WhatsApp Broadcasts & How To Use Them Effectively

Do you want to send a message to a large group of people without making one big group chat? WhatsApp Broadcasts are the feature you need. With this WhatsApp Business tool, you can effortlessly send targeted messages to specific groups of contacts. It’s quick, easy and will take your marketing strategy to the next level.

Before we dive into the Broadcast List feature, take some time to read through WhatsApp’s Terms of Service document. These pages set out acceptable and unacceptable ways to use the platform, plus guidance on creating a quality experience for your customers. This includes ensuring that you have secured opt-in permission from your contacts before sending them WhatsApp messages, and only sending high-quality, relevant messages.

Right – now let’s discover all you need to know about the WhatsApp Broadcast List feature, including what it can do, how Broadcast messages appear for your contacts, and how they differ from group messages.

What is a WhatsApp Broadcast?

The Broadcast feature allows you to send the same message to several different contacts at the same time. Businesses can save groups of contacts into Broadcast Lists, allowing them to repeatedly message the same group of customers.

Recipients receive a message from your Broadcast List as a normal message in their Chats tab. Their reply will also appear as a standard one-to-one chat message and won’t be sent to other contacts in the Broadcast List.

How are WhatsApp Broadcasts different from group chats?

We could describe Broadcasts as a ‘one-to-many’ communication, compared to Group Chats, which we could describe as ‘many-to-many’.

A good analogy to explain the difference is that WhatsApp Broadcasts function similarly to putting a list of contacts into an email’s ‘BCC’ field and only leaving the sender’s email in the ‘To’ field. Recipients can’t see who else received the email, and when they reply, the message will only come through to the original sender.

In contrast, Group Chats work similarly to putting a list of contacts into an email’s ‘To’ field. All recipients can see which others have received the message. When they reply, everyone on the list can see the message.

What are WhatsApp Broadcast Lists?

Broadcast Lists allow you to create groups of saved contacts that you can repeatedly message without selecting each individual contact every time. The feature allows businesses to more effectively target their marketing messages to the most relevant pool of customers.

You can create as many Broadcast Lists as you like on WhatsApp Business, and each list can include up to 256 contacts.

Broadcast Lists save time and effort and ensure you won’t miss any important contacts when you send your Broadcast message.

Can I message people who haven’t added me to their contacts?

No. WhatsApp will only deliver your Broadcast messages to people who have added your number to their phone’s saved contacts. This safeguard stops WhatsApp users from receiving spam messages from unknown sources.

If a contact isn’t receiving your Broadcast messages, ask them to check whether they have added your business number to their contacts.

How to create a Broadcast List

It’s quick and easy to create a Broadcast List. The exact steps vary slightly between iPhone and Android users, so we’ve outlined them below:

How to create a Broadcast List on iPhone

1. Select Chats, then Broadcast Lists, then New List.
2. Select the contacts you want to add to the Broadcast List.
3. Click Create.

How to create a Broadcast List on Android

1. Select More Options, then New Broadcast.
2. Select the contacts you want to add to the Broadcast List.
3. Click the green check mark.

How can I use Broadcast Lists in my business’ marketing strategy?

Broadcast Lists are a powerful tool for targeting your marketing messages, ensuring you send them to the right customers at the right time.

How should I select contacts for my Broadcast Lists?

You’re in complete control of which contacts you add to your Broadcast Lists. Here are some ideas to get you started. You could create lists based on the following:

• Your customer’s previous purchasing history
• Your customer’s preferences and interests, as stated during a sign-up process
• Your customer’s current position in the sales funnel

What can I use WhatsApp Broadcast Lists for?

You could use WhatsApp Broadcast Lists to:

• Advertise sale periods, events, or special offers
• Share promotional codes or vouchers
• Invite customers to take part in competitions
• Announce new product launches
• Alert customers to restocked or updated items
• Apologise for service disruptions

Top tips for effective Broadcast messages

Follow these recommendations to help make the most of your WhatsApp Broadcast Lists.

• Use audience segmentation to ensure messages are always timely and relevant.
• Keep the message concise, and get to the point quickly.
• Write according to your brand’s unique tone of voice and adopt a warm, friendly, engaging approach.
• End with a call-to-action (CTA) to encourage your customer to take the next steps.
• Ensure your customer service team promptly responds to queries or replies to your Broadcast message.

What should I avoid when using WhatsApp Broadcast Lists?

WhatsApp is careful to protect its users from unsolicited or spam messages, so there are a few things to be cautious of when using the Broadcast feature. To avoid having to deal with a WhatsApp ban, follow the guidelines below.

Don’t send too many messages at once

WhatsApp has security systems to flag suspicious activity, and if you send a large number of messages one after the other, it can trigger a review. Split promotional messages into batches, and limit the number you send on any working day.

Don’t Broadcast from a brand-new account

Brand-new accounts are under particular scrutiny from WhatsApp, so try to ramp up your activity slowly over time. Start with fewer Broadcast messages for the first month or two, then gradually increase these once your account is well-established.

Don’t send Broadcast messages to unknown contacts

Unsurprisingly, most WhatsApp users are wary of marketing messages that come from unknown sources. Ensure that any contacts that you plan to include on your Broadcast Lists know who you are, opt-in to receive promotional messages, and have added your business phone number to their saved contacts.

What are the benefits of WhatsApp Broadcast Lists?

There are many benefits to using WhatsApp’s Broadcast feature. Here are our top four reasons to consider using it as part of your business communication strategy.

Efficient and easy to use

With WhatsApp Broadcasts, you don’t have to type the same message to multiple contacts or copy and paste it into different one-on-one chats. With just a few clicks, You can send the same message to many different people with just a few clicks.

Maintain the privacy of your contacts

Unlike Group Chats, the recipients of Broadcast messages don’t see who else you’ve sent the message to on your list. Using the Broadcast feature maintains the privacy of each of your contacts.

Facilitate one-to-one conversations

After you’ve sent your message, recipients can reply in a one-to-one chat. Broadcast messages can be an excellent way to build strong customer relationships and encourage further interaction with your brand. Over time, this builds trust.

High deliverability and engagement

Once your customer has added you to their contact list, they’ll receive all your Broadcast messages. There’s no need to contend with picky email spam filters, which can sometimes erroneously flag wanted marketing messages as spam.

Free to use

Do you want to test out your marketing strategy before you invest in an email marketing campaign or paid-for advertising on social media? WhatsApp Broadcasts are free, making them a great first choice for your promos.

How can I get started with WhatsApp Business?

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