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With 2 billion monthly active users, WhatsApp is THE most popular messaging network (far ahead of its competitors Telegram and Messenger). The problem? It cannot be monetised. At least not until now. Companies could chat with their target audience and publish status updates, but they couldn’t promote their ads. To remedy this shortfall, Meta is (re)launching ads on WhatsApp. Find out more.
As WhatsApp is a chat network, it is not that easy to insert advertisements into it. If users saw adverts in the middle of their personal conversations, it is unlikely that they would take kindly to it. So, before launching adverts on WhatsApp, Meta is exercising extra caution.
No, the adverts will not appear in private messages. Instead, they will appear in statuses.
Just like Instagram stories, users can also share their daily lives in videos on WhatsApp. To do so, they simply need to go to the Status tab. And that’s exactly where the adverts come in.
When users view their friends’ statuses, they will also be able to see certain advertisements (just like on Facebook and Instagram). And since conversations are central to WhatsApp’s strategy, this allows users to interact directly with their favourite brands. After discovering an advert, they will be able to ask questions about the product or service directly.
Advertisements on WhatsApp extend far beyond status updates. And yes, Meta is also launching sponsored channels and channel subscriptions.
So what is it?
With these new advertising options on WhatsApp, you gain an additional channel to increase your visibility and conversion.
This isn’t the first time Meta has attempted to insert advertisements on WhatsApp. Back in 2018, the group made an attempt with status updates. But it didn’t work. Why? Because of the risks to the confidentiality of discussions.
So for this new launch, Meta has made enormous efforts to address data protection issues. The group reminds users that “Your personal messages, calls and status updates remain end-to-end encrypted, so no one, not even WhatsApp, can see or listen to them.“ But how do they manage to offer targeted advertising? They use other data (admittedly more limited, but just as relevant). For example: the user’s country or city, their language, the channels they follow, and their interactions with the advertisements presented.
Want to try advertising on WhatsApp? Feel free to contact our Social Ads agency to optimise your advertising campaigns.
Leslie