In today’s world, WhatsApp Business has become a major tool for businesses to attract and engage new customers. As a well-known and customer-oriented messaging platform, WhatsApp is most commonly used by companies as an app for business communication and for marketing. That said, businesses can inform that they use WhatsApp Business to their customers and broaden their base through click-to-WhatsApp campaigns. So, we will look at how to create a click-to-WhatsApp ad to enhance your WhatsApp communication & marketing strategy.
What are Click To WhatsApp Ads?
As the name implies, click-to-WhatsApp ads allow your target audience to directly chat with your business on WhatsApp by simply clicking on the advertisement. These Ads can be placed on social platforms like Facebook & Instagram. Customers who click on the CTA (call-to-action) buttons are directed to your WhatsApp Business where you can provide personalized assistance. This increases user engagement and enhances your ability to convert leads better. You can also combine WhatsApp API’s automated chats with click-to-WhatsApp ads to ensure instant hands-free customer support.
How to create click-to-WhatsApp ads? Step-by-step guide
Step 1: Set up WhatsApp Business Account
Since you can’t run WhatsApp ads using a regular WhatsApp account, the first step in creating a click-to-WhatsApp ad is to create a WhatsApp Business account. You can either create a simple business account yourself with the help of the WhatsApp Business app or opt for the API (by partnering with a WhatsApp Business Partner), which provides enhanced communication, automation & marketing options.
Read More: How to Open a WhatsApp Business Account: A Step-by-Step Guide
Step 2: Add a WhatsApp Business number to your Facebook page
This is a mandatory step for running click-to-WhatsApp campaigns. You need to create a page for your business on Facebook and connect the business page with your WhatsApp Business account by adding your registered mobile number. To connect your WhatsApp number, follow these steps:
- Open your WhatsApp Business application.
- Click on Settings (on iPhone) & (on Android).
- Open Business Tools -> Facebook & Instagram.
- Click Facebook -> Continue & log in to your Facebook page.
- Click ‘Connect WhatsApp’.
- Once connected, you can see the WhatsApp button on your Facebook page.
Suggested read: Top 10 WhatsApp Business Tools in 2022
Step 3: Set up Click to WhatsApp ad campaign on the Facebook Ads manager
The next step is to create a click-to-WhatsApp campaign using the Facebook Ads manager. Let’s look at the steps to create your own WhatsApp ad campaign on Facebook
- Open Facebook Ads manager and click ‘Create’ under the campaigns tab.
- When asked for a campaign objective, select ‘Sales’ from the list.
- In the next screen, you will be asked to choose a campaign setup. Go ahead with Manual sales campaign.
- In the next page, you can give a name for your new campaign, ad set and ad. While this might be an optional step, a campaign/ad name can help differentiate between different marketing strategies. Make sure to choose "Messaging apps" in ad set conversion location.
- The next step is to choose the budget and schedule for the ad campaign. Add how much you want to spend for the campaign lifetime or daily. If you are planning for an ongoing campaign, you can unselect "Set an end date"
- In the next step, we will focus on setting the target audience for the ad campaign. Facebook allows you to target ads based on locality, gender, age, language, and other criteria.
Note: You can see the approximate audience size based on your target specifications.
- In the next step, you can select the placement of your ad on Facebook, Instagram & other audience networks. While you can manually select the placements, we suggest that it’s better to leave it in Facebook’s recommended automatic placement.
- Then select the format of the ad. You can choose to run an ad with a single image/video or a carousel ad with multiple images/videos. A carousel will help market a host of products in a single ad.
- Publish the created ad and you are good to go live after Facebook reviews your ad.
Suggested read: WhatsApp Business Best Practices to Help Your Business Grow
Step 4: Review your WhatsApp Ad campaign
Once everything is checked, you can create the ad and preview the welcome message template. Once you submit the ad campaign, Facebook will review the ad to ensure that it adheres to its internal policies. Once approved, the ad will go live.
After the ad goes live, it is important to regularly review the performance of the Ad campaign and make the necessary changes if it doesn’t achieve the required results.
Advantages of using click to WhatsApp ad campaign for business
A click to WhatsApp ad campaign provides several advantages to businesses across the spectrum. Since it’s a targeted form of advertising, it helps reduce the risk of losing business due to dissonance. This also allows you to send more relevant messages to your target customers. The following are some of the most prominent advantages of using a click-to-WhatsApp campaign
Generate quality leads
Click-to-WhatsApp ads can become a great source of quality leads because they can target a specific group of people. In addition, they also help you maintain and nurture a strong brand association with customers by ensuring an omnichannel approach by directing users on Facebook & Instagram to personally chat with you on WhatsApp.
Personalized approach
With a click-to-WhatsApp ad campaign, customers have immediate access to contact your business team which can be a huge advantage to convert customers. Since click-to-WhatsApp ads directly send the customers to your WhatsApp profile, your team will be able to build a personal connection with the customers and make it easy for them to know what to do next. This increases customer satisfaction and helps you convert customers faster.
Increase brand awareness
With a Facebook click-to-WhatsApp ad, your brand name becomes more visible to customers as it allows your brand to engage with a diverse range of potential targets. In addition, it also enhances your marketing efforts by promoting your brand in multiple channels through a single ad.
Convert leads better
It is well-known that WhatsApp has one of the highest message open rates in the current business era. Therefore, it is always better to have customer conversations through WhatsApp as it enhances customer satisfaction. Having direct communication on WhatsApp can also reduce the chance of customers losing interest in your brand.
Build your audience
If you’re a small business that is looking to grow, a click-to-WhatsApp ad campaign can help you reach your target audience. Facebook offers a much higher reach to your business than other marketing channels like social media ads & PPC ads. This is simply because social media has a much higher average daily engagement rate than traditional media like TV and newspaper. Hence, a click-to-WhatsApp ad is much more relevant for a small business.
Suggested read: Top 10 Advantages of a WhatsApp Business Account
Build a no-code WhatsApp chatbot for click-to-WhatsApp ads with Gallabox!
Through this article, you can see that a click-to-WhatsApp campaign is easy to set up when you have a WhatsApp API account. With an API, you can also complement your click-to-WhatsApp campaign with a no-code WhatsApp chatbot. You can create your own API account by partnering with Gallabox, one of the leading WhatsApp Business Service Providers in India. Gallabox’s WhatsApp Business Solution offers native integrations with e-commerce platforms like Zoho, Shopify and Woocommerce. We also offer industry-specific WhatsApp chatbots customized to the needs of each market. Industries we currently support: Education, Travel, Banking and Finance, Real Estate and E-commerce.
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