Using WhatsApp Broadcast To Connect On A Larger Level

Sending messages to multiple contacts at once is a time-consuming process, especially when you’re wanting to send that message to hundreds of people at once. Thankfully, WhatsApp broadcasts solve that issue. In this article, you’ll learn what exactly a WhatsApp broadcast is, how you might use it, and how you can send broadcasts yourself.

What is a WhatsApp Broadcast?

If you’d like to connect with all your contacts at once, WhatsApp broadcast is for you. Rather than sending many individual messages (which would take hours and hours of manual work), WhatsApp broadcast allows you to send messages to any number of contacts at the same time without needing to place those contacts into a group.

These messages appear within the recipient’s WhatsApp message inbox as if you had sent them a private message. They can even directly respond to the message and there will be no indication that they’ve received a broadcast rather than a direct message.

It is important to note that within WhatsApp itself you can only send the broadcast to 256 contacts at the same time.

Use Cases for WhatsApp Broadcasts

Broadcasting is, essentially, a great time saver. Especially when it comes to marketing purposes. If you run an eCommerce business, the ability to send messages in bulk to all your contacts opens up lots of marketing avenues. Consider if you’re about to launch a new product, or you have an upcoming sale or event, being able to send the same message to multiple contacts at the same time is a huge time saver.

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The list of use cases is lengthy, it’s only your imagination as a business owner that is the limiting factor. If you’re struggling to think of particular use cases, these should get you started:

• Information Updates: Your website might be down for maintenance. You might have an issue with shipping. A product might unexpectedly be unavailable. Using WhatsApp broadcast you can quickly update your customers on the situation.
• Newsletters: Traditionally, brands send their newsletters via email, but why not try using WhatsApp? People are far more likely to read a WhatsApp than they are an email, therefore sending a short, valuable, informative newsletter via broadcast could be a great way to interact with your community.
• Stock Alerts: Running an eCommerce store means managing a lot of stock. Most people will find out that a product is out of stock via your website, but often forget to check when an item comes back into stock. Sending out, “Back in stock”, broadcasts is a great way to boost sales.

Also read: How to Use a Broadcast Group in WhatsApp for Social Commerce

How to Send a WhatsApp Broadcast

There are two ways that you can send a WhatsApp broadcast. The first way is via the WhatsApp Business app itself, which has a few limitations in place. The second way is to use the WhatsApp API via a third-party piece of software such as Zoko.

Using Broadcast Lists On The Whatsapp Business App

To send a broadcast using the WhatsApp Business app there are a few simple steps:

1. Open the application and then navigate to chats. It’s here that you’ll find “Broadcast lists”.
2. Tap on that option and you can begin to create a new list.
3. Add all of the phone numbers that you’d like to broadcast to.
4. These numbers will be saved as a list, you can then use the same list again in the future.

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Tip: Segment your audience into groups so that your messages are as relevant and as valuable as possible. That way your customers are far more likely to engage with the message rather than thinking they’re receiving a mass spam message.

5. Open the list, type out your broadcast, and hit send.
6. Your broadcast is sent!

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As mentioned above, there are limitations to sending broadcasts within the app. They might not necessarily affect you immediately, but as your business expands they can quickly become bothersome.

The first limitation is who you can send your message to. In the app, you’re only able to broadcast to people who have saved your business number in their contacts. Meaning you can’t contact potential new customers.

The second limitation is the sending limit. Using the app the maximum number of people you can broadcast to at once is 256. Meaning if your audience is considerably larger you’ll need to create multiple lists and send the same message multiple times.

The final limitation is over users. If you’re a larger team, the limit of 4 users per business might get frustrating. Small businesses or individuals shouldn’t find this too much of an issue.

Using Imported Lists In Zoko

Zoko makes the process incredibly simple and is, arguably, the broadcast app is one of the most powerful features on the platform. The most important aspect of using Zoko is that the limitations shared above are completely bypassed. You can send broadcasts to anyone, up to 800 people per day, plus you’re able to automate responses using chatbots, quick replies, or auto-replies.

To get started broadcasting on Zoko, you’ll first need to import your contacts using a .xlsx file. There are handy templates within the Zoko library for you to work with, Once uploaded, you’re ready to begin broadcasting.

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1. Open Apps.

2. Click Broadcast.
3. Click New Broadcast and open up the broadcast interface.

4. Change the broadcast name to something memorable and select your language.
5. Once the language has been selected you’ll be shown all of your templates for that language.
6. Pick your template and then click Add Recipients.
7. Here you can import from a .xlsx file or select contacts already uploaded.

8. For detailed information on uploading contacts visit this importing by file guide.
9. Select whether you want to schedule or broadcast now.
10. You’re all set.

Key Takeaways

Sending a WhatsApp broadcast is a great way to connect with your customers en masse. You can use the feature for a wide variety of different reasons, the only real limitation is your imagination, especially when you’re using Zoko.

• The WhatsApp API offers a considerably more useful method of broadcasting.
• Broadcasting works at its best when your audience is segmented into more relevant chunks.

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Think that your business could benefit from the limitation-free WhatsApp API broadcast feature? Why not book a demo of Zoko to see it in action?

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