Guide to Send WhatsApp Broadcast Messages for Business

It can become overwhelming to inform each customer individually about new goods and services tailored to their requirements. The WhatsApp Broadcast Messages for Business feature can help you de-stress, save time and effort, and consistently inform customers about your brand.

Businesses can use the broadcasting feature to inform customers about ongoing sales, promotions, product launches, exciting WhatsApp campaigns, etc. With a few clicks, all of these tasks can be completed in bulk.

The broadcast message feature is available in the WhatsApp Business Application and the WhatsApp Business API. The former, however, is more suited to small businesses and new ventures since it allows them to connect with customers with limited resources.

Key Takeaway:

• You can send broadcast messages in WhatsApp Business by making a WhatsApp Broadcast list and WhatsApp Label.
• Broadcasting messages in WhatsApp Business App have limitations, such as you’re limited to sending to 256 contacts at most, only available on 5 devices, not linked to your CRM, and many more. This is only suitable for small business.
• If you are a corporate or enterprise that wants to send broadcast messages, you can use WhatsApp Business API.
• By using WhatsApp Business API, you don't need to be concerned about having your WhatsApp number blocked, it can be automated and scheduled, can send to an infinite number of different users, and many more.

How to Broadcast via WhatsApp for Small Business

You can start broadcasting on WhatsApp using the restricted broadcast function of the WhatsApp Business App if you run a small business with just one or two employees to respond to your customers' questions. 

Here is how to broadcast messages in WhatsApp Business.

1. Make a WhatsApp Broadcast List

The benefit of creating a Broadcast WhatsApp List is that you can create infinite Broadcast Lists and finely segment your customer base.

However, keep in mind that only 256 people can be added to each list at a time.

You can send a message to up to 256 people at once using WhatsApp broadcast lists, and the recipients will receive a broadcast message that appears to be a personal message from you right in their conversation log. Regardless, sending numerous messages at once is strongly discouraged as it may lead to the blocking of your account.

Steps on making a WhatsApp Broadcast list:

• Click on "Broadcast List" 
• Click "New List"
• Choose the clients you want to include on the list.

2. Use WhatsApp Labels

A great way to divide up your WhatsApp customer base is by adding labels. The best feature of WhatsApp's labels is the ability to add them to specific message bubbles. 

For instance, you can label all positive reviews and view them simultaneously. This will enable you to share the reviews on social media by simply screenshotting them. In addition, you can label customer suggestions and review them all at once to make changes.

Additionally, you can use labels to make WhatsApp broadcast lists for particular clients. For example, you could categorize every client who has given your company a positive review and add them to a mailing list so you can send them a thank-you offer. Or, you can add labels to clients who have yet to pay and remind them to do so!

How to make broadcast lists from Labels step-by-step.

• Select "More Options"
• Choose Labels
• Select the Label for your Broadcast List from the drop-down menu.
• Tap on More Options, then choose "Send Broadcast" to do so.
• Start writing your message by clicking the green checkmark in the bottom right corner of the page.

Limitations of the WhatsApp Business App 

Using the WhatsApp Business App only requires a few clicks and some quick typing to send a broadcast message. But will that be sufficient to maintain and expand your business?

The WhatsApp Business App has restrictions that may be unsuitable for the needs of many businesses. These restrictions consist of:

• WhatsApp Broadcast sending is limited to 256 contacts at most.
• Only available on 5 devices
• No outgoing messaging analytics or intelligent segmentation
• Independent: not linked to your CRM
• Your message won't reach any recipients on your broadcast list if they haven't added your phone number to their contacts (but it will still be accounted for in those max. 256 contacts)

If you give it some thought, the limitation on the number of people on the broadcast list is not the biggest issue with WhatsApp; rather, it's the inability to broadcast messages to contacts outside of your own.

Further, if you attempt to broadcast on WhatsApp, you run the risk of being reported by users, blocked by WhatsApp, and rendered unreachable. Not only does this result in a huge number of lost leads, but it also gives your clients and potential clients a bad impression of your company.

Due to these drawbacks, it is obvious that small businesses are better suited for using WhatsApp Business App.

Medium and large businesses need to track and analyze all of their outgoing messages because they have established customer service teams of three or more people and large customer bases with multiple segments. They might not be able to do much due to WhatsApp Business App's restrictions.

Not to worry, the WhatsApp Business API has a solution for medium and large businesses!

Also read: Aware About WhatsApp Broadcast Limit to Avoid Getting Banned

How to Broadcast via WhatsApp for Corporate/Enterprise

Even though WhatsApp Business Broadcast has a lot of restrictions, there is a simple solution  in the form of WhatsApp Business API. With the aid of third-party integration, the API has completely changed the way businesses interact with their customers on a large scale.

For instance, you can try using the Broadcast Message feature of OneTalk by TapTalk.io's omnichannel messaging platform. With OneTalk, you can send messages to numerous recipients at once using this feature.

To start broadcasting the WhatsApp Business API, click on Broadcast Message and Contact Segment. 

This feature serves to categorize the contacts that you have. Later, the broadcast message that you send is only intended for certain subscribers. 

