The most popular channels for businesses to reach their customers are WhatsApp and email marketing.
Both platforms have their pros and cons; it’s important to understand the key differences between WhatsApp & email marketing to determine which one is the right fit for your business.
In this guide, I’ll compare WhatsApp and email marketing and provide a conclusion on which one is the better option according to your needs.
Let’s dive into the content!
Is WhatsApp Good for Marketing?
Yes, but there are conditions.
Are your targeted audience using WhatsApp?
Is your product/service allowed to market on WhatsApp?
If you answered YES to these questions. WhatsApp can be an effective marketing platform for you.
For example, I do business in India, and WhatsApp is very popular in India. And I sell courses on Electric Vehicles. In this case, WhatsApp can be a good marketing channel for me.
Is WhatsApp Marketing Better than Email Marketing?
In terms of reach, YES! WhatsApp is a better marketing channel than email. However, cost-wise, WhatsApp marketing is more expensive than email marketing.
Like I said in the beginning, both platforms have their own pros and cons.
4 Reasons WhatsApp is Better than Email?
1. Quick Delivery
One of the biggest benefits of WhatsApp is its ability to deliver messages & users get notifications on their app. Which means that businesses can reach their customers instantly and receive an instant response. Conversely, emails can take time to reach the recipient and can be easily lost in an overcrowded inbox.
2. Interactivity
WhatsApp offers an interactive experience with functions such as voice and video calls, as well as the ability to send images and videos. This allows businesses to engage with customers in a more dynamic way.
3. Personalization
WhatsApp allows for personalization in communication, with the option to send individual or bulk messages with customers’ names. This personal touch can help build stronger relationships with customers.
4. Ease of Use
WhatsApp ease of use makes it a preferred choice for many customers, leading to a higher likelihood of engagement. Email marketing, on the other side, is a bit hard to use compared to WhatsApp. That leads to less engagement.
Is Email Marketing More Effective than Social Media?
There is no doubt that email marketing is more effective than social media. In general, if you have 10,000 followers on social media. Only 2-3% of your followers see your post.
Plus, you do not have control over social media platforms and followers. You don’t own those followers.
With email marketing,
- you own the list,
- you can reach more users,
- you can send unlimited emails,
- you can build email automation.
Is Email Marketing Still Worth It?
Yes, email marketing is still worth it. Despite the rise of social media and other marketing channels, email marketing remains a relevant and effective tool for businesses.
Of course, over the years, email has evolved. It is much harder to reach customers’ inboxes.
The key to success with email marketing is to adapt to changing consumer behavior and technology trends.
Despite all the challenges, if you use email marketing wisely. You’ll get the ROI (Return on Investment).
According to litmus.com, email generates the highest ROI. Email marketing has an average ROI of $36 for every $1 spent.
The ROI can vary from industry to industry. This is an average ROI from email marketing.
Limitations of Email Marketing
Deliverability Issues
One of the biggest challenges with email marketing is ensuring that emails reach their intended recipients. Spam filters, email blocking, and full inboxes can all prevent emails from being delivered, reducing the effectiveness of campaigns.
Lack of Deep Personalization
You can do some sort of personalization in emails; it can often feel impersonal compared to marketing channels like WhatsApp. In turn, this can limit the effectiveness of campaigns and reduce customer engagement.
The battle for attention
Email inboxes are often overcrowded, making it difficult for businesses to stand out and get their messages seen. This can lead to low open rates, low clicks, and low sales.
Technical Challenges
Email marketing requires a solid infrastructure and technical expertise to execute effectively. You have to maintain a good sender score else your emails will land in the promotion or junk folder.
To avoid all the technical hassle, there are tools like ActiveCampaign, Aweber, MailerLite, and GetResponse. But these tools can be expensive if you have a large email list.
Changing Consumer Habits
On a daily basis, consumers receive hundreds of emails, so they are becoming more selective about which emails they open and respond to.
This requires businesses to adapt their email marketing strategies to stay relevant and effective.
In short, email marketing has its limitations; it remains a valuable communication medium for businesses. To maximize its effectiveness, businesses need to stay ahead of the curve by incorporating new technologies, such as artificial intelligence, and adapting to changing consumer habits.
Limitations of WhatsApp Marketing
Limited Reach
WhatsApp is primarily used as a messaging app and is not as widely used as other social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook & more. This limits the reach of WhatsApp marketing campaigns and makes it hard for businesses to target a large audience on WhatsApp.
Privacy Concerns
WhatsApp values user privacy and has strict business communication guidelines. Businesses may find it difficult to communicate effectively with customers because of strict guidelines. Plus, certain business categories are prohibited on WhatsApp.
Lack of Analytics
WhatsApp provides limited analytics and insights into campaign performance compared to other marketing channels, such as email.
Because of this, businesses have difficulty tracking their results and optimizing their campaigns.
Despite the limitations, no doubt WhatsApp can do wonders for your business if you execute WhatsApp campaigns well.
Benefits of Email Marketing
There are many benefits of email marketing.
Cost-effective – In comparison with other marketing methods, email marketing is relatively inexpensive.
Targeted audience – You can segment your email list and target specific groups with tailored messages.
Measurable results – Email marketing allows you to track the success of your campaigns with metrics such as open, click-through rates, and conversion rates.
High reach than social media – Billions of people use email worldwide, providing a large potential audience for your message.
Flexibility – You can send a variety of content, including text, images, and links, to your audience through email.
Easy to automate – You can set up automated email campaigns to save time and improve efficiency. Those will run 24×7, 365 days and will create trust and convert prospects into customers.
