How to Get Started with WhatsApp Marketing: A Beginner’s Guide

WhatsApp isn’t just for chatting with friends. It has become one of the most effective and direct ways for businesses to connect with customers. WhatsApp marketing therefore refers to the use of WhatsApp – one of the world’s most widely used messaging platforms with over 2 billion active users – to promote products, provide customer support and build stronger relationships with audiences. Unlike traditional channels, WhatsApp enables personal and highly interactive communication in real time. It’s not about mass communication. It’s about meaningful, personal or group-based interaction that builds trust.

Businesses can use WhatsApp to send product updates, automate support, run loyalty campaigns, gather feedback, or even send transactional messages such as order confirmations. And the best part? All of this happens in a space that people already use every day. Whether you’re a local bakery, a freelance coach, or a growing e-commerce brand, WhatsApp marketing offers you a direct and cost-effective channel to connect with your target audience.

So much for a brief introduction. However, WhatsApp marketing remains an underrated topic that we would like to give the attention we believe it deserves. In this article, you’ll learn more about why WhatsApp marketing works, and we’ll introduce you to strategies for businesses on WhatsApp while giving you tips on how to encourage interaction with WhatsApp messages. And as if that’s not enough, you’ll learn how to use Adobe Express to create a professional WhatsApp profile picture for your business account.

Enough introduction, let’s dive in.

Why WhatsApp marketing works.

WhatsApp marketing works because it meets people where they already are: on their phones, in their messaging apps, using a format they already know. Let’s break down the benefits of WhatsApp marketing and why so many businesses are adding it to their marketing toolkit:

• High engagement and instant delivery: WhatsApp messages have an open rate of up to 98%. That’s significantly higher than email marketing, making it one of the most effective channels for message delivery. Also, messages are sent and received in real time. Ideal for time-sensitive campaigns or updates.
• Personal connection: Unlike social media or email blasts, WhatsApp allows for one-to-one conversations. In fact, 70% of adult internet users find messaging more personal than other forms of communication. By incorporating personalised messages into your customer engagement strategy, you can better understand your customers and create relevant experiences that are actually tailored to each individual.
  For example, if you sell a product that requires a high level of customer consultation, you can use WhatsApp to ask about customer needs and requirements and then make product recommendations based on that information – in real time. This personal approach builds stronger relationships, improves customer satisfaction and increases loyalty.
• Multimedia support: You can send not just text, but also images, videos, PDFs and even voice notes. This makes WhatsApp perfect for product catalogues, tutorials or behind-the-scenes insights.
• Automation and scalability: With the WhatsApp Business Platform, you can automate conversations, set up chatbots or send messages to segmented audiences. This makes it easier to scale your communication while keeping it personal.
• Trust and privacy: WhatsApp messages are end-to-end encrypted, which boosts user trust. Plus, users must opt in, which ensures that communication is permission-based. You can promote your WhatsApp programme and collect opt-ins for example via your website or social media links.
• All in one place: With WhatsApp Commerce and WhatsApp Flows as well as quick-reply buttons and calls-to-actions, brands can create rich, in-thread experiences that allow customers to shop and complete other tasks without ever leaving the WhatsApp platform.
  To make it a bit more tangible: WhatsApp Commerce enables businesses to sell products and services directly to customers via WhatsApp, while WhatsApp Flows are interactive, multi-step forms and workflows that businesses can create to be used directly within a WhatsApp chat. This allows you to guide customers through tasks like completing surveys, collecting feedback or booking appointments without having to send them to a separate website.

If you’re about to open WhatsApp and get started, you might want to wait a moment. While this all sounds very promising, every customer is different – and some may feel uncomfortable chatting with a company. That’s why you should always offer them other communication channels as well.

10 strategies for businesses on WhatsApp.

If you want to start using WhatsApp marketing effectively, you’ll need a clear strategy. It’s not just about sending messages – it’s about creating value. Here are some proven WhatsApp advertising strategies for businesses:

1. Create a branded WhatsApp business profile:

Set up a WhatsApp Business account with a verified profile. Include your business hours, contact details and a short description. This builds credibility from the start.

You should also make sure to add a profile picture so that your business is instantly recognisable. With Adobe Express and the free profile picture maker, you can create a profile picture without any design skills. More on this later.

2. Segment your audience:

Use labels and tags to organise your contacts. This allows you to send more relevant messages to the right people – like promotions for returning customers or updates for first-time buyers.

3. Use broadcast lists (carefully):

WhatsApp allows you to send a message to multiple users at once via broadcast lists. This ensures privacy and maintains a personal touch. But remember, only users who have saved your number will receive the message. It’s effective – but only if your audience has opted in.

4. Offer customer support:

Use WhatsApp as a channel for live chat or FAQs. Customers love fast responses – and the more convenient you make it, the more likely they are to return.

5. Promote exclusive content:

Share early product drops, behind-the-scenes content or VIP-only deals via WhatsApp. This creates a feeling of exclusivity and strengthens your community.

