WhatsApp channels vs. newsletters — Which is better in marketing? [June 2024]

Brief summary:

There are various ways for companies to contact customers via WhatsApp for marketing purposes. On the one hand, there are WhatsApp channels - this rather hidden but free feature is a one-way form of communication with which influencers and brands can keep their followers up to date. As a marketing feature, WhatsApp channels unfortunately lack various important features and functions. Some particularly big disadvantages are that users must actively join the channel, the messages are hidden in the “News” tab, users cannot answer and cannot be sent to specific target groups.

WhatsApp newsletter about the WhatsApp Business API On the other hand, are specially designed for a particularly high conversion rate in marketing. Target group-specific, automated sending of marketing newsletters, which end up directly between the customer's personal chats with a push notification. Customers can respond to newsletters and get purchase advice directly in the chat. Thanks to the API interface, WhatsApp can be integrate with your existing CRM or shop systems. The only downside: WhatsApp newsletters are chargeable. For WhatsApp newsletter delivery via the API Do you need the software from a WhatsApp API provider, such as Hellomateo.

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What are WhatsApp channels?

WhatsApp channels, also known as WhatsApp channels in German-speaking countries, are the latest broadcasting tool from the popular messenger. Similar to existing broadcast functions, WhatsApp channels allow messages to be sent to a wide range of recipients at the same time. The tool is primarily for influencers, brands and companies with a high reach in social networks designed.

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How do WhatsApp channels work?

At first glance, they could be compared to traditional newsletters. The difference, however, lies in the way the messages are sent and received. When a user creates a channel, others can Users join this channel and thus receive regular updates from the channel creator. WhatsApp channels work in a similar way to Telegram channels: While administrators can send messages in the form of texts, images, videos and links, followers have no option to respond in the channel.

For companies, this feature is made available via the WhatsApp Business app. The messages that are sent via a WhatsApp channel don't appear between the recipient's regular chats, but in a separate tab called “News”.
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Pros and cons of WhatsApp channels

A big advantage of WhatsApp channels is unlimited range. Unlike other broadcasting options, there is no limit to the number of messages or followers here. This offers immense opportunities for customer communication, especially for influencers and large companies.

However, there are also some drawbacks. Perhaps the biggest is the lack of interaction. Since followers cannot answer directly in the channel, there is no direct feedback. There is also no options for personalization of the news or to target specific target groups. There is also a lack of analysis tools that could provide information about the performance of the sent messages.

Finally, it can be stated that WhatsApp channels are particularly for one-way communication How general news from the company is appropriate They offer a wide reach, but lack profound interactions and personalization.

Tip: This post from WhatsApp explains how you can set up WhatsApp channels.

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What is the WhatsApp newsletter?

WhatsApp newsletters are paid Mass messages via WhatsApp Messenger to send relevant and valuable information to customers. WhatsApp itself calls these messages “promotional messages.” For example, you can use your Inform the target group about new products, point out discount campaigns or remind existing customers of service intervals. The WhatsApp newsletter can therefore be used as part of the so-called”Conversational Commercee”, where users can purchase products and services via chat with the company.

To prevent spam and excessive advertising on WhatsApp Business, parent company Meta has several Rules for using the WhatsApp API and sending newsletters defined. Among other things, there are limits on the number of messages sent and the content is also checked. Every message template for newsletters must be approved in advance by Meta. From a legal point of view, the GDPR attention must be paid to, which requires the user's consent (opt-in) to receive the newsletter. Promotional messages can only be sent via WhatsApp API possible and GDPR-compliant. These requirements may sound complex, but they are very easy to implement with hellomateo.

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WhatsApp channels vs. WhatsApp newsletter: advantages and disadvantages in direct comparison

WhatsApp channels and WhatsApp newsletters differ greatly in their characteristics and therefore also have specific advantages and disadvantages. So which is more suitable for companies?

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WhatsApp channels

advantages:

• Unlimited number of messages and followers
• Similar to Telegram channels: sending text, links, images, and videos
• Free until further notice

Disadvantages:

• No direct interaction or response option for followers
• Lack of targeting and personalization options
• Channels are hidden in the “News” tab. Messages to your followers may rarely be read
• No automation features such as automatic messages, templates, or chatbots
• Messages don't end up on the lock screen as push notifications by default
• No end-to-end encryption

Best application: Ideal for one-way push communication, such as regular updates from influencers, associations or authorities.