No doubt, Email marketing is a powerful communication channel for promoting products/services, building brand awareness, and engaging & building trust with customers.
Benefits of WhatsApp Marketing
High open rates – WhatsApp has a high open rate; you can expect open rates as high as 95%. Isn’t it amazing! See the open rates of my client’s WhatsApp campaign. A whopping 70.6% open rate. With email, I would never get such kind of open rates.
Increased customer engagement – WhatsApp provides a personal and instant way to communicate with customers, increasing engagement and trust.
Reach a large audience – WhatsApp has over 2 billion monthly active users worldwide, according to statista.com, providing a large potential audience for your message.
Higher conversion – On WhatsApp, your message is seen by people. Users get notified. This leads to an increase in conversions.
Targeted messaging – You can segment your audience and send targeted messages to specific groups based on their interests or behaviors.
Multi-media support – WhatsApp supports a variety of media, including text, images, videos, and audio, making it easy to share engaging content with customers.
WhatsApp marketing is an efficient way to reach customers and build strong relationships through personalized and immediate communication.
Cost of WhatsApp Marketing Vs. Email Marketing?
WhatsApp marketing is generally more expensive than email marketing. On WhatsApp, you have to pay per conversation. For every user and business-initiated message, businesses need to pay a certain fee.
For example, In India, the cost of a business-generated message is ₹0.4843, and if you initiate 12,000 messages. You will have to pay Rs. 5811.6/-
This makes WhatsApp marketing expensive!
In contrast, with email, you pay per subscriber or email. And, many companies offer unlimited emails, but they charge based on subscribers.
For example, if you have a list of 1000 subscribers, you can get started with email marketing at as low as $9/month if you use services like MailerLite.
However, the cost of email marketing can vary depending on the size of your email list, the features you need, and the level of support you require.
For example, if you have a large email list like 500K or 1 Million users. You would need a dedicated email sending infrastructure.
The cost of both WhatsApp and email marketing will depend on the specific needs of your business and the features and level of support you require.
It’s important to compare the benefits and costs of each to determine which marketing channel is the most cost-effective for your business.
How to Determine Whether You Should Do WhatsApp or Email Marketing?
To determine whether you should do WhatsApp or email marketing, consider the following factors:
Target audience – Consider who your target audience is and which platform they are most likely to use. For example, WhatsApp is more popular in certain regions, so it may be a better choice if your target audience is in those demographics.
Marketing goals – Think of your marketing goals and which platform is best suited to achieve them. For example, if you want to build strong relationships with customers, WhatsApp may be a better choice as it provides a personal and immediate way to communicate. If you want to reach a large audience, email may be the better choice, as billions of people use email worldwide.
Content type – Consider the type of content you want to share and which platform is best suited to deliver it. For example, WhatsApp supports a variety of media, making it easy to share engaging content, while email is better suited for more formal and text messages.
Automation – Think about the level of automation you need and which platform is best suited to support it. For example, with email marketing, you can build advanced email automation, but with WhatsApp you can build that kind of advanced automation.
Cost – The cost of each platform and which is more cost-effective for your business. WhatsApp charges you per conversation, while in email marketing, you pay for the number of subscribers or number of emails you send.
How to Get Started with WhatsApp Marketing?
To get started with WhatsApp marketing, follow these steps:
Set your goals – Determine what you want to achieve through WhatsApp marketing, such as increased customer engagement or sales.
Build your audience – Start building your WhatsApp contact list by encouraging customers to opt-in to receive messages from you.
Create engaging content – Develop a strategy for creating engaging content that aligns with your goals and appeals to your audience. This can be text, images, videos, and audio content.
Get verified – To use WhatsApp for business, you will need to verify your business manager. This involves completing a simple application process and providing information about your business.
Choose a WhatsApp Marketing Tool – You have to use third-party tools to create chatbots and broadcast messages on WhatsApp. Here’s a list of the best WhatsApp Marketing Service providers.
Stay compliant – Ensure that you are compliant with WhatsApp’s terms of service and privacy policy and only send messages to customers who have opted-in to receive them.
With the right strategy and execution, WhatsApp can be a powerful tool for reaching and engaging with customers.
How to Get Started with Email Marketing?
Define your goals – Determine what you want to achieve through email marketing, such as increased sales or customer engagement.
Build your email list – Start building your email list by collecting subscribers through a sign-up form on your website or through social media.
Choose an email service provider – Choose a reliable email service provider that meets your needs and budget. Some popular options are MailerLite, ActiveCampiagn, Get Response, and Aweber.
Segment your list – Consider segmenting your email list based on subscriber interests, behaviors, or demographics to target your messages more effectively.
Automate your email campaigns – Use the automation features of your email service provider to create and send personalized, triggered emails based on subscriber behavior.
Stay compliant – Ensure that you are compliant with email marketing laws, such as CAN-SPAM, by including an opt-out mechanism in each email and honoring unsubscribe requests.
Final Thoughts on WhatsApp Vs. Email Marketing
Both WhatsApp and email marketing have their own advantages and disadvantages.
WhatsApp is a better marketing channel in terms of reach and interactivity, but it is more expensive than email marketing.
On the other hand, email marketing is more effective than social media and still a valuable channel for businesses, but email also has its own limitations, such as deliverability issues, lack of personalization, competition for attention, technical challenges, and changing consumer habits.
Identify where your target audience is, then use that platform. What if your targeted audience uses email more than WhatsApp, but you’re using WhatsApp to market them? Will it work? No.
If you have any questions, let me know in the comments below!
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WhatsApp Marketing: Definition, Examples, and How to Get Started
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