Leveraging Whatsapp to Increase Facebook and Instagram Conversion

A common challenge that social media marketers face is having their ads and other marketing messages ignored by their target audience. What if you are told that there is another world where all your marketing messages are opened, read, and capture your target audience’s attention, and all your customers are only a click away? This is a reality in WhatsApp marketing.

WhatsApp enables businesses to send messages to their audiences in real time, achieving a global reach, making it an essential tool for e-commerce. It also has one of the highest engagement rates. According to a Meta study, leveraging WhatsApp marketing results in a 58.5% increase in leads. In this article, we will examine how businesses can utilize WhatsApp to enhance their Facebook and Instagram conversions.

What is a WhatsApp Campaign Strategy?

Unless you live under a rock, you already know WhatsApp and how it allows you to send a message to another user with the tap of a button. However, there is more to WhatsApp than sending messages and sharing memes. You can use it to market your products and even increase conversions on Facebook and Instagram. It can also be a good choice for turning your casual visitors into loyal customers.

The goal of a WhatsApp marketing strategy is to turn the messaging platform into a powerful tool  that you can use to:

• Captivate. You can use the tool to create eye-catching visuals and add compelling copy. This is essential in building a scroll-stopping brand design.
• Persuade. WhatsApp can be a valuable tool for encouraging audiences to take action, whether by purchasing a product, signing up for a newsletter, or booking a service.
• Convert. The platform can be an excellent choice for turning your potential customers into paying customers and converting one-time buyers into loyal customers.

To achieve these goals, you need to view WhatsApp as a means of initiating conversations rather than simply sending messages. These conversations lead to relationships and, finally, higher e-commerce sales. 

WhatsApp Ads and their Benefits

WhatsApp ads are run on Facebook and Instagram, allowing users to click through to WhatsApp. When a user clicks the button, they can start a conversation on WhatsApp with the business owner. These ads are an excellent choice for businesses that want to share product details, offer customer service, or close a sale using real-time messaging. There are several benefits of WhatsApp ads, such as:

• Unparalleled reach. WhatsApp is the most popular messaging platform. This makes it a perfect choice for businesses seeking a diverse and broad audience. With over 2 billion monthly active users, the platform presents significant opportunities for brands.
• Higher customer engagement. With a 98% open rate, WhatsApp boasts one of the highest engagement rates among messaging platforms. Additionally, the Click-through rate on WhatsApp is between 45% and 50%, which is higher than that of other platforms. This can be attributed to the fact that, on average, WhatsApp users check their messages 23 to 25 times, enabling brands to interact meaningfully with potential clients several times in a day.
• Real-time connections. According to research, over half of consumers suggest that when they communicate with a brand through a messaging app, they feel a stronger connection. This often leads to a conversion in 38% of consumers. 
• Higher conversion. Customers who engage with a brand on WhatsApp tend to spend more than those who don't. This is essential as it costs less to retain customers than to acquire new ones.
• Cost-effective. WhatsApp offers features like QR codes and product catalogs, making the entire sales process easier. This is because it enables shoppers to browse, add items to their carts, and complete purchases all within the app. 

Requirements for Launching WhatsApp Ads

Before you can start WhatsApp ads, you will need the following:

WhatsApp Business Account

If you are using the regular WhatsApp number, you will not be able to run ads. Therefore, begin by creating a WhatsApp Business account using the business app. This will enable you to access advanced features such as:

• The green verification tick increases the trust of your audience.
• Automating your chat and providing chatbox support.
• Support multiple logins to enable seamless customer service.
• Showcasing your offering with a product catalog.
• Better engagement with interactive messaging tools.

Small businesses may use the Business app. However, if you are a big business that receives a high number of texts, consider the Business API.

Linking WhatsApp for Business to an Instagram or Facebook Page

Before you can run a WhatsApp Ad, you need to connect the business account to either Instagram or a Facebook page. Here are the steps to follow when doing that on Facebook:

• Go to “Settings” on your Facebook Business Page.
• Under the left-hand menu, click on the section labeled “WhatsApp”.
• Add a business phone number and verify it.

To run your WhatsApp ads on both Instagram and Facebook, you must link your Facebook account to your Instagram account.

Go to Facebook Ads Manager to Set up a Campaign

 After connecting your Facebook and Instagram accounts, you should follow these steps:

• Create a new campaign under the Facebook Ad Manager.
• Select your campaign objective: awareness, consideration, or conversion.

If your objective is to make sales, choose conversion as your goal. On the other hand, if you want to build a good customer relationship, select engagement metrics.

Select Your Budget and Ad Placement

Depending on the duration of your WhatsApp campaign, you can choose either a daily or a lifetime budget. You can also choose where you want the ad to appear. This could be on the Instagram feed, stories, Facebook Messenger, or Facebook News Feed. To increase traffic, choose WhatsApp messages as your Ad destination.

Use Engaging Messaging and Visuals

You will have the option to choose from three ad formats.

• Single image. This is a good choice for highlighting a product or a service.
• Carousel. These can showcase multiple items in the product catalogs.
• Video. It will help you capture your audience’s attention using dynamic content

Ensure that you have added a compelling description with a clear CTA, such as “Message Now” or “Chat on WhatsApp”. It is advisable to have a personalized welcome message that customers click on to start chatting. For instance, when a customer clicks on an ad, they can receive a message such as "Hi, Jane. Thanks for messaging us. How can we help you?”

Choose an Audience and Optimize for Them

WhatsApp ads allow you to choose from three different audiences. These are:

• Saved audiences. The demographics and their interests are already predetermined.
• Custom audiences. These can be used for retargeting users who had previously interacted with your brand.
• Look-alike audiences. Enables you to find audiences that are similar to your top customers.

Leverage Facebook's audience placement to achieve a broader reach. To refine your targeting, focus on creating lookalike or custom audiences.

Review and Publish Ads

You will need to double-check all your details, such as budget, visuals, targeting, and messaging, before you can click Publish. Once you are satisfied, you can click Publish. You can use metrics such as click-through rates (CTR) and conversion rates to refine your future campaigns.

Maximize Your Facebook Ads

After publishing ads, you need to realize that your work isn't yet done. After all, you will be competing with ads from other brands. This is why you need to consider ways to boost your ads. 

You can achieve this by taking advantage of limited-time offers. Businesses can run a Click to WhatsApp ad using exclusive deals and discounts. You can then create a sense of urgency, such as Our Offer ends today.

For instance, if you are a fitness brand, you can give your members a 50% discount on their membership fee if they click on an ad within 24 hours. This means it directs users to WhatsApp for fast inquiries and signups. This strategy is effective as it drives action and eliminates barriers that a cumbersome purchase process would otherwise cause.

Final Thoughts

WhatsApp ads offer an innovative way for businesses to connect with their target customers because they combine the broad reach of Instagram and Facebook with the personal and real-time conversations of WhatsApp. This makes it possible for brands to achieve what they wouldn't be able to with other tools. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can use WhatsApp ads to take your brand to the next level.