Did you know that 57% of Mexican small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have used WhatsApp at least once to increase their sales? The popularity and effectiveness of this instant messaging platform have led thousands of people to migrate it to the business realm to communicate with their customers. Since WhatsApp was originally created for personal use, a business-oriented solution was needed, and that’s where WhatsApp Business came into play. In today’s blog post, we will compare both tools and find the differences between WhatsApp vs WhatsApp Business.
WhatsApp vs WhatsApp Business
A little bit of history…
To provide some context, let’s go back to around 2009. Smartphones were taking off as the latest technology trend, and the WhatsApp Messenger application was released for iOS devices. A year later, it became available for Android and Windows as well, although it didn’t become widely popular until around 2012.
The unique selling proposition (USP) of WhatsApp was (and still is) essentially being an SMS-like platform that operates through the internet or mobile data, allowing communication not only through text but also images, voice messages, and files, with no character limits or message costs.
In 2014, Facebook acquired the app, and by 2015, its user base reached a total of 700 million monthly users. That same year, the WhatsApp Web extension for computer browsers was introduced. Finally, in 2017, WhatsApp Business was announced for small and medium-sized enterprises.
Today, WhatsApp is the most popular global mobile messaging application worldwide, with approximately two billion active monthly users, surpassing Facebook Messenger with 1.3 billion and WeChat with 1.2 billion users. After Facebook and YouTube, it is the third most popular social network in the world.
WhatsApp vs WhatsApp Business
Now let’s delve into the differences. Although both platforms share the same owner, name, and many other things, the truth is that each one has its peculiarities.
Application The first difference between WhatsApp vs WhatsApp Business is the application used to manage each platform.
If you want to have a Business account, you will need to download the WhatsApp Business app from either the App Store or the Play Store. Just like the personal version, both apps are free to download and use, and they have a similar interface (although with some variations).
Approach
As mentioned earlier, WhatsApp was originally created with the premise of being a personal instant messaging application. Clearly, its developers never imagined that it would become so versatile to be used as a commercial platform, and that’s precisely why WhatsApp Business was introduced.
Unlike the original app, the focus of WhatsApp Business is to “communicate with your customers, showcase your products and services, and answer any questions they may have during the buying experience.”
Profile Settings
WhatsApp allows you to customize your name, profile picture, and status to present yourself to others. While this may seem sufficient for a small business, it’s not. That’s why WhatsApp Business offers additional options to provide more information to others. Here are the profile functions of WhatsApp Business that you won’t find in regular WhatsApp:
- Business Categories: to clarify the type of business you have.
- Business Hours: to display your availability.
- Business Address: to let people know your physical location.
- A link to your website: to direct people to your online presence.
- Your Catalog: to showcase your products or services.
Tools
Managing a business profile on WhatsApp is clearly more complex than managing a personal one where you communicate with family and friends. To meet the need for faster responses to prospects and to always be available for customers, WhatsApp Business provides the following tools:
Labels
The labels feature in WhatsApp Business is primarily designed to help you keep your account organized. Assigning different labels and colors to each chat can help you track orders, generate leads, and keep your line of communication under control.
Welcome Messages
WhatsApp Business allows you to configure automatic welcome messages. This feature is activated whenever someone sends you a message for the first time or after 14 days of inactivity. The customer will receive a customizable welcome text message from you.
Quick Replies
Managing a business involves answering the same questions every time you have a new customer. To save time and streamline this question-answer process, WhatsApp Business allows you to pre-set certain messages as responses to frequently asked questions or clarifications. To configure them in your WhatsApp Business account, go to Settings > Quick Replies. Once activated, you can forget about exhausting yourself by responding to common inquiries.
Messages in case you’re absent
Nobody wants to lose a prospect because they didn’t respond quickly enough. Unlike personal WhatsApp accounts, WhatsApp Business accounts can set up messages that are automatically sent to anyone who contacts you when you’re not available. This way, your customers will feel well attended to even when you’re absent.
We dare to say that almost everyone has experience with the WhatsApp app, so learning to use WhatsApp Business shouldn’t be a problem. These platforms are known for their ease of use and quick learning curve.
If you own a business and don’t yet have a business line, we hope this article has helped convince you.
And if you have a small or medium-sized business and are already using WhatsApp Business, you can still get even more out of it! Here in Leadsales, we can help you manage the same line from multiple devices and organize your prospects and customers into one or more sales funnels.
Schedule your demo here!
