍
5. Moon light projector
‍
6. A collection of short stories by Charles Dickens

Please reply with the number and we will send you the payment link right here. 

Have a merry Christmas from all of us at [Company Name]!

Choose the right text expander with OSlash

If you are looking for a text expander that works on WhatsApp and helps you drive business growth efficiently, no need to look further than OSlash. 

‍OSlash helps you convert all your frequently-used snippets into shortcuts that would help you and your team save millions of keystrokes every day! You can download it right away and start connecting with your customers, no matter where they are located.