[Guide] How to Grow and Engage Your WhatsApp Business Audience with Entry Points

With more than 2 billion active users in 180 countries, WhatsApp is currently the number one messaging app in the world. This puts WhatsApp at the heart of commerce as the most popular messaging app where your customers are.

Using various online and offline entry points, you can direct and nurture a high intent audience in WhatsApp chat conversations.

Download this guide and discover each entry point that enables you to direct prospects into your WhatsApp channel.

Scroll down for the full ungated guide!

The key takeaways:

Why customers love messaging on WhatsApp
Organic entry points to acquire more prospects
Owned entry points to grow your WhatsApp audience
Offline entry points sending customers into a WhatsApp conversation

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Customers Love Engaging With Brands on WhatsApp

WhatsApp is currently the number one messaging app in the world in terms of monthly active users. More than 2 billion people in 180 countries are active WhatsApp monthly users that send 100 million messages a day. 175 million people message WhatsApp Business account every day.

Customers love communicating with brands on WhatsApp because it’s just like talking to their friends and family. This puts WhatsApp at the heart of commerce as the most popular messaging app.

64% of users agreed that WhatsApp fosters a personal connection to businesses and 65% feel more confident messaging businesses vs. sending an email.

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WhatsApp Business enables brands to start real-time messaging experiences customers love.

✅ Reach 2B consumers via WhatsApp app

✅ Personalize recommendations at scale to grow sales

✅ Automate pre-purchase questions to drive conversions

✅ Provide ongoing value to customers to push LTV

✅ Automate FAQs to reduce manual input and costs

✅ Capture first party insights for marketing & product

Download this fact sheet to get an overview of marketing use cases for WhatsApp Business. Learn why you should get started today.

Get your free WhatsApp Business fact sheet

Entry Points Directing Customers Into WhatsApp

Entry points are various online and offline entrances for customers to start a conversation with your business in a private WhatsApp chat experience.

It’s crucial to leverage as many entry points as possible to get the most value from WhatsApp.

Entry points allow you to direct more prospects into a WhatsApp chat experience and nurture them at every stage of the funnel. The more high intent audience members you have, the more valuable your audience is. High-intent customers can be targeted with personalized offers and deal alerts.

Dowload the guide at the top of the page and get access to a WhatsApp Business entry points infographic.

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Paid Entry Points

Click to WhatsApp Ads

Click to WhatsApp ads on Facebook or Instagram direct prospects into a one to one chat experience with your business on WhatsApp. When a person interacts with your ad, a conversation with your business will immediately open in WhatsApp.

The main benefit is that these ads can be easily scaled and get you a massive reach on different platforms, enabling you to drive significant new traffic into WhatsApp.

Google Paid Text Ads

You can run paid text ad campaigns in Google to build awareness of WhatsApp as your new messaging channel among your customers.

This is the perfect opportunity to drive prospects into a private WhatsApp chat experience in their ready-to-buy moments, when they are actively searching for a product or service in Google.

Organic Entry Points

Instagram Profile And Stories

There are several ways to place a visible organic entry point on your business’s Instagram profile.

Add your business’ WhatsApp number or a WA.me link to your bio in your profile.

Create Instagram story highlights on your business’ official Instagram profile with WA.me links that click to WhatsApp. It’s a straightforward and directly visible entry point that you can pin to the top of your profile.

Facebook Profile

Connecting a WhatsApp Business account with a Facebook page provides the option to add a Send Message CTA button.

Place a ‘send message’ CTA or clickable WhatsApp icon on your Facebook profile and enable customers to easily start a private chat conversation with your business on WhatsApp.

The CTA button is pinned to the top of your Facebook page, providing an easy way to contact your business on WhatsApp.

Download the guide at the top of the page and unlock images for each entry point.

Social Media Posts

Offer customers to chat with your brand on WhatsApp to get a discount code. Insert a WA.me link in your post and direct them into your WhatsApp channel.

You can also use an animated video to make your post more engaging. Social media posts have short visibility but it’s low-hanging fruit you can leverage to grow your audience for free.

Google Organic SERP Listings

Optimize metadata content on your business’ Contact Us page to rank high for WhatsApp customer care within Google Search (when a user types your contact information or customer support number into the search box).

Promote your channel organically and invite prospects into a WhatsApp chat experience to answer their questions directly in their ready to buy moments.

Owned Entry Points

Website Chat Plugin

Embed a WhatsApp entry point into any URL and display it on your website to encourage customers to ask their questions in a private WhatsApp conversation.

Review monthly traffic analytics to assess best landing pages for targeted placement. Include your WhatsApp number on your home page, customer support page or contact page.

Website WhatsApp Icon

You can embed a WhatsApp logo on the bottom left of your landing pages, which clicks directly to open a conversation in Whatsapp.

You can also insert your clickable WhatsApp phone number on your home page, maximizing the visibility of your WhatsApp channel.

Website Contact Us Page

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In App Promotion on Android or iOS

If your business has a custom app, create an overlay screen within the logged-in customer experience to encourage customer opt-in to the new WhatsApp channel with a clear call to action button.

Use this entry point to acquire more opted-in customers and start nurturing them with regular updates about the topics they are interested in.

Email Signature Call To Action

Encourage employees and/or customer service agents to use Wa.me links or surface WA number in email signature lines.

WA.me links are short URLs that can instantly open a conversation with your business from emails, SMS texts, apps and more.

With this entry point, you can promote your WhatsApp channel in your emails, allowing customers to switch to instant messaging instead of having to wait hours for an email response.

Offline Entry Points

QR Code on Packaging

Offline entry points allow businesses to invite customers from offline channels to directly chat with them on WhatsApp. A QR code printed on product packaging, receipts, or other offline advertising makes it easier for people to connect with your business even when they are offline. Customers can simply scan your code to start a conversation with your business in Messenger.

Customers can easily scan QR the code to connect without having to enter a long product number into their device.

Launch Strategy

Follow these best practices to grow your WhatsApp Messaging audience faster with entry points.

Map the entry points on this impact/effort matrix. Things to keep in mind are the creative needed and teams involved.

Go after quick wins and low hanging fruit first.

Involve relevant teams at your company as early as possible to avoid delays.

Personalize conversation flows based on the entry points to engage customers more and maximize performance.

Monitor which entry points have biggest impact on audience growth and double down on high performers.

Want to get the most out of your WhatsApp Business channel?

Talk to a conversational marketing expert at Spectrm for free to review your use case.