WhatsApp is a great platform for businesses to advertise and reach their target audience. WhatsApp ads allow businesses to connect with their customers more personalized and engagingly.
In this blog, we will explore how to advertise on WhatsApp and provide a step-by-step guide on creating WhatsApp ads. We will also cover the benefits of using WhatsApp ads for your marketing strategy and how to start a WhatsApp advertising account.
Whether you are a small business owner looking to promote your products or services or a large enterprise looking to connect with your customers, this guide will help you get started with WhatsApp advertising.
What are Whatsapp Ads?
WhatsApp ads are Facebook and Instagram ads that direct users to chat with your business. They function as click-to-chat ads and use appealing CTAs to entice targeted audiences strategically. These ads can be created within the WhatsApp Business app without other apps.
When creating WhatsApp ads, you can choose ad media, spending amount, duration, and target audience. You can pay for these ads using the same payment method as your Facebook ad account. If your Facebook page is not linked to your WhatsApp Business account, the ads will only appear on Facebook.
However, once you have linked your Facebook page to your business, you can deliver ads on both Facebook and Instagram.
Reasons Why WhatsApp Ads Is a Great Tool for Your Marketing Strategy.
- WhatsApp is the most popular instant messaging app
WhatsApp is the third most popular social network worldwide as of January 2023 with over 2 million users. In June 2022, WhatsApp was the most downloaded mobile messenger app worldwide, with almost 45 million downloads.
- Higher engagement rates:
With ads that lead to a chat with the business, customers can engage with businesses directly and build a relationship that could lead to higher engagement rates in the long term. Additionally, if the ads target specific audiences based on demographics, interests, and behaviors, businesses could reach their ideal customers more effectively, leading to higher engagement rates.
- People prefer using chat over calls
Around 73% of customers find live chat the most satisfactory form of communication with a company.
Chatting allows for more flexibility and convenience, as users can respond at their own pace and time. By delivering ads that lead to a chat with the business, WhatsApp offers a platform aligned with many users' preferences. Additionally, chats can provide businesses with valuable information about customer needs and preferences, which can help them improve their products and services.
By facilitating chat interactions through ads, businesses can build trust and rapport with customers, which could lead to higher engagement and conversion rates.
- Precise targeting
WhatsApp ads could be important for precise targeting because they can target specific audiences based on demographics, interests, and behaviors.
With over 2 billion active users, WhatsApp has a massive user base, but not all users are relevant to every business. By delivering targeted ads, businesses can reach the users who are most likely to be interested in their products or services.
This can help maximize the effectiveness of ad campaigns, as businesses can avoid wasting resources on ads that are unlikely to lead to conversions.
- Low costs:
As an emerging platform, there is still plenty of room for you to experiment, which is cost-effective. With a low barrier to entry, there are many ways to experiment that are easy, cheap, and require minimal effort to set up.
Unlike other forms of advertising, WhatsApp ads are affordable and can be highly targeted to reach specific audiences.
- Rich & Diverse Multimedia of WhatsApp:
WhatsApp allows for a rich and diverse range of multimedia content, making it an effective tool for engaging users with various content formats. This can help businesses to convey information more effectively and to build deeper connections with their customers.
Here are the multimedia options of WhatsApp, WhatsApp Business, and WhatsApp API in a tabular format:
How to Create WhatsApp Ads?
Within the WhatsApp Business app, you can create Facebook and Instagram ads that lead to a WhatsApp chat.
To create WhatsApp Ads, you must meet the following eligibility criteria:
- Use an Android phone
- Can log in to your Facebook account on the same phone to pay for the ad
To create WhatsApp Ads on WhatsApp Business:
- Open WhatsApp >
- > Advertise on Facebook > Get started
- Select a catalog item/photo or status you wish to advertise
- Note: If you choose Your Catalog, you need to have at least one approved item in your WhatsApp Business catalog.
- You can advertise multiple catalog items at a time and run multiple ads for your business.
- Tap Next
- You will be prompted to log into your Facebook account to pay for your ad
- Tap Log in and enter your Facebook credentials
- Fill in the details of your ad by setting your Budget (how much you want to spend daily), Duration (how long you want your ad to run), Audience (who you want to reach), and select a special ad category, if necessary.
- Tap Next
- Review ad details.
- Tap Create Ad
- Your ad will be reviewed before it’s published.
- After your ad is published, you can view your ad's status and results in the app under Manage ads on Facebook.
How to Start a WhatsApp Advertising Account?
Here is the step-by-step guide on how to start a WhatsApp Advertising Account.
Step 1: Connect Your Ad account:
To initiate a WhatsApp Advertising Account, set up a WhatsApp Business account. You can acquire WhatsApp Business by downloading the app or partnering with one of the company's API-connected associates.
Step 2: Link Your WhatsApp Account to Your Facebook Account
You can link your accounts from within the WhatsApp Business app.
- Open the WhatsApp Business app.
- On Android, tap More options. On iPhone, tap Settings.
- Tap Business tools > Facebook & Instagram.
- Tap Facebook > CONTINUE. This will open the Facebook login page.
- Enter the login information for your Facebook account. Tap Log In.
- Select the Facebook Page you want to link to your WhatsApp Business account. Tap Connect WhatsApp. .
- If you don’t have a Facebook Page, you can create one.
You’ll now see a WhatsApp button on your Facebook page.
