Digital Marketing
IN THIS LESSON
WhatsApp is popular for a wide variety of communication needs and styles.
Find out how it can support your Moja storefront and extend your brand.
Note: To take full advantage of the digital marketing power of WhatsApp or Facebook for your Moja storefront, you will need to instruct prospective customers to set up a user profile in the Moja app. Customers will only be able to purchase from your storefront while they are active in the Moja app. This means that your digital marketing efforts should direct prospective customers to become registered users on the Moja app.
In Sub-Saharan Africa, WhatsApp and Facebook are the most used apps for social and business communication. WhatsApp is no longer just a convenient way to communicate with your friends and family. It has fast become the best way to discuss business with coworkers. WhatsApp has replaced all other chat apps and earned the premier status of being the most popular app on mobile handsets.
WhatsApp is now most people’s go to platform for urgent client communications, quick check ins, and voice note rants to friends. Text messages are now the realm of spammers, leaving WhatsApp relatively spam free. Here are a few proven tips to make effective use of WhatsApp in your business:
1. Client Groups
If, for example, you sell weight-loss tea that targets women or mothers, then it might make sense to create a support group for this client group using WhatsApp. Here are some points to keep in mind as you set up these groups:
People have to indicate that they want to join the group. You can’t just add them without their authorization.
You will naturally expect to have as per all social media channels 10%-20% chatting, 40-50% reading but not commenting, and 10-20% permanently annoyed at the level of chatter filling up their inbox.
You need to manage the over-communicators by making clear rules, providing warnings to people who break rules, and removing negative posts.
You might need a full-time chat group monitor. The monitor can post jokes, helpful comments, and ask questions to keep the conversation flowing. Just remember WhatsApp is more invasive than other communications platforms and you stand the risk of spamming users.
Now that you have organized these groups, you could divide them into cities and then convene meetings. Those in-person meetings provide a great way to non-invasively involve your brand in their lives, thus building loyalty, friendship, and trust.
2. Broadcast Messages
WhatsApp gives you an option to send a group message out to all the people in your contact address book. But this feature presents a problem; it’s impossible to think of something that everyone in your address book will be interested in.
Organize your contacts into sub-groups. You can insert "Mama" in front of the mother’s group, and so on. In that way your contacts will automatically sort by sub-group, making it easier to select the recipients of your group message.
3. WhatsApp Status
WhatsApp status gives you the option to create short, disposable content updates, which gives your contacts another avenue of engaging with your life or brand. In order for your customers to see your status, however, you need to already be a saved contact number on their phones.
Have a Moja storefront? Encourage customers to add your number into their phones to stay up to date with your latest offers and specials.
People love competitions. You could use WhatsApp status to post competitions and send out a broadcast message telling your customers/prospects to stay tuned for status updates.
4. Customer Service
WhatsApp can be used as a channel for customers to lodge their complaints:
Create a unique phone number for your business to manage WhatsApp complaints.
Use WhatsApp on your browser, which is much easier than using a phone to type. You can now copy and paste from your service tracking system into WhatsApp web, saving time and reducing errors.