Have you ever thought about how to make money from WhatsApp Business? With the rise of eCommerce and the increasing use of WhatsApp for business purposes, there are actually quite a few ways to turn your WhatsApp account into a money-making machine. Whether you're already using WhatsApp for business or just getting started, it's important to know the different avenues available to monetize this popular messaging platform.
WhatsApp Business, also known as WhatsApp BSP (Business Solution Provider) or WhatsApp Business API, has become a key tool for businesses to connect with their customers, provide customer support, and even facilitate eCommerce transactions. But did you know that you can actually make money directly from WhatsApp through various ways?
In this article, we'll explore 7 different ways to make money from WhatsApp Business within the realm of eCommerce. From using WhatsApp for marketing and sales to providing customer support and even sending targeted campaigns through the platform, there are numerous opportunities to generate income using this messenger.
So, if you're ready to learn how to make money from WhatsApp and take your eCommerce game to the next level, buckle up and get ready to explore the exciting world of WhatsApp business monetization!
How can you use WhatsApp to earn money?
You can use WhatsApp to earn money, through customer support, WhatsApp marketing campaigns and automated messages.
Creating a WhatsApp community around your brand or business is the overarching theme here, as you can use the channel for VIP & exclusive content and access to special promotions. Using WhatsApp as a CRM instead of just as a messenger can help you manage and track customer interactions better, resulting in improved sales and customer retention.
Additionally, you can use WhatsApp marketing to promote your products and services, reaching a wide audience and potentially increasing sales. Providing WhatsApp support to customers can also be a source of income, as you can charge for personalized assistance and troubleshooting. In both WhatsApp marketing & support, there is an opportunity for WhatsApp automation, which allows you to automate messages and reply to customer inquiries, saving you time and allowing you to focus on other aspects of your business.
Finally, you can use Hoola, a platform that allows you to monetize through the WhatsApp Business API by turning support conversations into sales, setting up automated flows and reactivating contacts with campaigns. Overall, by leveraging the various features of WhatsApp and finding creative ways to offer value to your audience, you can earn money through this popular messaging app.
Differences between the WhatsApp Business App & WhatsApp API
So, like, if you're trying to make sure your business is all set up on WhatsApp, there are a couple options to choose from. First off, there's the WhatsApp Business App, which is the best option for small and local business owners who just want to get in touch with their customers and keep things simple.
Then there's the WhatsApp Business Platform, which offers the WhatsApp API as a service. This is more for bigger companies that need tons of advanced features and want to integrate WhatsApp into their existing systems. Think about Shopify, Klaviyo, or other common solutions you're currently using. To use this, you'll need a WhatsApp Business Solution Provider, who ideally offers you a great software, extra support, best practices and use cases to set up a successful strategy. You can use their software for WhatsApp marketing, to send out bulk messages and automate your customer interactions. Read more about the differences between the WhatsApp Business App & WhatsApp Business Platform.
7 Ways to use WhatsApp and make money for your business
WhatsApp can be an absolute game-changer for generating revenue. Features such as broadcasts, WhatsApp support, and even automation, help businesses to reach a larger audience and provide personalized customer experience. Also promotional campaigns, and using WhatsApp for customer feedback helps you build a better eCommerce business. Unlock the power of WhatsApp and your business can open doors to new revenue streams and grow your overall top-line revenue.
1. Offer top-industry WhatsApp customer support
Be committed to offer the best customer support over WhatsApp you can, to give the best possible service. Customer experience is generally a very overlooked topic, but can boost your business reputation 1000%. Replying timely to customer queries and effectively resolving problems before they come up, helps you eventually build a relationship with your customers. Everything leads to making more money, and being happier about your business in general. Your first goal in making money on WhatsApp should be the aim for giving your customers the best support of all your competitors.
2. Turn your support conversations into sales, orders & conversions
One effective way to increase sales and conversions is by naturally turning your support conversations into opportunities for upselling or cross-selling. When customers reach out for assistance, your support team's first priority should always be to help the customer as best as they can. Based on their query, your support team can identify opportunities to recommend the best product or recommended and related products that complement their original purchase. By providing helpful suggestions and resolving any concerns, you can turn a simple support interaction into a new sale or order. This approach not only generates additional revenue but also enhances the overall customer experience.
3. Automate support conversations with AI & Goals
The use of AI chatbots in support conversations on platforms like WhatsApp completely rethinks customer service in terms of efficiency and responsiveness. By implementing a WhatsApp chatbot powered by AI, businesses can automate frequently asked questions and common troubleshooting issues, freeing up human support agents to handle more complex queries. The AI goals in this context are set by you as a business, depending on your 'goal', you can decide the end goal of the conversation and the action that the user should take. This can be an order, booking a call, or simply collecting feedback, or let it depend on the context of the conversation.
4. Set up WhatsApp automated marketing flows
Setting up WhatsApp automated marketing flows can greatly improve your customer engagement and retention. By creating a welcome flow, you can introduce new customers to your brand and products, while making money using WhatsApp on auto-pilot. The post-purchase flow can provide them with helpful information and tips, or trigger transactional messages to provide customers with important order updates and shipping information.