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WhatsApp newsletter marketing

advantages:

• Comprehensive targeting and personalization options. Personalized newsletters that are tailored to a specific customer group convert significantly better
• Ability to automate. For example, send a personalized message to all customers who bought a product from you a year ago or have a birthday today. Order confirmations and shipping information can also be sent automatically
• Diverse options for Upselling, cross-selling, Conversational commerce and long-term customer loyalty
• Push messages land directly on the lock screen and therefore receive maximum attention
• Offers all necessary tools for successful WhatsApp marketing: templates, chatbots, personalization, one-to-one chats, analytics and integrations with thousands of software applications
• 100% GDPR compliant
• Newsletter recipients can answer directly in the chat and thus ask questions about the product, make appointments or place orders
• Very high opening and response rates

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Disadvantages:

• Chargeable for companies.
• Requires access to WhatsApp Business API interface

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Best application: For all companies that want to do effective and professional marketing via WhatsApp and value data protection.

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What about WhatsApp broadcast? Are broadcasts suitable for marketing companies?

WhatsApp Broadcast is another feature available to companies to send messages to their customers or target groups. However, it's important to understand how it's different from the other options and what restrictions there are compared to WhatsApp channels and WhatsApp newsletters.

WhatsApp Broadcast allows you to send messages to a previously created list of recipients. It is So to speak, a private message that is sent to several contacts at the same time. Each recipient sees the message as if it was sent to them individually.

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Benefits of WhatsApp Broadcast

• Personal approach: The messages appear in the recipient's regular chat history, which gives a personal touch. (As with WhatsApp newsletters)
• Interactive communication: Unlike WhatsApp channels, recipients can respond to broadcast messages, which enables one-to-one chat. (As with WhatsApp newsletters)
• Audience-specific messaging: With predefined lists, you can send targeted messages to specific customer groups. (As with WhatsApp newsletters)
• Free of charge: Because of the severely limited features, WhatsApp Broadcast is free of charge. They offer hardly any added value in marketing companies.

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Limitations and drawbacks

• Limited range: Only 256 recipients are possible per broadcast list, which limits scalability.
• Limitations in GDPR compliance: Newsletter as WhatsApp Broadcast are generally not GDPR-compliant.
• No automation: In contrast to WhatsApp newsletters via the WhatsApp Business API, there are no options for automation.
• Contact restrictions: You can only write to contacts that you have saved in your phone book. Recipients must also have saved their contact.
• No analytics: Comprehensive evaluations that allow you to examine how effective your newsletters are are are not available with WhatsApp Broadcast.
• Manual opt-in and opt-out: If customers want to subscribe to or unsubscribe from your newsletter, you must manually change this for each individual customer.

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conclusion

While all tools have their own benefits and specific applications, the WhatsApp newsletter via the WhatsApp Business API surpasses the function of WhatsApp channels and WhatsApp broadcast in most aspects of digital marketing. All companies that want to increase their sales with effective WhatsApp marketing should consider the WhatsApp newsletter as their primary tool. If you just want to inform your subscribers about news and don't aim to generate sales as a result, WhatsApp channels may also be suitable. Companies should avoid WhatsApp broadcasts simply because of data protection issues.

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Create newsletters with hellomateo's WhatsApp marketing tool

hellomateo offers a professional WhatsApp marketing tool for your company and a comprehensive WhatsApp marketing service. The service portfolio ranges from setting up the WhatsApp API to individual tips for collecting opt-ins, maintaining customer data and creating newsletters for your target group to in-depth analyses. We offer a service that is individually tailored to your company and a professional WhatsApp marketing tool for your business. This makes it possible to effectively increase sales, increase customer loyalty and make customer communication highly efficient.

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Just arrange a free consultationto find out all the details With hellomateo and the WhatsApp newsletter, your company is entering the new marketing era.

• ‍Central user interface: hellomateo combines WhatsApp Business Platform, email, Instagram, SMS and Facebook Messenger in one central inbox. The intuitive user interface includes various tools for efficient customer communication and saves you valuable working time.
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• integrations: With hellomateo, you can use WhatsApp in integrate over 6,000 software programs and fully automated Customer trips create with invitations, order confirmations, shipping information, invoices, and reminders.
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• Newsletter marketing: Send GDPR-compliant Newsletter via WhatsApp or SMS and benefit from opening rates of over 95%.‍
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• Assessment management: hellomateo can Automatically request online reviews from your customers, which boosts your Google ranking and trust in your company.
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• ‍Data protection: hellomateo meets all German and European Data protection requirements and offers end-to-end encryption for secure customer communication.
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• scalability: Our software is suitable for Businesses of all sizes and can be extended indefinitely depending on the package.‍
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• ‍Diverse AI features: Our AI agent can automatically answer customer inquiries in chat, answer calls, help with the formulation of messages and much more.
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Arrange a non-binding and free consultation and we'll show you how hellomateo covers your communication needs! Simply book an appointment here or write to us via our web widget.