WhatsApp Business has completely transformed the paradigm of business-customer relationships. From providing a centralized channel for sales and marketing to extending customer care and post-sales services. WhatsApp Business has brought businesses and customers closer allowing businesses to extend a more personalized marketing and customer experience for their customers.
One such component of marketing which leads business to drive sales is the Push notification feature. With WhatsApp Business, businesses are finding new ways to keep their customers engaged and drive their sales through notifications.
But before we head the types of notifications and their best practices, let’s first understand how notifications using WhatsApp Business aids in promoting sales.
Role of Notifications In Promoting Sales Through WhatsApp Business
Notifications are small, engaging messages that are sent out to customers to attract their attention. The intent of sending notifications is to get their attention to a certain event and demands and action. In a time where any user have dozens of options to choose from, notifications help in getting specialized attention and stand out among the rest.
Depending on the type of business you are, you can use notifications in multiple ways to bring your customers to your website or application. Notifications that are created based on an individual’s personal choices leads to the quick conversion of leads into customers.
Your notifications need not be the old-school texts that can go unnoticed by customers. You can use your creativity to make your notifications appealing as well as creative so that your customers enjoy them and opt for receiving them in the future as well.
Types of Notifications
When it comes to notifications, they can be classified into various types based on their utility. Here are the five types of notifications commonly used by businesses :
1. End of sale/season notifications
The end-of-sale or end-of-season notifications are usually sent out with the intent of offering discounts for bulk purchases. His is a common practice for businesses dealing in fashion or commodities that usually go out-of-date very quickly. By extending these kinds of offers, the seller aims at clearing up the stock before they go out-of-date or out of fashion.
Though these kind of advertisements are common in fashion businesses, it is not limited to that particular niche. Many businesses come forward with such offers to attract new customers as well as convince existing customers for purchases. A catchy line with impressive creatives world wonders for it.
2. Items in Cart
Cart abandonment is a common practice and as per a survey in 2019, the average cart abandonment rate was 77.13%. This is a pretty high number and businesses worldwide suffer from this practice. While every individual has their own reason for leaving their carts abandoned. For many, it’s just because they lack a little motivation which can be fixed by sending a follow-up notification.
By giving customers a second chance to reconsider their buying decision, businesses can convince them to actually buying the product.
In many cases, offering a marginal discount or offering a free gift gives customers the feeling that they are getting the best deal. This makes it easier for businesses to convince them to make the purchase.
3. Special discount
If you want to make your customers feel special, sending personalized offers and discounts. Sending notifications using WhatsApp can be a great way to do that. Especially in a country like India, businesses target their entire year’s sales around prominent festivals. Sending festival-based discounts can help gain huge traction.
Special discounts can also be extended to regular customers to appreciate their loyalty. This will also encourage other customers to stick around for a longer time.
4. New product launch
A new product launch deserves attention from new customers as well as existing customers. One way of doing it is through notifications using WhatsApp Business. New product launch notifications especially in mobile and electronics businesses gain huge attention. In many cases, products go out of stock within minutes of launch.
Such notifications can also prove to be pretty helpful for new businesses and gain initial market attention from audiences. For physical stores like restaurants and cafes, it can be a great way to invite customers to try products at the outlet. Thus giving you a chance to impress them with your product and your service as well.
5. Helpful content
Not every notification sent out to customers should be aimed at making sales. Sending out helpful content for your customers can be a great way to get their attention and earn some love. After all, everybody loves free helpful content. By sending personalized notifications about their flight bookings, doctor’s appointment, and more.
Sending helpful notifications is a good way to show your customers that you care. This will help you earn a good rapport for your business and increase customer engagement.
5 Best Practices of WhatsApp Business Notifications
Now that you are aware of the role of notifications and their types; here is a quick run-through with some of the best practices to be followed with notifications using WhatsApp:
1 . Always give your customers the option to opt-in/out of future notifications. This will give your customers the confidence that they are free to avail the service as they like. It becomes easier for them to trust you if they are assured that will not be a target of spam.
2 . Keep your messages short and crisp. Use short-form texts or self-describing creatives. They are quick and easy to comprehend and usually get more read rates than long texts.
3 . Make sure you include appropriate CTAs(click to action) links or buttons for your customers. It will allow them to easily visit your website or a particular page in response to the notification
4 . Schedule your notifications with sufficient intervals. This will ensure that the recipient is not bothered by them at all. Spamming them with frequent notifications throughout the day can do you more harm than good.
5 . Avoid repetitive notifications. Rather try to come up with fresh and creative content each time, even if it’s for the same event.
Businesses heavily depend on good customer relationships to drive sales. Sending out notifications using WhatsApp Business API-based tools such as ScoialEpoch can help you in establishing a strong personal bond. This will lead to better sales, longer customer retention. and brand loyalty. To learn more about the tool, click here.
