WhatsApp Business has been in the market for three years. However, many entrepreneurs and business owners are not using it and are still confused. What are the benefits of this app?

1. Business Profile
As an introduction about your business, you can set business information such as Business Name, Photo, Description, Categories, Address, Hours, Email, and Websites. You can choose more than one category to describe your business. Make it easy for customers to keep in touch and make an arrangement with you. Prospect will read your profile before the conversation started, and it’s crucial to portray your brand identity.

2. Greeting Message
A businessman is always busy with daily operations. Sometimes, you’re overlooked or late to react to an important message from customers or prospects that cause you to lose business opportunities. A greeting message can help you entertain prospects or new customers as a welcoming note automatically. Other than as a welcoming note, use this feature to direct prospects to your different landing pages, such as your website or Facebook page, for more information about your products or services. You can create a greeting message to keep in touch with new prospects who first contact you or have no conversation after 14 days. You can send this greeting message to everyone, everyone not in the address book, everyone except your selected contacts, or only send to contact you thinks are important. Craft your message as professional as you can to suit your brand, either incorporate or vibrant style. A greeting message shows how your brand communicates with customers in the first impression!

3. Away Message
Sometimes you’re traveling and out of work for a few days or weeks because of a business commitment. During this time, you will receive many messages from customers to ask about your products or services. How do they feel about your brand if no receive any immediate reply or direction? Customers will become unsatisfied or angry if no one entertains them. For those out of the area or out of work, you can use Away Message to let your prospects or customers understand your situation. Like greeting messages, you can craft your message about your current condition and direct the customer to other resources such as the customer service department or salesperson. You can put a contact number or URL as well. You also can prompt this Away Message to everyone, everyone not in the address book, everyone except your selected contacts, or only send to contact you thinks are important. The difference between an away and greeting message is a schedule. You can set a schedule to always send, custom schedule, or outside of business hours.

Note: If you on the greeting and away message at once, new customers will get both messages simultaneously after they message you!

4. Catalog
Showcase your products or services by using a catalog. This tool is the most important and exciting feature in WhatsApp Business. Enter the product or service details such as Images, Item Name, Price, Description, Link, and Item Code. With the catalog, more comfortable for you to describe your product or service to a prospect. You have the option to show each or all products catalog by attach it or share a link to prospects or in groups. You can put a maximum of ten pictures of products from various sides and angles in the catalog. The best practice is to show images of products, models, testimonials, and behind-the-scene activities to influence prospects to buy your product. Prospects can send a message directly to you with the catalog tag for further action or add to cart before purchasing. In addition to saving time in the closing process, it also shows your professional business level.

5. Quick Replies
Handling customers is always challenging. Even you or your team feel disturbing with a lot of the same questions from different customers. As an entrepreneur and business owner, you need to overcome this problem systematically to entertain all customers and save your time during the conversation. You can set common messages to save time on typing. You always received the same queries from prospects, and use quick replies is an easier way to reply to it. Quick Replies is a feature for you to custom message and use a keyboard shortcut to respond to frequently asked questions. Custom your message with images, videos, GIFs, and smileys. Shortcut keywords are essential to differentiate all your messages. Put keywords related to your messages such as “bank” for bank account details or “form” for a registration form, comfortable for you to find it in shortcut.

6. Label
The Label is used to organize chats and customers. You can label or tag prospects such as new, unpaid, or paid customers. You can create and customize your Label for following up or record. Use Label to separate your prospect’s and customers’ status. Other than contacts, you also can label important messages from personal or in a group conversation. Labels are essential in the follow-up process. Label the prospects and customers who engaged with you as follows:

i. New Customer
ii. New Order
iii. Waiting Payment
iv. Paid
v. Delivered
vi. Product Return
vii. Raving Fan

Filter all labels you created for follow-up purposes. In the labeling process, you can use more than one tag to label contacts or posts. Labels make it more comfortable for you to manage cases and closing. You can customize the Label, too, change the color, name, or delete unnecessary Label. Partner the label and color code correctly, such as green for “new customer,” yellow for “waiting for payment,” or blue for “paid” to prompt and highlight the priority cases for you to follow-up. Imagine the hundreds of PMs and messages you get in a day and how to manage them? With Label your business will be more straightforward!

7. Short Link
Use a short link for you in copywriting as a Call-to-Action (CTA). Prospects will click this link and directly send a message to you. This link uses to make a more effortless way for prospects to message you. Some prospects are not favored saving your phone number and want to ask something about your products. Customize the message for you to see the effectiveness of your copywriting or post. You will get this customize Message when someone clicks your link and send it to you. But, prospects can edit and send a message on opening your short link. When the offer ends, you can reset this link to prevent anyone’s message about your previous post. Besides a short link, you can use QR Code for customers to start a chat with you. No more typing, saving time and space. Use QR code to introduce your business and place it on banners, websites, books, and printed items to attract prospects directly to chat with you.

8. Linked Accounts
A lot of prospects and customers find your business entity on other platforms such as Facebook and Instagram. Linked accounts give you an additional way to communicate with them. Link your WhatsApp Business to your Facebook Page and/or Instagram Business account. Once your account is linked, you can sync your Facebook Page Profile to your WhatsApp Business Profile. Customers can message you directly from the contact option button. Easier for you to do closing in WhatsApp.

These are WhatsApp Business features that are important for busy entrepreneurs and business owners like you, which keeps good customer engagement. Additionally, you can still use basic features in WhatsApp such as group, broadcast, and web. Nothing to worry about losing any conversation record after you backup chat before converting to WhatsApp Business. Use this app to boost your branding and sales!