Marketing & Brand Growth
For many small businesses, the sale happens on WhatsApp. It deserves a proper setup.
Many customers find it easiest to ask a question, send a photograph or confirm an order on WhatsApp. Many owners do this from a personal number, with chats buried among family messages and no record of who asked what. This session shows how the WhatsApp Business app can help, and how to use it without spamming anybody.
Explore this page6 sections
A business answered quickly and clearly on WhatsApp feels reliable.
Enquiries often arrive in the evening, in the middle of work, or on a holiday. A customer who gets a clear first reply is likelier to continue; one who is ignored may ask the next business. Meanwhile, an owner who uses a personal number for everything cannot easily hand over to staff, find an old conversation or separate customers from friends.
The WhatsApp Business app is designed for this situation. It also comes with rules about permission and unwanted messages, and ignoring them can cost a business its number as well as its customers' goodwill.
What the session covers
36 topics across 7 areas. Seven parts, from setup to staying within the rules.
Business App or Personal WhatsAppChoosing the right tool.5
- What the WhatsApp Business app adds to the usual app
- Using a separate number for the business
- What happens to chats and contacts when you switch
- The difference between the Business app and the larger platform for bigger companies
- Why the app suits most very small businesses
Features and availability change. Check the current app and WhatsApp's own help pages before you rely on a specific feature.
Business ProfileYour first impression in the app.5
- Business name, description and category
- Address, hours and website or map link
- Profile photograph or logo
- Matching your other profiles
- Keeping it up to date
Greeting, Away and Quick RepliesReply fast without sounding like a machine.5
Saved replies should save typing, not replace thinking. Personalise the first line, and always check the details before sending a price or promise.
- A greeting for new enquiries
- An away message for closing time and holidays
- Saved replies for questions you answer daily
- Writing them in your customers' language
- Reading each one aloud before saving it
Catalogue and Showing Your WorkLet customers browse before they ask.5
- Adding products or services with photographs, descriptions and prices
- Keeping the catalogue current
- Sharing a link to the catalogue or a single item
- Updating when something is out of stock
- Being clear about what is not shown
Labels and Organising CustomersA simple system, not a CRM.5
- Labels such as new enquiry, quote sent, order, payment pending and repeat customer
- Spotting enquiries that have gone quiet
- Following up politely, once or twice
- Handing over to staff without losing the thread
- Backing up chats the way the app allows
Messaging With PermissionCustomers must want to hear from you.6
- WhatsApp's business terms say you must have the permissions you need to contact people, and must respect requests to stop
- Asking people whether they would like updates, and recording the answer
- Broadcast lists in the Business app reach people who have saved your number
- Letting people leave the list easily and honouring it
- Not adding customers to groups without asking
- Not sending unwanted bulk messages, and keeping within Indian rules on marketing messages and personal data
People can block and report businesses, and this can affect your number. When in doubt, ask first.
A Daily RoutineAnswer, record, follow up.5
- Times of day to check and reply
- A first-reply target you can really meet
- Who covers when you are away
- Weekly review of quiet or unanswered chats
- Keeping customer information private and out of public groups
What participants leave with
- A working business profile on their own phone
- A greeting, an away message and five saved replies
- A label scheme for their enquiries
- A rule sheet for when to message customers and when not to
- A one-page routine for replying, following up and handing over
What this session is not
- A guide to sending bulk messages to people who have not asked for them
- A tour of the WhatsApp Business Platform for large companies
- Legal advice on messaging rules or data protection
- A promise of more sales from the app
How the session runs
Two to three hours, in a small group, with each participant's phone. Participants who already use the Business app work on their own account; others install and set up with the practitioner's guidance. Each person builds a profile, greeting, away message and a few saved replies, tries them on a neighbour and corrects what reads badly. The practitioner then walks through the permission rules and helps each owner decide what they will and will not send.
What your students leave with
- A business profile set up with the essentials customers need
- Saved replies, a greeting and an away message set up for common situations
- Labels to track enquiries, orders and follow-ups
- A way to show products or services with a catalogue
- A clear rule for when they may message a customer, and when they may not
- A simple routine for answering within a stated time
Scheduled sessions
Nothing scheduled yet
Sessions are arranged with a college once a date is agreed. Ask us and we will find the right person for it.
A student rather than a college? See what is coming up, or ask your placement team to host this.
Reply quickly, keep track, and only message people who want to hear from you.
Tell us who your students are and what stage they are at. Sessions are free for participants.