Last updated - November 10, 2023
Establishing a WhatsApp for Business account might improve the way you interact with your clients. WhatsApp introduced a new platform in January 2018 to help business owners interact with their clients more effectively. Since then, millions of companies, both small and large, all around the world, have started using WhatsApp Business.
In this blog, we will look at how you can set up WhatsApp Business for your organization.
The Premise of WhatsApp Business?
Whether you agree or not, WhatsApp has grown to become the primary mode of communication among billions of people around the world. Quite honestly, the versatility of WhatsApp paved the way for businesses to start using WhatsApp for efficient communication and collaboration.
This in turn helped WhatsApp build a dedicated WhatsApp Business account that retains the fundamental aspects of communication at the core, yet is different to accommodate various business needs.
What is WhatsApp Business?
As the name implies, a WhatsApp Business account is exactly that. It’s an account that businesses of all sizes may use to communicate with their clients via WhatsApp, the most widely used instant messaging service in the world.
It offers many more features than the standalone WhatsApp Chat app for personal use because it was created with businesses in mind. They include developing message templates for efficient client communication, building up a catalog to exhibit corporate goods and services, automating communications, and many more.
Types of WhatsApp Business Accounts
There are two types of WhatsApp Business accounts
- WhatsApp Business Account (Regular) – The regular WhatsApp Business account is a free-to-use app and it will display the status “business account”
- WhatsApp Business Account (Official) – The official WhatsApp Business account is a paid app that comes with a dedicated WhatsApp Business API. It will display the status “official business account”
Features of WhatsApp Business
As mentioned earlier WhatsApp Business, although fundamentally a communication tool, is quite different from a personal WhatsApp account. Here are some of the features that set WhatsApp Business apart.
- Make a profile for your business that includes details such as the name of your company, its address, contact information (including an email address), and a brief description of your firm.
- You can use the “Statistics” tool to monitor how well your communications are performing.
- You can set up quick responses to various common queries for instant replies and efficient correspondence.
How to Create WhatsApp Business? A step-by-step process
Download the WhatsApp Business App
When first launched the WhatsApp Business app was available only on Android Play Store. However, owing to the demand, the iOS version was launched soon after.
For Android
Go to your Google Play Store > Search bar > WhatsApp Business > Download
The WhatsApp Business app can be downloaded only on your mobile phone and then, later on, can be linked to WhatsApp on your desktop.
For iOS
Go to your iOS App Store > Search bar > WhatsApp Business > Download
Just as with the Android app, the iOS app can also be downloaded only on your iPhone and then linked to WhatsApp on your desktop.
Register an Account with WhatsApp Business
Once you’ve downloaded the app you will need to create an account with your mobile number.
But first, you need to agree to the terms and conditions to continue.
Verify your Mobile Number
In this step, you need to input your mobile number to register a Whatsapp business account.
In this step, it is better to use a dedicated number, different from your personal number, for your business account.
Add your Business Name, Category, and Logo
Next, you need to add primary information about your business such as business name, logo, and business category.
Enter the business name and click the add icon to select the business logo from your device’s gallery.
As for the business category, click the drop-down menu of Business Category and select the appropriate category as shown below.
Set up Greeting Messages, Quick Responses, and Away Texts
Once you’re done with registering your WhatsApp business account, you need to set up quick responses for various scenarios like greeting messages, quick responses, and away texts.
Go to Tools > Messaging Tools and then select each category to add your bespoke messages and responses.
Link your Facebook Business (Optional)
Although this step is optional, it is highly recommended to link your Facebook business as it will give you a wide reach.
Go to Tools > Advertise on Facebook > Link your Facebook business page and start advertising
In addition, you can also link both your Facebook and Instagram pages to create an interlinked business page.
Conclusion
Once you are done setting up your WhatsApp business account and start using it you can track the performance of your business on WhatsApp business using the statistics tool. WhatsApp business is a proficient tool that can assist your business organization to reach out to not just millions but billions of people with a single touch of an icon.