Once you return to the WhatsApp Business app, you’ll see your linked Facebook Page at the top of the Facebook & Instagram screen.
When you connect your WhatsApp Business account to your Facebook Page and turn on syncing, your WhatsApp Business account will reflect the business information on your Facebook Page.
Step 3: Select Your Ad Objective:
To begin creating your WhatsApp ads, utilize the Ads Manager tool on Facebook and proceed to Ads Creation. Firstly, select an objective for your WhatsApp advertising campaign.
Ads Manager has six campaign objectives: awareness, traffic, engagement, leads, app promotion, and sales.
Step 4: Create Your Ad:
- Go to Ad creation within Ads Manager.
- Choose your objective.
- Choose your campaign budget and click Next.
- Under conversion location, select messaging apps.
- In the Messaging apps section, select WhatsApp.
- Under Ad type, select Click to message.
- For ads using the respective objective, in the Accounts section, go to WhatsApp and select the relevant WhatsApp number from the drop-down menu.
- Choose your audience, placements, budget, and schedule, and click Next.
- Select your ad format and complete your ad setup.
- Click + Create to create your flow. Click Save and finish when you've finished.
- Click Publish to publish your ad.
You can create an ad that clicks to WhatsApp with a WhatsApp number that's either connected to your Facebook Page or your Business Manager.
Learn from here detailed knowledge regarding the process of creating WhatsApp Ads.
Selecting the Audience for Your WhatsApp Advertisements
Here are the steps to select the audience for your WhatsApp advertisements:
- Define your target audience: Firstly, identify the demographic, interests, and behaviors of your target audience. This will help you create an audience profile that aligns with your brand and product.
- Use Facebook Ads Manager: Facebook Ads Manager provides an option to create a custom audience by selecting from the available options such as age, gender, location, interests, and behaviors.
- Create Lookalike Audiences: With Lookalike Audiences, you can create a new audience based on the similarities with your existing customer database or website visitors. This will help you reach out to potential customers with similar traits.
- Use WhatsApp Business API: The WhatsApp Business API comes with advanced functionality and allows targeting your ads based on the phone numbers uploaded to your WhatsApp Business account.
- Refine and optimize your audience: Refine and optimize your audience by analyzing the performance of your WhatsApp ads. You can modify the audience parameters based on their behavior and response to the ads.
By following these steps, you can create an audience that aligns with your brand and product, leading to higher engagement rates and conversions.
How to Create WhatsApp Ads Directly from the WhatsApp Business App?
With ads that click to WhatsApp, you can add a WhatsApp button to your Facebook and Instagram ads that will open a conversation in the WhatsApp Business app. This allows people to connect with your business on WhatsApp after clicking the button on your ad.
Create an ad
- Go to the WhatsApp Business app's Settings tab and tap Business tools.
- You can also advertise directly from your catalog by going to the WhatsApp Business app's Settings tab, tapping Catalogue, then tapping on the item.
- Tap Advertise on Facebook.
- Tap Create a new Facebook ad.
- Choose an image for your ad – either a product from your catalog or a photo or video on your device.
- If you choose your catalog, you must have at least one approved item in your WhatsApp Business catalog.
- Tap Continue to Facebook. Connect WhatsApp to your Facebook Page, or create a Page if you haven't done so.
- You'll need to be an admin of your Page if you connect an existing Page.
- Confirm your Page information and tap Connect WhatsApp.
- Tap Continue to create an ad.
- Scroll down and edit your ad's text, budget, ad category, and targeting information if necessary.
- Tap Promote now.
- Your ad will be reviewed before it's published.
- After your ad has been published, you can view your ad's status and results in the app under Manage ads on Facebook.
Whatsapp Ads Examples.
Here are some successful WhatsApp Ads:
- KLM Airlines - KLM Airlines used WhatsApp to allow customers to receive flight updates, boarding passes, and flight confirmations. This was a convenient way for customers to stay updated with their travel plans and provided a more personalized experience.
- Hellmann's - Hellmann's used WhatsApp to give customers recipe ideas and cooking tips. They created a chatbot that customers could interact with and receive customized recipe suggestions based on the ingredients they had on hand.
- Absolut Vodka - Absolut Vodka created a WhatsApp campaign allowing customers to create personalized cocktail recipes. Users could chat with Absolut's virtual bartender and answer questions about their taste preferences to receive a customized recipe.
- Oreo - Oreo used WhatsApp to launch a new product and engage with its audience. They created a chatbot that allowed users to participate in a guessing game to unveil the new flavor of Oreo cookies.
- Adidas - Adidas used WhatsApp to launch a new product line and provide exclusive content to their customers. They created a chatbot that allowed users to receive product updates and exclusive content and even book appointments to visit a nearby Adidas store.
- Hellcase - Hellcase used WhatsApp to provide customer service support to its users. By integrating WhatsApp into their customer support channels, they provided a more personalized and responsive support experience to their users.
Conclusion-
In conclusion, WhatsApp can be a powerful platform for businesses to advertise their products and services. With the right strategies and tools, businesses can effectively reach their target audience, build relationships, and drive conversions.
By following the tips and best practices outlined in this guide, businesses of all sizes can leverage the power of WhatsApp to advertise and grow their business.
However, it's important to always adhere to WhatsApp's policies and guidelines to ensure a positive user experience for both customers and businesses. So, explore WhatsApp advertising options and take your business to new heights. Good luck!
