or many people, it is by far the most important communication channel. Two billion people use WhatsApp every month: 2,000,000,000! Itās therefore somewhat surprising that the app has rarely played a substantial role in the marketing mix of many companies. The challenge for marketers was the complicated handling of WhatsApp Business accounts, as well as Metaās closed software system, which offered no interfaces to external tools from software providers.
How do you gain new contacts for the WhatsApp newsletter, and how do you manage mass 1:1 communication? Clearly: with the help of WhatsApp marketing tools. Weāll take a closer look at whatās behind the individual software offerings, how they complement your MarTech stack, and how they work.
Youāll also have the opportunity to start an individual matching process to compare the most relevant software providers. šĀ Go to the WhatsApp software provider matching
First, a question for you as a private individual: Have you ever been in contact with a company via WhatsApp? Probably through customer support, possibly as part of a competition or to receive important informationāor are you already getting the leaflets from the supermarket around the corner sent to you via WhatsApp?
The latter is an absolute trend and an example of relatively simple but very effective WhatsApp marketing. For several years now, customers have been receiving the leaflets directly via WhatsApp, for example from OBI, REWE and ALDI NORD. You always have the app open anyway and use it every day. Handy that the leaflets are now there too and no longer lie tattered in the very back corner of the mailbox, right? Paper saved, customers reached in their preferred communication environment, process optimized.
One thing is clear: Nobody at REWE or Aldi HQ is pressing āInsert documentā ten thousand times and manually sending the leaflet to customers. Smaller companies use the standard version of WhatsApp Business, larger companies use the WhatsApp Business API. This enables more functionsāabove all personalized chatbots.
A best-practice example of WhatsApp marketing for us is the drugstore chain dm. You should definitely read the interview with insights from CMO Mario Bertsch through.
You want to use WhatsApp for your marketing? But you donāt have the capacity to send promotional messages and notifications manually? Donāt worry, we got you. In todayās MarTech era, thatās no longer appropriate anyway. Quite the opposite: automation and measurability are needed ā and thatās exactly what WhatsApp marketing tools provide. With them and the support of AI you automate your communication via WhatsApp Business.
So what is a WhatsApp marketing tool? It helps you send specific messages in a targeted and automated way ā exactly where almost everyone is: on WhatsApp. This allows you to regularly send newsletters via WhatsApp, integrate a chatbot, or offer 1:1 communication. All interactions with a CRM connection and as measurable as possible. Who would have thought just a few years ago that companies would use this messenger service as a marketing channel?
Now you know what a WhatsApp marketing tool is. But when and for what should you use it?
Whatās important: With WhatsApp Business and the right marketing tools, you communicate with existing customers, and possibly also with potential new customers. Primarily, however, you retain your existing customer base through direct contact ā dialog marketing at its best. WhatsApp Business is also suitable for content marketing, but acquiring customers through it is more complex and requires tact (or alternatively, a strategy) to execute.
If direct communication is exactly your use case and you want to shine in these areas ā bullseye. For smaller target groups, WhatsApp Business alone is usually sufficient. A WhatsApp marketing tool becomes interesting when you move into mass communication.
There are a little over 30 providers in the DACH region. On the one hand, tools that focus on WhatsApp marketing, and on the other, overarching marketing automation platforms that have integrated WhatsApp as a module (e.g., newsletter software). Overall, the field is growing, but still fragmented: many small/medium-sized providers, hardly any large all-in-one platforms that have fully integrated WhatsApp + omnichannel + service + commerce.
For your selection process, the variety of offerings is good news for now, because there is definitely a match for your requirements. Identifying that match, however, will require more in-depth research.
To help you find your way through the confusing jungle of options, letās take a look at the most important features a WhatsApp marketing tool should have:
Ā API integration: You have two tools ā WhatsApp Business and its associated marketing tool. For the two to correspond, the latter must enable integration of the WhatsApp Business API.
Ā Campaign management: As with many other MarTech tools, you should have a proper dashboard and the ability to plan campaigns. Clear structure and intuitive operation are a must-have.
Ā Internationalization: Do you need a multilingual solution?
Is the software compliant with data protection regulations and a Meta Partner?
Tracking: To what extent can open rates and clicks be analyzed and reported?
APIs and interfaces: How is communication and interaction with customers on/via WhatsApp synchronized with your existing CRM or other customer data systems?
Based on our previous matchings (mainly in e-commerce), weāre happy to give you an estimate of the budget you should invest for a tool provider. In general, pricing depends on
One recommendation from us is to start WhatsApp communication with a tool using a selected target group (e.g., 10 percent of existing contacts with permission). These tests can be used to check acceptance among your customers and, based on that, to create an overall concept. Our rule of thumb from the matchings on the Matchilla platform: budget roughly 5,000 to 7,000 euros per year for software. Ā
Tip: For initial, non-binding price indications from WhatsApp tool providers based on your individual criteria, itās best to use our software matching.
For companies looking for direct and straightforward contact with their customers, WhatsApp marketing tools are worth their weight in gold. The great thing is: virtually all age groups use WhatsApp nowadays. This gives the channel a major advantage over networks like Instagram or TikTok.
Especially in German-speaking countries, almost everyone has WhatsApp. Still, it may take a while before WhatsApp becomes more widespread as a marketing channel. However: from NestlĆ©, Coca-Cola, Vodafone and ADAC to BMW and HelloFresh ā they all now use WhatsApp Business.
Your only mission: be relevant with your content if youāre already communicating between grandma chats and dachshund club photo sharing.
Would you like to compare the relevant tool providers for use in your marketing? As this article shows, we at Matchilla deal intensively with the topic of “Whats App Marketing” and successively and carefully screen the provider market for our platform users. Our database contains more than 20 tool providers relevant for German-speaking countries ā stored with hard and soft factors such as features, interfaces, pricing models, etc.
Through our matching, we compile for you in a shortlist the three providers of Whats App solutions that best fit your intended use.
The best part: This software comparison is non-binding, free of charge, and anonymous towards the providers.
Want to know which solution best fits your requirements? Simply fill out the Match Assistant.
Providers in matching: 26Ā
Till Zier is CPO at Matchilla and, as a social media expert, reports in MatchZINE on news and trends from the marketing world. He can tell you exactly which WhatsApp software is currently leading the way.
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