Abandoned cart messages can encourage customers to complete their purchase, and promotional messages can help you reactivate contacts to be updated on your latest deals and offers. These automated flows turn into an integral part of most of our clients marketing strategies and help you provide a better overall experience for your customers to sell products or services.
5. Build a WhatsApp VIP Community to MAKE NOISE!
Building a community of your VIP eCommerce customers is one of the best way to earn money using WhatsApp on recurring basis. With a growing number of users, there is great potential to make money with WhatsApp by offering exclusive content, services, or products to members within your VIP community. They feel like an exclusive member and see more value in the content you share directly to them in the app. This also gives much more incentive to actually purchase directly from you. Community building is one of the greatest growth hacks of this day and age and a great way to monetize WhatsApp as a business revenue channel.
6. Send targeted WhatsApp campaigns to customers (based on support data)
With the ability to send targeted WhatsApp campaigns to customers based on support data, businesses can personalize their marketing campaigns and connect with customers in a more meaningful way. By using the data collected from customer support interactions, you can send way more relevant promotions to your audience. This can lead to higher engagement rates, increased customer satisfaction, and ultimately, you will boost your business revenue through WhatsApp. As WhatsApp as a communication channel is becoming more and more popular, businesses have a unique opportunity to reach their customers directly and effectively, providing a more personalized and enjoyable experience for their audience.
7. Build relationships and keep customers for a lifetime 🧡
Building and maintaining strong customer relationships is essential for maximizing customer lifetime value. By taking the time to understand your customer's needs and providing exceptional service, businesses can create loyal customers who will continue to support them for years to come. This not only leads to repeat business, but also to positive word-of-mouth referrals and a strong brand reputation. Investing in customer satisfaction and loyalty programs can help businesses cultivate a loyal customer base and increase the lifetime value of each customer. Ultimately, focusing on building relationships and keeping customers for a lifetime can greatly benefit a business in the long run.
Make money on WhatsApp using Hoola
Get started with Hoola today and start making money on WhatsApp. Hoola is a Customer Engagement platform that allows you to make WhatsApp part of your bigger strategy across channels. With Hoola, automate customer support with chatbots, send campaigns to 1000s of contacts, and grow your audience on WhatsApp, all in one place. It's literally the best platform for eCommerce and retail business to add 10, 20 or even 30% of top-line revenue to their business while giving a next-level customer experience. Book a demo with Hoola today and start leveraging the power of WhatsApp to make money in the most simple way.
How Vermut achieved a 95.4% increase in lead conversion using WhatsApp
Our first step with Vermut was to analyze their user activation plan through Email and push notifications. By mapping out their customer journey, we identified areas where incorporating WhatsApp would be beneficial. We integrated WhatsApp messages into the welcome process.
Send WhatsApp campaigns to engage users who may not respond to Email. Establish measurement techniques to evaluate the impact of these efforts and make adjustments as needed. Check out the visual representation of the implemented strategies below.
Secondly, we streamlined customer support on WhatsApp through automation with Hoola. WhatsApp is a valuable tool for maintaining direct communication with customers, but it can be labor-intensive for the support team. This is especially true when dealing with new subscribers, who often have common questions that can be automated:
We set up automated responses for frequently asked questions. We introduced systems to seamlessly transfer conversations to the support team when needed. Resulting in over 50% of all conversations now receive automated support.
Results from Vermut
According to Fer, CEO and co-founder of Vermut, WhatsApp has become a crucial component of Vermut's strategy, providing unique value from the start:
- 2x increase in first booking conversions through WhatsApp
- +50% of customer service inquiries now automated through WhatsApp
- Costs managed efficiently through a combination with Email.
WhatsApp is the perfect platform for maintaining close connections with your customers, but it can be time-consuming for your support team. When new users subscribe, they often have repetitive questions, creating an opportunity for automation.
How to grow your WhatsApp audience quickly from other channels
Growing your WhatsApp audience quickly from other channels can be achieved through several strategies.
- Website popup or CTAs on your website to encourage visitors to join your WhatsApp list paired with an incentive, such as a discount or exclusive content, for users to opt-in to your WhatsApp updates at checkout.
- Use existing organic and paid social media platforms to promote your WhatsApp presence.
- Funnel existing email subscribers to join your WhatsApp community.
- Offline advertising, such as in-store QR codes or word-of-mouth and friend referrals, can also be effective in growing your WhatsApp audience.
By implementing this range of strategies, you can leverage your existing audience to create a strong, engaged community on WhatsApp. Keep in mind that each channel may require different approaches, so be sure to tailor your messaging and incentives accordingly.
Read more about the only 6 strategies to build your WhatsApp in days, not weeks.
Integrate with Shopify for a better experience across channels
With the integration of Shopify, businesses can provide a seamless and better experience across all channels for their customers. By integrating WhatsApp with Shopify, businesses can easily manage their products, orders, and customer inquiries all in one place. The WhatsApp website widget allows customers to easily reach the business's WhatsApp chat from the website, and helps you grow your community. Additionally, businesses can use their WhatsApp link to place around their Shopify website, enabling customers to find customer support from the contact, product or collection pages. This integration can also mean a lot to import Shopify order and customer data into Hoola, which can then be used for WhatsApp marketing and improve the overall customer experience to make money from WhatsApp.
