In this article, we will discuss why using WhatsApp as a communication medium is better than any other and also discuss interesting use cases in which B2B companies can leverage WhatsApp for marketing and support.
Benefits of WhatsApp for B2B companies
High number of users
With over 2 billion monthly active users, WhatsApp is one of the most used texting apps worldwide. The platform’s growth has been quick as it has grown from 1 billion MAU to 2 billion in just 4 years.
It’s not just about the monthly active users, though. According to a report from Verloop, every user on WhatsApp spends an average of 18.6 hours per month on the platform.
Lastly, here’s the reasons for B2B companies to leverage WhatsApp: ~175 million people send messages to WhatsApp Business accounts daily.
Less crowded than email
There’s no doubt that almost everyone with the internet has access to emails, and the number of email users is double that of WhatsApp. So why is WhatsApp a better marketing channel than email?
That’s because 81% of SMBs use email as their primary source for marketing and reaching out to their customers, making it quite competitive.
Time to do some calculations:
There are approximately 400 million small and mid-sized businesses worldwide.
81% of 400 million = 324 million – this is the number of SMBs that leverage email for communication with their customers.
Whereas only about 50 million businesses use WhatsApp. That’s 274 million businesses less than the ones using email to talk to their customers.
Another sector where WhatsApp dominates email marketing is the open rate.
The average open rate of any email marketing campaign is between 17-28%, whereas the open rate for WhatsApp messages is 98% 🤯.
An open rate as high as 98% almost gives you a guarantee that your prospect or customer will open your WhatsApp message, but the same can’t be said for email marketing.
Informal and personal
Due to WhatsApp’s informal and personal nature, businesses and customers love using WhatsApp Business. The number of downloads for the platform has been increasing steadily since 2018.
Let’s face it; WhatsApp is a more informal and personal channel of communication when compared to email. It’s a platform where your suits and ties loosen, and you can talk like a real person.
Instead of drafting emails that start with a robotic “Dear valued customer,” you can write “Hey there” when using WhatsApp. Tell us what feels more personal and human, the former or the latter.
Here’s an example to make it more clearer:
Suppose you sell office chairs, and one of your customers encounters an issue with delivery. If you have WhatsApp as a communication medium, instead of sending a dreaded email and waiting forever for a reply, they shoot you a quick WhatsApp message.
Your team replies with a friendly, “Sorry about that! Let’s fix it.” Simple, quick, and no fuss.
And that’s the beauty of it. You’re not just a faceless company anymore. You become a friend of every customer you sell chairs to.
You’re in their contacts, their chats, and a part of their everyday life. It’s like having a direct hotline for your customers, and that’s gold for any B2B company.
Customer service
When it comes to B2B, building relationships that last is the ultimate goal of the company.
And that’s where WhatsApp comes in.
With WhatsApp, unlike emails, you don’t need to wait for replies. Have a question? Fire off a WhatsApp message, and you get your answer pronto.
Another good thing about WhatsApp is, you get to have conversations that are more casual and real.
Lastly, it’s not just about words. Pictures, videos, and voice messages are all part of the conversation. If your customers have some tech issues, they can send you a photo and you could send them a video addressing the issue. It’s like having a pocket-sized customer service rep ready to go.
Internal communication
WhatsApp is like a secret sauce that makes internal communication zing. Emails have been a predominant mode of internal communication, but no one’s excited to have conversations via email nowadays.
WhatsApp is way better medium for internal communication because:
- You and your team don’t have to wait forever for a reply. With WhatsApp, you send a message; your teammates read it; you know they read it, and they can respond ASAP.
- You can communicate with your phone. This means you can message your team for a taxi, a coffee shop, or even from a party. You don’t need to be chained to your desk to have conversations.
- WhatsApp is versatile; it lets you share text, photos, videos, voice notes, and documents – and it’s all in one thread, easy to follow. No more searching through a haystack of emails.
- WhatsApp lets you be informal and relaxed. Emojis, GIFs, friendly banter – it’s all part of the game.
Managing a team over WhatsApp is quick, easy, and efficient.
Here’s how WhatsApp helped Toyota Material Handling manage 180 mechanics.
The Problem – Toyota Material Handling’s customer team gets about 125,000 service requests yearly, so the customer team must be in constant contact with their mechanics almost every time.
To do so, they rely on Trengo.
Before Trengo, they used to communicate with their mechanics via calls, but it slowed down their service request resolution.
The Solution – In 2020, when Toyota switched from calls to WhatsApp, it helped them save time that they could use to offer high-quality service to their customers.
The Result – Trengo was able to reduce the handling time of all the conversations with mechanics by 50%
Lead generation
WhatsApp is better at lead generation than any other communication channel out there. For starters, the messages sent from WhatsApp Business API have a 99% open rate!
With WhatsApp, it’s all about accessibility. WhatsApp is like the Swiss army knife of communication. It’s on nearly every smartphone out there, and that means you’ve got a direct line to your leads right in their pocket.
Instead of just another company sending spammy emails to their prospects, you’re a contact on their phone.
With WhatsApp, lead generation isn’t just a one-way street. It’s a two-way conversation.
You can share product demos, behind-the-scenes videos, and even emojis for good measure.
Leads can ask questions and get instant replies. It’s engaging and human, and that’s a big win.
Finally, it’s about trust. WhatsApp messages are encrypted end-to-end. Your leads know their information is secure, that builds trust, which is key in B2B. Plus, you know when they’ve seen your message, so there’s no wondering if your lead gen efforts are hitting home.
Offering high-quality services to leads that turn into customers has been a problem for many, including Europe’s biggest truck and trailer dealers – BAS World, but they finally overcame it with Trengo multilingual flowbot.
The Problem – Here’s how Fleur van Heertum, a sales employee at BAS World, describes their problem: “Because of the growing amount of daily inquiries of customers that speak a lot of different languages, we were struggling to reply to messages in a timely manner.”
The solution – Trengo’s multilingual flowbot.
Results – BAS World closed 57 orders via Trengo’s flowbot in a month.
BAS World integrates the flowbot with their website, so now, when visitors from anywhere in the world land on their website, they are automatically redirected to the website version with the language of their choice.
Sales
In sales, time is money; immediate follow-up can be the difference between landing a client and losing one. With WhatsApp, when someone signs up for a demo or trial, you can send them a personalized message.
This not only shows your responsiveness but also helps establish a connection right off the bat. Sending follow-up messages can help you build rapport faster and foster a closer relationship with your prospects.
But remember this – Just because someone is interested in your product or service doesn’t mean they’re ready to buy. They might need nurturing.
That’s where WhatsApp comes in. It’s a unique platform for sending tailored content that engages your leads and keeps your product on top of mind.
You could share success stories, industry news, tips and tricks, or anything else that might interest your leads.
Invites to webinars, events, etc.
If you want to invite your customers to webinars and events, leverage WhatsApp.
Here’s why 👇
- Click-Through Rates: WhatsApp’s click-through rate is off the charts; it’s over 90%. That’s way better than emails or any other means of communication. So, if you’re keen on your invites not just getting more eyeballs but also converting, send them through WhatsApp.
- Immediate Notification: When you send an invitation via WhatsApp, it sends off an instant alert on the recipient’s mobile. This increases the odds of invitee RSVPing for your event.
- Casual Tone: WhatsApp is typically viewed as a casual, friendly platform. This can morph your invites from being perceived as business junk into personal call-outs, possibly increasing your turnout rates.
