After successfully onboarding to the WhatsApp Business Platform, the first essential step is setting your Profile in your WhatsApp Business Account.
Your Account is your company's way of communicating directly with customers, and WhatsApp API Business Profile provides customers with more information about your business. You can optimize your business by updating your cover photo, description, address, email, and website.
Currently, WhatsApp lets your customer search for businesses like yours (those using the Business Platform API) by categories – such as travel or banking – or search by name to find them. The feature is initially available in the UK, Colombia, Indonesia, Mexico, and Brazil and will expand over time.
Make sure you have a look at our "Quick tips on how to be found on WhatsApp Business Seach."
How to set up your WhatsApp Business Profile
Setting up your WhatsApp Business API Profile is very straightforward, and you should be able to do it within minutes. All you need to do is log in to your
360dialog account > WhatsApp Accounts > Profile
and from here, you can add your company photo, description, address, email, and website.
WhatsApp Business Account
After setting up your Profile, let's look at how your customers will be able to see your WhatsApp Business Account when interacting with you.
As you can see, all essential information about your business is accessible from the Contacts view, available for your customers when they want to get to know your company more.
This said, the Display Name is only shown in the Contacts view (in a smaller font size), which means your customer will be able to see your phone number first if your company is not served in their contacts.
Fortunately, WhatsApp made it easier to save Business Accounts. To save the number, your customers only have to click on it, and all the details are pre-filled automatically.
It's also worth mentioning that are two types of WhatsApp Business Accounts: the Business Account and the Official Business Account. They often get confused because both accounts have to be verified by Meta, so you could say that both are "official," but the real difference is that Official Business Accounts are much harder to get and come with a set of significant benefits.
Official WhatsApp Business Account
In comparison to the regular Business Account, in the Official Business Account, the Display Name is visible on the chat list, chat screens, and contacts view instead of the phone number, even if the user hasn't added the business to their address book, and the account will receive a green badge.
This is WhatsApp's way of confirming that an authentic, reputable brand is the owner of this account. The decision is based on various factors, such as whether the brand is notable, and it is impossible to pay to turn a Business account into an Official business account.
Your business needs to fulfill a set of requirements, so getting an Official Business Account is not easy.
How to apply for Official WhatsApp Business Account?
You can apply for an Official WhatsApp Business (OBA) directly from WhatsApp Manager:
WhatsApp Manager > Phone Numbers > Profile
Important: When a number receives an OBA status, this status is tied to the current Display Name of the account. If the display name needs to be changed, we recommend it is done before getting the OBA; otherwise, a Meta appeal is required.
Quick tips on how to maximize your chances of getting an Official WhatsApp Business Account
The fundamental part is clarity and a solid connection to your Display Name, so make sure you provide clear information on your website about products and services, mentioning your display name; also, your display name should match your website.
Also, your Facebook Business account has to be verified, and you have 2 Factor Authentication set up; otherwise, the option for applying for Official WhatsApp Business Account won't be available for you to begin with.
Next, your Facebook profile has to have noticeable traffic and engagement rates, so make sure you have your audience engaged (likes, shares) and you are frequently posting from your Business Account.
Media coverage is equally important; you have to submit at least 3 external media coverage links from newspapers, magazines, etc. Links from your own website won't be valid.
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