You can make WhatsApp your ultimate selling point in 2018 and of course in the coming years. If you are a freelancer or own a small business, then you will be happy to hear that WhatsApp not only gives the opportunity to initiate business but also offers selling destination to freelancers and start-ups.
If you cannot invest heftily on online business set up or do not have the required funds or skills to build a website presence, then with a smart phone and an internet connection you can create an online brand on WhatsApp (and on Instagram also).
The best thing about WhatsApp is that almost everyone uses it. It doesn’t require app training nor does it charges anything.
Reasons to Choose WhatsApp for Your Freelance Services:
- It’s absolutely free
- Can sell products on high profit with low expenses
- Increase sales with WhatsApp Business Application
- Has 1.5 billion active monthly users and 60 billion messages are sent per day
- It supports over 60 languages
We are sure that by this year end the number of users will obviously double. You are more on the ‘advantages’ side if you live in India, because India is the largest country with highest WhatsApp users.
For your benefit Careerlancer has compiled 8 Steps Freelancers Should Follow to Sell Products on WhatsApp. Let’s get started…
1. Downloading WhatsApp Business Application
WhatsApp Business is an Android app that is free to download. The app is available on Android play store. WhatsApp Business is mainly built for small businesses and freelancers.
It has quite a few interesting tools such as automatic messages, quick response options and varied sorting features. It also has an excellent customer interaction interface that makes your job considerably easy.
2. Business Profile Creation
After downloading the app on your smartphone, you will have to register your business, service, brand or product as a company. Remember that once you register your company name it cannot be edited or changed. Just like your WhatsApp Messenger, this app also starts by a phone number verification.
Following company name formation, you have to create a strong business profile. The WhatsApp Business profile asks certain information for registration, such as About Company, Business Address, Category, Description, Email and Website. This information can be publically viewed by your clients on your profile.
You can edit your business profile anytime.
3. WhatsApp Setting for Business
The WhatsApp Business setting is completely different from the personal messaging app. It has some very unique features that make conversing on WhatsApp productive and business oriented.
You will find the following options and messaging tools in the business settings:
- Profile Setting: Allows you to set location of your business from Google Maps, describe your business in simple words for easy customer understanding, set your business operating hours and link email address and website, if any.
- Statistics:It shows chat statistics, such as sent messages, delivered messages, read and received messages. The statistics helps you to see number of orders received from clients.
- Greetings: This is an automated feature where you can greet people by setting a Welcome Message whenever they message you for the first time or after 14 days of No Activity. This option works only with active internet connection.
- Away Status Message: Send automated messages when you are away, with an active internet connection. You can pre-set short texts for this.
- Quick Reply: You can set ‘Quick Replies’ as shortcuts for frequently used messages.
Example: ‘Thank you for the opportunity’, ‘Thank you for placing order’ etc.
4. Sales Enquiry Creation
WhatsApp tries to help freelancers in their marketing and promotional strategies also, that too free of cost. Share your number on Marketing Communities and let people know that you are open for discussion. The quick reply option allows you to answer frequently asked questions faster and precisely.
To find popular business groups and interested clients for marketing and promotions, you can either use Facebook groups or login to WhatsApp Website to join groups that suit your work profile the best.
5. WhatsApp Business Benefits
You must have noticed these days that businesses, instead of sharing email addresses and website links, share WhatsApp numbers on hoardings, pamphlets, TV ads, and newspaper.
Sharing a personal contact number for customer communication is one of the biggest benefits WhatsApp Business can give you. Psychological facts say the moment people see a personal touch in promotional ads they immediately make the first move and connect instantly.
You can promote your WhatsApp business number on all social media platforms where sellers and buyers list is already flourishing.
The Chatbot Automation feature provides one on one communication, allowing you to appeal to many customers at a single time through direct message.
6. Here’s Some Quickie Guidelines
You can download and use WhatsApp Messenger and WhatsApp Business on the same phone simultaneously. However, each app should be linked to a different phone number. You cannot use same phone number to operate both accounts.
You can also transfer your chat history from your existing WhatsApp Messenger to your newly downloaded WhatsApp Business account.
However, if you decide to opt out of WhatsApp Business account, you cannot transfer data from it to your WhatsApp Messenger account.
7. Freelancing Opportunities on WhatsApp Business
You can sell anything and everything on this app, from services to products. However, the most popular products people usually sell on WhatsApp Business are;
- Cutlery and kitchen items
- Clothing
- Accessories
- Footwear
- Handmade crafts
- Decorative items
You can also sell services like:
- Fashion designing
- Baking
- Cooking
- Make-up and hair styling
- Choreography etc.
8. WhatsApp Payment
WhatsApp Payment is finally getting popular and has rolled in to more countries after months of payment testing trials.
With the Unified Payments Method (UPI), payments on WhatsApp Business allow direct bank transfer. This feature is live on both Android and iOS platforms.
You can check your payments on WhatsApp Setting. To begin using the function you have to add your Bank Account with just one tap.
You can locate your Payment option by clicking on the Attachment button.
