WhatsApp has been around for what seems like forever; it’s nothing new to the average joe.
But what most don’t realise is that, with over 1 billion daily users as well as data covering a range of demographics and locations, there’s a huge opportunity for advertising – and, more specifically, audience targeting.
Plans for WhatsApp advertising
Facebook bought WhatsApp back in 2014 for $19 billion, with clear plans to monetise the platform. Enter: WhatsApp Advertising.
As it stands, advertisers already have the ability to target Facebook and Instagram users through Ads Manager - alongside audience display networks – so WhatsApp Advertising will be a big gun in their already heavy artillery.
On its announcement, Facebook revealed that WhatsApp Advertising would be a full screen experience – similar to how Stories on Instagram and Facebook display. Rolling out in 2020, users will be able to drive traffic from WhatsApp to a website associated with the ad, presumably loading an in-app browser.
What does this mean for agencies and advertisers?
Well to put it bluntly, growth.
Advertisers will be treating WhatsApp as a new channel, but with audience sizes potentially larger than Facebook itself, it will give clients new opportunities for their digital marketing activities, meaning increasing sales and conversions have never been more promising.
But, this isn’t just good news for clients; more channels means greater budgets for agencies to work with.
However, as the channel is ‘encrypted’, WhatsApp need to be careful on how they deliver ads to their audiences. It’s safe to say that many users will not want their privacy invaded, so experts are warning this could have a negative effect on user experience, and are predicting a rise in alternative encrypted channels where push advertising isn’t present, such as Telegram.
Why does this excite the performance team?
Performance marketing is all about raw data, and how we use that data to increase profitability and performance of paid and organic digital marketing campaigns. A new channel such as WhatsApp Advertising offers new opportunities for the team to gain more understanding of the channel and market fully.
It will also give clearer insights and learnings from the data collected - not just for our clients and the Strategy Team to use in future campaigns, but for the Performance Team to use in key optimisation periods for increasing growth.
We are constantly learning and testing new channels to give clients the best opportunity to achieve their marketing goals and objectives; more recently using Spotify advertising to reach younger audiences. Check how the performance team did this by reading our blog on the campaign Reservoir Safety.
If you want to find out more about how performance marketing can aid your digital marketing campaigns, get in touch with Delineo.