6. Drive sales with personalised messages:

Send tailored messages based on purchase history or customer behaviour. For example, if someone bought trainers last month, you could follow up with a message about matching accessories.

A good way to personalise messages as effectively as possible is to segment the target group based on demographic data, purchase history and behaviour. For example, a fitness brand could divide its customers into beginners, advanced users and professionals and tailor its messages accordingly.

7. Identify customer preferences:

Engagement provides valuable insights into what your customer wants and needs. This enables you to make data-driven decisions about specific products and services they prefer.

8. Accelerate the sales process:

Engaged clients move through the sales funnel faster because they already trust your brand and understand your value proposition. We’ll provide useful tips on how to drive engagement with WhatsApp in the next section.

9. Win new customers – and retain existing ones:

Successful customer retention makes it ea-sier to win new customers, as existing customers act as brand ambassadors and can promote your brand through recommendations on social networks. By offering existing customers attractive promotions – see point 5 – you can win them over as brand ambassadors. You can find out more about the advantages of working with brand ambassadors as a company in our article What is a brand ambassador?

10. Integrate with your CRM or eCommerce tools:

Connect WhatsApp to your sales or customer service tools to automate and track conversations. The WhatsApp Business Platform offers rich integrations for exactly this.

When implemented effectively, these strategies for businesses on WhatsApp deliver measurable benefits that can directly impact your business performance and growth.

Tips to drive engagement with WhatsApp messaging.

WhatsApp isn’t just another marketing channel. It’s a conversation. That means engagement isn’t just about reach, but also about relevance. Here are a few practical tips to drive engagement:

• Write like a human: Avoid robotic copy. Keep it conversational, short and to the point. Also ensure that your messages don’t contain (technical) jargon and are therefore easy to understand.
• Create templates: Design message templates that are clear and concise, personalised with placeholders for names or order details, and aligned with your brand voice. Such templates optimise and professionalise communication, especially for recurring messages.
• Add value fast: Say what’s in it for the reader right away. Are you offering a discount? Sharing a tip? Don’t bury the lead.
• Use visuals wisely: Don’t overload your communication with images, especially if they don’t add any real value for the customer. Use them sparingly and only when they’re thematically and contextually appropriate. Also, make sure they load quickly and look good on mobile.
• Add CTAs: Want your contact to visit your shop, confirm an order or reply with feedback? Ask them directly.
• Use emojis sparingly: They can boost readability, but too many look unprofessional.
• Keep timing in mind: Don’t message during off-hours. Respect your audience’s time and set clear expectations.
• Test and learn: Measure which messages get replies, clicks or unsubscribes. Adjust your tone, timing and content accordingly.

By following these easy-to-implement tips, you can ensure that your customers won’t see communicating with you via WhatsApp as something foreign, but as an extension of their personal experience with WhatsApp.

How to create a professional WhatsApp profile picture with Adobe Express.

Your WhatsApp profile picture is often the first thing customers see – so make it count. A clear, on-brand image helps you appear trustworthy and recognisable. With Adobe Express, you can design a standout profile picture in just a few steps:

1. Open Adobe Express in your browser or app.
2. Choose a square canvas (1:1 ratio) – the ideal size is 640 x 640 pixels – or choose from one of our professional templates.
3. Now you can upload your logo, headshot or product photo.
4. Edit the profile picture to your liking. You can remove the background, add text or effects or adjust colours. Keep in mind that WhatsApp will display the image in a circular format, so it's best to keep important elements centred to avoid them being cropped out.
5. Once you’re happy with your design, you can save and export your image in high quality. Upload it to your WhatsApp Business profile and don’t forget to include a short description as well as business hours and contact details.

But Adobe Express has even more to offer. Whether you want to design a creative WhatsApp sticker or an eye-catching WhatsApp status, Adobe Express is just a few clicks away.

Try Adobe Express for free now

Good to know.

What’s WhatsApp marketing?

WhatsApp marketing is the use of WhatsApp to promote products, engage with customers, and provide support through personalised and real-time messaging. It combines automation and personalisation to create direct, high-conversion communication.

What are the benefits of WhatsApp marketing?

The benefits of WhatsApp marketing include high message open rates, a personal connection with customers, multimedia content support, automation options, and strong user trust due to end-to-end encryption and opt-in communication. You can find more information about WhatsApp marketing and its benefits in this article.

How do I get started with WhatsApp advertising?

To start with WhatsApp advertising, set up a verified WhatsApp Business account, define your audience, plan content, and begin with simple campaigns like welcome messages, product updates or promotions. Scale with automation and analytics.

What is the WhatsApp Business Platform?

The WhatsApp Business Platform is a tool that helps medium to large businesses manage WhatsApp conversations at scale. It allows for automation, chatbot integration, CRM connections and broadcast messaging with user consent.

Can I use Adobe Express for free?

Yes, Adobe Express offers a free version. If you’re looking for basic content creation tools with some generative AI credits and professional templates, this version gives you access to thousands of images, videos and royalty-free fonts that make it easy to create unique content.