How Kenyan businesses are using WhatsApp for their businesses

Todays consumer is quite unique because unlike in the past ,these consumers want brands they are interacting with to listen to them and answer all their questions in a timely manner and in ways that are convenient to them. This is where WhatsApp comes into the picture. WhatsApp business is gradually increasing in relevance especially for brands in Kenya and across the world.

In this article we will be addressing how a business in Kenya can use WhatsApp for their business and the benefits of it.

Ways to use WhatsApp for your business

WhatsApp is more than just a platform for interacting with customers, it is in so many ways a platform that should be implemented for sales and marketing strategies in Kenya.

1. Redirect customers with Ads

Meta introduced the capability to use Facebook and Instagram ads to redirect consumers to WhatsApp by adding a send message button to an ad that was created on either platform. This will open a conversation thread in the WhatsApp Business app hence having an interaction with the potential customer.

2. Profile optimization

The best way to gain a potential customers trust is transparency and with WhatsApp a business can share important details such as business location , open-times on their profile.

3. Digital catalogs

Small businesses in Kenya can take advantage of product catalogs to showcase their products and services without the need on having a website , all the need they need to have is a Facebook shop in the backend.

4. Provide customer support

WhatsApp can act as a call center for customers by using WhatsApp-powered chatbots and digital assistants .

5. Share updates

With the use of WhatsApp statuses a business in Kenya can share major and minor updates such as when products are out of stock, delivery delays etc. This allows them to address a huge number of their customers without the inconvenience of calling or messaging each individual one.

6. Use conversational marketing campaigns

Conversational marketing is a way of marketing that engages consumers in dialogue-driven, personalized experiences , enabling brands to listen and gain while also providing value to the user. With WhatsApp a business can come up with campaigns that are customer driven.

By using WhatsApp for these reasons and many others, a business can greatly reap the benefits;

Benefits of WhatsApp for a business

1. Room for expansion

WhatsApp has close to two billion users worldwide , making it one of the most popular messaging platforms globally .This can serve a business that is hoping to expand out of Kenya because with a potential audience that large, it’s easy to engage with new prospects elsewhere that may still be in the dark about your business.

2. Increasing the likelihood of a higher ROI

WhatsApp does a good job at streamline customer service which in the long run reduces the cost of operation which in turn increases the ROI.

3. Increased employee satisfaction

According to Zendesk 50% of contact center employees are happier to engage with customers via messaging platforms in comparison to traditional methods.

4. Better customer experience

Zendesk suggests that a majority of leading companies offer customer support across twice as many channels as their peers. WhatsApp has proven to be a good platform to provide customer support.

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