For example, you want to send a message to subscribers who have subscribed, a promotional message to first-time buyers, or a message sent to customers who are domiciled in Jakarta.

After that, you can set up message templates for each event. Make sure the message is interesting, not overly promotional, and not spammed.

You can also send broadcast messages without saving the contact and without causing spam. Here's how:

1. Go to https://onetalk.taptalk.io 
2. Enter the email and password provided below

3. Click the login button
4. On the Home menu, there is information about the name of the organization and also the email user used to log into the OneTalk Dashboard
5. Make sure your account is connected to the WSME channel, you can check with the Integration menu

6. Make sure the status of the WSME channel is "Authenticated" as shown below

7. To start sending broadcast messages, enter the "Operational" menu
8. Then select the "Broadcast Message" menu and can be selected "Immediate Broadcast" or "Broadcast Schedule" after that you can click "New Immediate Message" or "New Scheduled Message"

9. Select the WhatsApp SME channel type

10. After selecting "Channel Account", select the "Continue" button
11. Select the Recipient Type according to the contact segment you want to send the message to
12. To add recipients, there are several options to choose from, including: Add from contact, Import as CSV, and Add Manually.

13. After the contact has been added, select the type of content to be sent with OneTalk, you can send 3 types of messages, namely text, images, and files.
14. Apart from that, you can also make messages more personal to your customers by adding names and other variables
15. The next step is to preview the message in the Preview Message menu, you can see the form and appearance of the message before it is sent to the recipient
16. Check the I accept and agree to the terms and conditions button and click Send Message to send the message
17. After the message is successfully sent, the message status will appear on the Broadcast Message dashboard
18. To view more detailed information regarding status and broadcast information, click the view button to the right of the status
19. You can get information about how many messages were sent, replied to, not sent, pending, and the reasons if there were messages that weren't sent.
20. To download the report, use the Export button located at the top right of the dashboard

Also read: The Guide on How to Schedule WhatsApp Messages

Broadcast Benefits Using WhatsApp Business API

You can get around the restrictions that come with the default app by using the WhatsApp Business API. The following are the key advantages of utilizing the API:

1. You don't need to be concerned about having your WhatsApp number blocked.
2. Reliable solution; that can be applied to automation and message scheduling.
3. Send messages via WhatsApp Broadcast to an infinite number of different users.
4. Communicate with several customers at once.
5. You can send messages to individuals who are not in your saved contacts.
6. Offer live customer service and automated support around-the-clock.
7. Green Checkmark verification may be possible.
8. Integration of APIs with external systems is possible.

Guidelines for Sending WhatsApp Broadcast Messages

It's crucial to adhere to best practices if you intend to send a WhatsApp broadcast. The following are some guidelines and best practices for sending efficient WhatsApp messages in bulk:

1. Put the receivers' interests first.

Consider this before sending a message: "What value can the message add to the receiver's life?" Can it help them save cash? Can they save time this way? Can it ease their lives in any way? If any of the questions have an affirmative response, go for it. Sending a message only if it can benefit the recipients must be the best practice.

2. Ensure that the appropriate message is sent to the appropriate recipient at the appropriate time.

The most effective way to send WhatsApp broadcasts is in a time-bound fashion. Sending the right message to the right person at the right time is extremely important. Let's look at an example of a post-order message. It must be sent with the order id, amount, and confirmation code after an order is placed but before delivery.

Other than that, messages that need to be delivered immediately must be given top priority. Other messages, on the other hand, could be sent slowly and with less urgency.

3. Ensure that the message applies to each recipient.

As was previously mentioned, irrelevant messages waste recipients' time, are annoying, and leave a bad impression. Therefore, if you intend to send a template message to a large number of clients or users, be sure that it is pertinent to each of them.

4. Make sure you're receptive.

You are free to reply to customer inquiries using the WhatsApp Business API with content that is not subject to prior approval. In these circumstances, you are free to respond with any content, such as advertisements, promotions, surveys with attachments, and media files.

5. Set the number of times you send messages.

Less is more when it comes to communicating with customers. It is preferable to send each customer only one message per week as opposed to daily. However, it depends on your business, your market niche, and your client.

6. Make sure to send the messages to WhatsApp-compatible numbers.

Last but not least, make sure you send the messages only to WhatsApp-enabled phone numbers. Since you will be responding to customer messages in session messages, this won't be a problem. But if you are starting a conversation and are unsure if all the numbers use WhatsApp, this could be a problem.

Also read: WhatsApp Business API Access and How to Apply for the API

TapTalk.io: WhatsApp Business API for WhatsApp Broadcast

Bulk messaging on WhatsApp can benefit both your company and your customers when used for the right reasons. It will save you time and effort and give your customers and staff useful information, updates, reminders, alerts, and resources.

To send bulk messages per WhatsApp's terms and conditions, selecting an authorized WhatsApp Business Solution Provider (BSP) is essential. For all kinds of businesses, TapTalk.io provides bulk WhatsApp messaging services and multi-agent shared inboxes.

Contact us for a free consultation to learn how our services can improve your company and help you attract more clients.