WhatsApp is not effective for cold outreach (cold messages)
1
Cost
WhatsApp does not charge per message but per conversation window. These start when the first message is sent and last for 24 hours; during this time, you can send as many messages as you want without extra cost.Each conversation has a type: Marketing, Utility, Authentication, or Service. Service conversations are initiated by the end user, while the other three are initiated by the business and depend on the type of template sent.The cost of the window depends on the user’s country and the type of conversation opened. When doing cold outreach campaigns, it is necessary to review the cost of Marketing conversation types and consider that the probability of these campaigns converting to paying customers is very low.You can review in-depth the definition of each category and the cost of conversation windows in your country by clicking here.
2
Very Low Conversion Rates
WhatsApp works best for sending campaigns to customers who already know your product and have had a conversation with your business before.
Think about your own experience: Would you like to receive WhatsApp messages from businesses you’ve never spoken to before?
3
Poor Account Rating
The number of people who block or report you will be high enough that you will need to constantly create new templates, connect new numbers, and possibly even create new business managers as WhatsApp blocks them. Operationally, this is a significant hassle.
Your quality rating is based on the recent messages your customers have received over the last 7 days. The rating is determined by your customers’ feedback, such as why your phone number was blocked and other reported issues.You can find the quality rating in the Phone Numbers tab of Meta’s WhatsApp Manager.You can read in-depth how this rating is determined by clicking here.
How to Improve the Efficiency of My Process?
In lower funnel marketing, we aim for user conversion, the stage where the user makes the purchase decision. At this stage, WhatsApp shines as a channel due to the personalization you can achieve to close sales, increasing the conversion rate. At Hilos, for example, we send this message once they connect to the “Sandbox,” Hilos’ testing environment, to better understand the user’s needs before creating an account.