Steps to Grow Your WhatsApp Contact List

Steps to Grow Your WhatsApp Contact List

Introduction 

Growing your WhatsApp contact list is an important step for making the most of WhatsApp marketing. A larger, opt-in contact list allows businesses to reach more customers by using WhatsApp campaigns and WhatsApp flows.

With the WhatsApp Marketing Suite, you can collect customer opt-ins through different touchpoints such as website forms, pop-ups, checkout pages, and the WhatsApp chat widget. These methods help you build a compliant and engaged audience that has agreed to receive messages from your business.

This article explains the key strategies and steps you can use to grow your WhatsApp contact list effectively, helping you expand your reach and improve customer engagement through WhatsApp.

Here are the steps to grow your WhatsApp contact list:

Step 1: Go to WhatsApp >> WhatsApp marketing >> Dashboard >> click on Setup now button



Step 2: There are 3 ways through AiTrillion that you can use to collect WhatsApp consent, which are:
  1. Popup
  2. Checkout widget
  3. WhatsApp chat widget -  Click here to learn how to setup WhatsApp chat widget.

Click the “Setup Now” button for the option you would like to configure to collect consent for sending WhatsApp messages.



Collect WhatsApp consent through a pop-up

Info
Note: You need to click the “Setup Now” button for the Popup Collect Consent option.


Step 1: Search for the pop-up you would like to use and click the “Use Now” button.



Step 2: Here are the available fields that you need to use:
  1. Form name - Enter a name for the pop-up form. This name is used internally to identify the pop-up in your dashboard. For example, you can name it
  2. List - Select the list where you would like customers to be added, or create a new list.
  3. Create a new customer in a store - Enable this setting to create a customer in the store whenever a customer signs up through the pop-up.
  4. Subscribe to email marketing in a store - Enable this setting to mark customers as subscribed to email marketing in the store.
  5. Subscribe for SMS marketing in a store - Enable this setting to mark customers as subscribed to SMS marketing in the store.
  6. Add a tag to the customer - Enter the tag name that you would like to be added whenever a customer signs up through the pop-up, and click on the Add button.
  7. Comments (Optional) - Enter comments to identify the popup or describe the reason for creating it. This is for internal purposes only.

Notes
Note: Ensure that the “Subscribe for SMS Marketing in Store” option is enabled. The WhatsApp consent will be collected through this setting.

Once you fill in the details, click the “Save” button.



Step 3: Customize the pop-up according to your needs. Below are a few settings you should ensure are enabled:
Phone number: You need to check the phone number field and enable the “Phone Number Mandatory” option.
Country code (Optional setting): Select the country code that you would like to show by default.
WhatsApp consent (Optional setting): Enter the text you want to display when collecting WhatsApp consent.



Step 4: Click on Save and enable the button to enable the pop-up in the front store.



Now, the pop-up will be visible to the front store, where customers can fill in the data and collect the WhatsApp marketing consent.

Shopify checkout widget

Click here to learn how to setup checkout widget.


WhatsApp chat widget

Click here to learn how to setup WhatsApp chat widget.



Important Notes:

  1. Customer Consent is Mandatory: Always ensure that customers explicitly opt in to receive WhatsApp messages before adding them to your WhatsApp contact list. Sending messages without consent may violate WhatsApp policies.
  2. Email field is mandatory: If you enable the SMS field or consent, the email field will not be disabled. The phone number will be collected along with the email field.
  3. SMS and WhatsApp subscription consent are the same: If a customer subscribes to SMS marketing, their WhatsApp consent will automatically be marked as subscribed.
  4. Enable WhatsApp Consent Collection: When creating a pop-up or form, make sure the “Subscribe for SMS marketing in store” option is enabled. This setting allows the system to collect WhatsApp consent from customers.
  5. Provide Clear Opt-In Messaging: Clearly inform customers that they are subscribing to receive WhatsApp updates, promotions, or notifications to maintain transparency and improve trust.
  6. Use Incentives to Encourage Signups: Offering incentives such as discount codes, exclusive offers, or loyalty rewards can help increase the number of customers subscribing to your WhatsApp contact list.
  7. Place Opt-In Forms Strategically: To maximize signups, place WhatsApp opt-in options in key areas such as:
    a. Pop-ups
    b. Checkout page
    c. Website forms
  8. Avoid Over-Messaging Customers: Sending too many messages may lead to customer unsubscribes or message blocks. Send relevant and valuable updates only.


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