WhatsApp has truly revolutionized the world of communication. From being able to send just texts, today we can send multimedia messages and connect with someone instantly. Earlier you had to send a text in oblivion whether or not the receiver will see it, or when will the recover see it, and then sit back and wait for the reply. Well, we have a whole generation of people who have endured that. But WhatsApp changed the game for all, from personal to professional relationships, all of it can be maintained and nurtured through WhatsApp.
You want to get closer to a loved one, then connect on WhatsApp, if you want to send bulk messages on WhatsApp to customers and make sure your business is always on their mind, then also, connect with the Azerbaijan Phone Numbers WhatsApp. WhatsApp is pretty much now a one stop solution for business growth because of how effectively it has penetrated the market and established itself as a platform that can be used for marketing, sales, and customer service- all the three components that any business needs to succeed.
However, there is a fine line between using WhatsApp for personal conversations and professional conversations. Of course, user experience has been Meta’s number one priority thus the difference. You must have heard about the WhatsApp business app, it is made to facilitate conversations keeping in mind the ease of small business owners. There’s a difference between WhatsApp business and normal WhatsApp that you should know. However, WhatsApp business comes with several limitations, thus, it is not a viable solution for medium-sized and enterprise-level businesses. For the latter, there is WhatsApp Business API and you are going to know about every single detail of it so you can utilize it for your business for profitable returns.
Use an advanced marketing solution for your WhatsApp efforts
Get started with Zixflow, a next-gen CPaaS platform for taking your WhatsApp marketing to another level
Get Started
WhatsApp Business API- The basics
In 2018, Meta launched WhatsApp Business API to help medium and enterprise-level businesses to scale their customer support by helping them receive and send unlimited messages through WhatsApp. Unlike the WhatsApp business app, WhatsApp Business API ensures seamless communication without pesky limitations.
After WhatsApp became one of the top platforms of communication, businesses chose to start using it for the ease of customers. This was the point where Meta realized that it was time for them to take WhatsApp beyond just the platform for personal communication. The decision indeed took WhatsApp to a whole new level, but it also helped businesses to grow at an unimaginable speed. Many businesses even ditched email and other channels for communication in favor of WhatsApp marketing.
This is how WhatsApp business API was launched and ever since it has been unstoppable and has come up with several alterations that helped businesses grow. Many businesses even marked their journey from being a small business to an enterprise through WhatsApp business API.
No doubt, it is everyone’s favorite solution!
WhatsApp Business App vs WhatsApp Business API
Ah! The dreaded confusion. Don't worry, I don’t blame you, Meta did really choose to confuse us all!
The WhatsApp Business application is solely there for small business owners to help them manage their businesses through the comfort of their phones without having to give their personal contact to their customers. It is the perfect solution for your nearby grocery store owner or your favorite boutique owner, but not a feasible solution for giants like WalMart or Target, who would require a WhatsApp marketing strategy as part of their campaign.
WhatsApp Business app is very close to the regular WhatsApp that you use to engage with your friends and family just with some added limits. However, the app is absolutely free and you can directly reach your customer as long as you have an internet connection.
WhatsApp business API on the other hand was curated especially for large businesses and enterprises. Meta realized that the WhatsApp Business app was not catering to the needs of enterprise-level business owners, because how are you supposed to send a campaign to thousands of people with the broadcast list limitation of 256 people? Well, that was the struggle many had to endure until the launch of WhatsApp Business API. It was also the reason why large businesses were unable to leverage WhatsApp automation. Meta saw this as an opportunity and today as we know WhatsApp Business API is being used by several businesses out there.
Another major difference between the WhatsApp Business Application and WhatsApp Business API is that the application can be installed within your phone through Play Store or App Store and is ready to be used instantly while the WhatsApp Business API needs to be applied for and could be provided by only the WhatsApp Business Solution Providers (BSP).
BSPs are the selected partners by WhatsApp that are supposed to provide the businesses with access to WhatsApp business API, it is more like a mediator between the business and WhatsApp.
However, the involvement of the third party also made the solution crazy expensive!
Well, there is no gain without pain so you need to bear the price if you intend to grow your business.
Do you really need the WhatsApp Business API?
If you want to grow your business then yes, you do!
WhatsApp Business API was created with the mindset of growth for medium to large businesses. If you want to level up your business from a small business to a medium-sized enterprise then you should probably give WhatsApp Business API a try! It can modernize your sales engagement process and streamline lead generation. Listing down a few other factors that will help you determine if WhatsApp Business API is right for your business.
Business size
