In 2022, many direct-to-consumer brands struggled with the increasing costs of customer acquisition on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram.
Facebook’s cost per click for ads rose by 89% in 2021 to an average of $0.974.
Apple’s App Tracking Transparency feature made it harder for advertisers to track user behavior and deliver personalized ads,
with only 4% of iPhone users in the US opting in to tracking.
Google will stop using third-party cookies in Chrome by the end of 2024, preventing brands from accessing third-party data on audiences’ online behavior.
However, Google’s move opens up opportunities for innovation in advertising by encouraging brands to focus on gathering first-party data from website visitors. Facebook click to WhatsApp ads are one way to build one-to-one customer relationships.
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What are click to WhatsApp ads?
Click to WhatsApp ads are an ad format available on the Facebook Newsfeed, Stories, and Marketplace; and Instagram News Feeds, Stories, and Explore. It has a “Send Message” CTA button to take the target audience to WhatsApp to start a conversation.
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What are the benefits of Facebook click to WhatsApp ads for businesses?
Click to WhatsApp ads are a type of Facebook and Instagram ad that allows businesses to connect with potential customers directly on WhatsApp. These ads have a “Send Message” CTA button that takes the audience to WhatsApp to start a conversation.
Businesses can benefit from click to WhatsApp ads in three ways:
1. Collect first-party data and build robust visitor profiles: As customers control their conversations and privacy on WhatsApp, they are more likely to share personal details. With click to WhatsApp ads, businesses can collect target audience information and put that information into their CRM for retargeting.
2. Drive discovery and sales through the chat: Click to WhatsApp ads work well for products or services that need demonstration or persuasion before purchase. For instance, when a consultation is needed before buying products, or when custom orders need customer details.
3. Lower cost per acquisition: A Brazilian financial technology company, Stone, used Facebook click to WhatsApp ads to connect with potential customers. In two months, the company initiated over 6,000 conversations. The cost per acquisition was reported to be five times lower than other online conversion campaigns.
How to use click to WhatsApp ads?
To effectively use click to WhatsApp ads, businesses should identify the critical touchpoints in the buyer’s journey and integrate WhatsApp into their marketing campaigns.
The following examples demonstrate how WhatsApp can be integrated at various stages of the customer lifecycle and can serve as a guide for your own click to WhatsApp campaigns.
Lead Generation
Multinet Up, a Turkish financial services, was using Messenger for its lead generation campaigns, but it also wanted to try using WhatsApp to qualify leads because of its popularity in Turkey. It also wanted to offer an improved personalised customer service experience to companies interested in employee meal cards.
The ads saw 42% more qualified leads compared to other channels. 7% of all WhatsApp leads converted to sales and 18% of people who started a conversation via WhatsApp opted in to receive follow up communication from the Multinet sales team.
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Source: Meta for Business
Conversion
The clothing business, Dacanni, wanted more fluid and direct communication with customers to increase sales and ultimately support more artisans in Southwest Mexico. Dacanni wanted to take a more human approach to the brand.
When this garment designer increased the campaign budget for its ads that click to WhatsApp, it saw 64% more link clicks and 62% more messaging conversations as a result.
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Source: Meta for Business
Want to plug in a WhatsApp widget on your website instead? Generate a WhatsApp button in one minute. Try our free tool.
Product Discovery
Maggi in Germany created a WhatsApp digital assistant to offer customers a free cooking curriculum with step-by-step instructions, Q&A sessions, and video guidance. Instagram and Facebook ads that click to WhatsApp directed people to opt-in for the cooking course. The campaign resulted in 200,000 messages sent in two months and a 3-point lift in campaign awareness.
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Source: Meta for Business
Requirements for setting up Facebook click to WhatsApp ads
1. Get a WhatsApp Business account
Using the free WhatsApp Business App allows you to customize the profile with your company’s name, address, business hours, social media profiles, website URL, product catalog, and logo. On the other hand, a WhatsApp Business account (WABA) with WhatsApp Business API provides more advanced features, including:
a) connecting with thousands of customers via agents or bots
b) integrating WhatsApp with CRM and e-commerce solutions
c) sending bulk WhatsApp messages
d) selling and getting paid on WhatsApp
Note: To use WhatsApp with Facebook ads, it’s important to have a Facebook Page for your business, as it’s not available on personal profiles. Ensure you have admin access to the page.
2. Connect your WABA phone number to your Facebook Page
Next, connect your WhatsApp account to your Facebook Page. If you are using the WhatsApp Business App, follow these steps:
a) Navigate to your Facebook Page, and click Settings.
b) In the left side column, click WhatsApp.
c) Choose your country code. Enter your WhatsApp Business phone number, and click Continue.
d) Input the confirmation code that you receive, and click Confirm.
You can now check the request status. If you no longer want to connect, click Cancel request. Facebook will inform you whether your request is accepted or not. If the connection is approved, Facebook will link your Facebook Page and WABA. You can see the linked phone number in your Facebook Page’s Settings.
The steps above will also auto-connect your WABA and Instagram account linked to your Facebook Page.