If you are new to marketing on WhatsApp - welcome! 👋🏽

You're ready to get started, and we're here to help you with the nuts and bolts. If you've made it to this guide, you most likely don't need to be convinced you should be connecting with your customers on WhatsApp, but in the case you need a little nudge, this post explains it all.

Today, WhatsApp is the most popular messaging app in the world with over 2 billion active users. The US is the fastest growing market, while India and Brazil lead the world in users. As the saying goes, with great power comes great responsibility. Leveraging WhatsApp to speak with your customers gives you a powerful platform and massive advantage, but it also comes with standards and requirements that are important to know. Specifically, WhatsApp has unique processes and rules to ensure that businesses use the platform responsibly.

And none of this should be a hurdle to leveraging WhatsApp! We are here to tell you what you need to know, and how Tildei will help take the guesswork out so you can focus on what you do best - marketing! Let's get started.

Setting up your WhatsApp Business Account

First things first, in order to communicate with your customers on WhatsApp, you need to establish a business account. WhatsApp has different tools for different types of businesses. The WhatsApp Business App caters to SMB businesses, while the WhatsApp Business Platform is for mid-sized businesses and the enterprise. Today we will be focusing on the WhatsApp Business Platform.

The Business Platform unlocks the WhatsApp API. Through it, brands can connect with their customers at scale, send a variety of messaging types, and leverage the full power of WhatsApp. It can be accessed in 1 of 2 ways: you can build an in-house solution on top of it, or you can work with a third party (like us!). To start you will need to do the following:

• Get a phone number: You will need to own the phone number, and it can't be tied to another WhatsApp account. If you need help with this step, let us know!
• Get Meta Business Manager: If you have a company Facebook Page you should already have this. If not, it's easy to get set up!
• Set up your WhatsApp Business profile: This is your name, business description, address, website and an image.
• Integrate with your WhatsApp provider: If that's us, we will take you the rest of the way and give you access to the Tildei Platform!

Collecting Opt-Ins

Now that you are set up, let's talk opt-in rules and best practices. Like all marketing channels, you need consent to talk to your customers in WhatsApp. That means your opt-in must:

WhatsApp Opt-In Capture on Your Website

1. clearly state your business name
2. explain that the customer is giving permission to receive messages from you

WhatsApp is focused on high quality conversations between you and your customers. This means that individuals blocking or reporting your messages can result in WhatsApp limiting the number of messages your business can send, flagging you for policy violations, or evaluating your opt-in flows.

To avoid these potential challenges, we recommend being proactive and preventative by building a program that adheres to and goes above WhatsApp's standards. Follow best practices and keep the channel a place for quality interactions, and the rest will take care of itself.

Think of acquiring WhatsApp subscribers similar to how you think of other channels. You can ask for opt-in on your website, at critical points of the purchasing cycle, and even in store or on packaging. The best part about WhatsApp is that opt-in can be as easy as clicking a link to start a conversation or by scanning a QR code to learn more about your brand.

Sending Messages