What else is possible with WhatsApp and what alternatives are there, especially for publishers and media companies?
Status quo June 2019
WhatsApp is the most popular messenger service and can be used to reach younger target groups. So what could be more obvious than using this service for commercial purposes? Some companies have tried this in the past. This option of using push communication to reach their own subscribers has been a success story, especially for media companies.
From the Facebook group's point of view, sending newsletters croatia phone number data via WhatsApp has so far been a kind of tolerated gray area. This is now to end, the Facebook group announced at Google's newsgeist conference. From December 7, 2019, sending newsletters will then be officially excluded from WhatsApp use. This step was justified by the risk of spreading fake news, but also by the fact that personal communication is the main focus of WhatsApp.
What does Facebook plan to do with WhatsApp?
The Facebook group probably also wants to strengthen its own business. For example, it will be possible to place advertisements in WhatsApp stories from 2020. However, since stories have not been used much so far, it is quite possible that Facebook will want to place advertisements between chat messages in the future. This already exists in Facebook Messenger. However, especially if advertisements are to be personalized, encryption/data security will suffer.
On the other hand, WhatsApp has had a business version since 2018 that goes beyond the standard app in terms of functionality. In addition to the chat function, there is the option of sending automated messages, storing pre-written messages and using them as a quick function, marking and organizing chats, and there are also statistics. The WhatsApp Business app is currently free of charge. Unfortunately, in many cases these options do not replace newsletters via WhatsApp.
You shouldn't come up with the idea of just letting it continue. The Facebook group reserves the right to take legal action if the new WhatsApp guidelines are violated. The use of WhatsApp to distribute newsletters by media companies will therefore be history by the end of the year.