Brands are eager to leverage multiple communication channels to establish closer connections with their target audiences. In pursuit of this, email and WhatsApp have emerged as popular conversational platforms.
Email Marketing remains a powerful and long-standing strategy in the digital marketing world. Its versatility and effectiveness continue to drive sales and enhance brand awareness.
However, the introduction of WhatsApp into the mix has ignited the WhatsApp vs email marketing debate. Marketers like WhatsApp because it has a high open rate of 99%, and customers find it quick and appealing. This makes it a good alternative to regular email marketing.
So, who wins the debate between Email Vs WhatsApp Marketing? Which is the more effective marketing channel?
Today’s article will help you understand how well both platforms work and determine which fits your business or marketing goals best.
Table of Content
- What is Email Marketing
- What is WhatsApp Marketing
- Email vs WhatsApp Marketing
- Email vs WhatsApp: Which is more effective
Source - WhatsApp Vs Email Marketing Source
Email Marketing: What It Is and Why It Matters
Email marketing involves businesses sending tailored messages, promotional content, and updates via email to connect with their target audience.
Emails like the one above prove effective in engaging with current and potential customers. They nurture relationships and prompt actions, such as making purchases, signing up for networking events, and so on.
Overall, email marketing is a powerful tool to engage with your audience, drive sales, and build brand awareness.
However, in recent times, the email open rate has tanked as low as 20%!! No matter how engaging your email is, when people are not opening your email, it’s not worth it!
Nowadays, people open their emails just to check their business emails, verifying OTPs and email verifications. Emails are just not personal enough to convince decision making from a user.
And that’s where WhatsApp Marketing comes in!
WhatsApp Marketing: What It Is and Why It Matters
WhatsApp marketing involves using the WhatsApp Business platform to connect with customers, share promotional content, provide customer support, and engage in one-on-one communication. WhatsApp marketing can also be used to broadcast messages to a large audience.
WhatsApp Marketing – WhatsApp Vs Email Marketing
WhatsApp marketing is a direct, instant, and intimate way for you to interact with your audience.
To see what WhatsApp can do, here’s a sample marketing campaign:
In 2019, Unilever launched a WhatsApp marketing campaign called “I will bring you back your beloved clothes” in Brazil to make people aware of their new fabric softener. The company’s marketing team put up posters and billboards around Sao Paulo to reach as many people as possible.
The posters and billboards had a clear product image and a WhatsApp number. When people messaged the number, a chatbot named ‘MadameBot’ gave tips on how to care for their clothes.
The chatbot also introduced new products using audio messages, videos, and memes. At the end of the chat, people received a whopping 50% discount on the fabric softener with free shipping.
As a result of the campaign, Unilever’s sales increased by 14x, and the brand got 290,000 WhatsApp messages and 12,000 new customers.
WhatsApp marketing works because of the platform’s widespread usage and high engagement rates. With over two billion active users, WhatsApp offers a vast potential audience. It allows for real-time communication, enabling quick responses and immediate customer engagement.
You can create groups, use broadcast lists, or implement chatbots to streamline customer interactions and offer timely support.
Furthermore, WhatsApp allows you to share rich media content like images, videos, and documents, enhancing the overall user experience.
You can easily get started with WhatsApp Marketing through a WhatsApp Business API based platform like Hoarway Technology. Hoarway Technology helps you connect with hundreds and thousands of users in one click on WhatsApp, automate notifications, get WhatsApp Green Tick, run Click to WhatsApp Ads, send Catalogues and collect payments within WhatsApp as well as send retargeting campaigns to users.
Email Vs WhatsApp Marketing
WhatsApp Marketing Vs Email Marketing
Between WhatsApp vs email marketing, which one should you go for? Well, to decide which channel is most suitable for your business, it’s essential to understand the following differences.
- Open Rate: Open rate shows the percentage of users that have opened your email or WhatsApp message. According to a Campaign Monitor report, WhatsApp has an open rate of 99%. This is due to the quick and personal nature of WhatsApp messages, prompting individuals to open and respond to messages immediately.
