Using WhatsApp Broadcast for online marketing? I'd rather not!

What are WhatsApp broadcast messages?

WhatsApp broadcast messages are a feature in WhatsApp that allows users to send messages to a large group of contacts at the same time. Unlike group chats, broadcast messages appear in the recipients' chat histories and not as part of a WhatsApp group.

To send broadcast messages, selected contacts are added to a broadcast list. A broadcast message can be sent to this list later.

The WhatsApp broadcast function is only available in the WhatsApp app and the WhatsApp Business app. Broadcast messages cannot be sent in the WhatsApp Web web application and in the WhatsApp desktop app.

All basic information and a comparison with the WhatsApp API See our article”WhatsApp Business Broadcast Message — Tips & Instructions“

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What use case are WhatsApp broadcast messages intended for?

WhatsApp broadcast messages are primarily intended for private use. They are a good way to reach a large number of contacts quickly and easily. Unlike group chats, the recipients of a broadcast do not see that it is a broadcast message and which other recipients have also received the message.

Use cases for private WhatsApp broadcast messages include:

• birthday invitations
• wedding invitations
• Christmas or birthday greetings to acquaintances

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WhatsApp broadcasts not suitable for marketing companies

Even though the WhatsApp broadcast function is available in the WhatsApp Business app, it is not suitable for sending a WhatsApp newsletter to your customers, for example. There are various reasons for this, both legal and technical.

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Technical limitations of WhatsApp broadcasts

The broadcast function in the WhatsApp business app has some limitations that restrict use in companies. For example, the number of contacts to whom a broadcast message can be sent is limited to 256 contacts per broadcast list. To add contacts to a broadcast list, they must first be saved in your contact book. Broadcast messages are also only delivered if the recipients have also saved them in their contact book. Otherwise, the message simply won't be delivered. You can also not evaluate your WhatsApp broadcast campaigns in any way. This means you don't get the data you need about your campaign to analyze its benefits and optimization options.

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Legal limitations of WhatsApp broadcasts: GDPR

On the legal side, too, there are a few reasons why WhatsApp broadcast messages are not eligible as WhatsApp newsletters. This is primarily due to the fact that you must use the WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business app to send broadcast messages. Both are not complete GDPR-compliant. In addition, the WhatsApp terms of use also do not provide for WhatsApp to be used in this way for online marketing. It says: “Our products are not intended for bulk or automated messaging.” However, there is no really clear answer to the question of whether sending newsletters via the broadcast function is allowed, at least by WhatsApp. With regard to the General Data Protection Regulation, there are several points in which the use of WhatsApp broadcasts in online marketing is not compatible with it. First, no order processing contract (AV contract) is concluded in the standard version of WhatsApp. Second, the WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business app accesses all contact details on the user's device. Personal and business contacts cannot be cleanly separated. This also makes it possible for WhatsApp to access contacts who don't even use WhatsApp themselves. Third, the unencrypted cloud backups of WhatsApp chats pose a GDPR problem. Even though all WhatsApp chats — and therefore also WhatsApp broadcast messages — are end-to-end encrypted, this protection does not apply to cloud backups. You must also obtain an appropriate marketing opt-in from every user to whom you want to send marketing messages. However, the WhatsApp Business app does not let you automate this process, nor does it offer integrated opt-in management. Manually, it is a difficult and often lengthy task to obtain and manage customer opt-ins.

Reading tip: For even more information, we have a blog article about WhatsApp and GDPR written for you.

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This is how marketing works correctly: Sending WhatsApp newsletters in compliance with the GDPR via the API

Of course, there is also a way that you as a company Sending WhatsApp newsletters for marketing purposes Can. Includes all features such as automatic opt-in management and comprehensive analytics. And it's all 100% GDPR. How does that work? With the WhatsApp Business API WhatsApp provides companies with a separate interface to integrate WhatsApp into corporate communications in conjunction with a WhatsApp business partner. With hellomateo at your side, sending WhatsApp newsletters is child's play. From setting up your account to planning and sending the first newsletter campaigns, we are available to you as a central point of contact. In addition to WhatsApp, the hellomateo chat solution also offers you other benefits, such as easy management of Google reviews and the bundling of all news channels in a central inbox.

We would be happy to arrange an individual consultation appointment to show you the WhatsApp business solution from hellomateo in more detail. Now Make an appointment!

We at hellomateo are your messaging experts when it comes to customer communication. Hundreds of companies are already using hellomateo. Our customers particularly appreciate the following benefits of hellomateo:

• ‍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.