Entry points

WhatsApp has become a pivotal channel for brands to interact with their consumers. How a consumer chooses to initiate that conversation can vary, and these methods are often referred to as 'entry points'. These entry points can largely be categorized into two types:

1. Organic Entry Points 
2. Paid Entry Points.

Organic Entry Points

Organic Entry Points encapsulate the means by which a consumer can naturally stumble upon or seek out a brand's presence on WhatsApp. These might include:

Social Media:

Many brands use their existing social media platforms to connect with their audience. Whether it's through a clickable link on a post or an embedded contact button, platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter offer numerous opportunities. For instance:

An Instagram post may feature a product with a direct 'chat with us on WhatsApp' link.

• Brands might use their Instagram profile description to provide a persistent click-to-chat link.
• An Instagram Story Highlight might be dedicated to customer service, directing consumers to WhatsApp.
• Facebook posts and pages can embed direct links, allowing followers to easily reach out via WhatsApp.
• Similarly, a Twitter post might advertise a new offer and direct queries to a brand's WhatsApp.

Website:

A company's website serves as a digital storefront, and integrating WhatsApp as a contact medium is now more prevalent. Visitors might encounter options to initiate a WhatsApp chat on:

The 'contact us' page.

• Directly from the homepage.
• Through distinct buttons or links, whether they are in the header, footer, or even as a floating chat bubble.
• Or through a unique 'conversation starter' button prompting a visitor to engage.

You can generate a link or QR code that directs consumers to your WhatsApp business in the WhatsApp self-service tool inside Conversational Cloud or use the following format: https://wa.me/<phoneNumber> (replace <phoneNumber> with the phone number of your WhatsApp Business)

Telephony:

Older communication methods like telephony can also serve as gateways to WhatsApp. For instance:

• A caller engaged with an Interactive Voice Response or VoiceBot might be given an option to continue their query on WhatsApp. Some well known enterprise clients shared that with Voice to Messaging deflection they achieved:
  • 2.2x efficiency over voice
  • 30% of uncontained calls shifted to messaging
  • 80-90% customer satisfaction score
• Similarly, a response to a missed call could be a WhatsApp message.

Lastly introduced by WhatsApp, the WhatsApp Business Search feature allows users to directly search for businesses on the platform, serving as yet another organic entry point.

Paid Entry Points

Paid Entry Points, on the other hand, involve a financial investment from the brand to directly or indirectly guide consumers to their WhatsApp channel:

Social Media:

• Brands can sponsor posts or ads on platforms like Facebook or Instagram, which when clicked, direct users to WhatsApp. If Consumer starts conversation on WhatsApp by clicking on an ad with the Click to WhatsApp call-to-action, the Engagement Attributes that would display the referral properties under the customer info panel in Conversational cloud are: 
  • Type => reference value -> Source type  e.g The type of the ad’s source. Currently, supported values are ad and post.
  • Status => source value-> Source url e.g The url that leads to the ad. Opening this url takes you to the ad viewed by your user
  • Social ID => source ID-> Facebook id for an ad or post.
• Influencers might include 'click to chat' links in their promotional posts.

Traditional Advertising:

Traditional advertising methods are also evolving to incorporate WhatsApp:

• Product packaging might display a QR code that, when scanned, opens a chat.
• Out-of-home advertising, like billboards, might advertise a number or display a scannable code.
• Search engine ads could promote the brand's WhatsApp as a primary contact.
• Technologies like Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) might be used to prompt users to engage on WhatsApp.
• PR or media news articles might feature stories that highlight the brand's innovative use of WhatsApp for customer service or engagement.

In conclusion, the diverse array of both organic and paid entry points demonstrates the versatility and adaptability of WhatsApp as a medium for brand-consumer interaction. Whether they come across a brand through a casual social media browse or a targeted ad, consumers have numerous pathways to engage.