How Beauty and Cosmetics Brands Can Use Click to WhatsApp Ads

Click to WhatsApp ads have become the talk of the town and for good reason of course. It is the one advertising format that lets brands tap into the power of the two biggest social media platforms - Facebook and Instagram, and merges it with the ability to implement conversational commerce.

So we decided to do something different and help brands make the most of click to WhatsApp ads.

We’re creating an industry-wise series on using click to WhatsApp ads. And in this post, we are going to explore how beauty and cosmetics brands can use CTWA ads.

What are click to WhatsApp ads (CTWA)?

Click to WhatsApp ads are an advertising format wherein brands can run promotions on Facebook and Instagram. But instead of leading the target audience to the brand site, CTWA campaigns focus on getting an interested buyer to message the business on WhatsApp.

How can beauty and cosmetics brands use click to WhatsApp ads (CTWA)?

There are several ways in which beauty and cosmetics brands on Shopify can use click to WhatsApp ads. While brands are still exploring the potential of these collaborative ads, here are some suggestions on running your next ad campaign:

1. Promote best-sellers

Run CTWA ads on your best-selling or trending products. This gives you a chance to highlight products that are proven to be loved by the target audience you’ve set up ads for. The social proof behind the selection of these products makes your CTWA campaign convert more. For a consumer to click through the ad to get to the best-sellers on message instead of having to find them on the site, also gets them to the purchase point faster.

2. Highlight deals and discounts

Another type of CTWA campaign you can run is to highlight the deals and discounts running on your store. Going through a number of discounts on the website can often be too overwhelming for the buyer; this is where they get to click to WhatsApp and seek out the offer on message instead.

3. Offer shopping assistance

Buying beauty and cosmetics products online can be tough - especially when it comes to choosing items that suit your skin tone or skin type. This is where offering shopping assistance on WhatsApp can come in handy, helping the consumer make an informed purchase decision. Your CTWA campaign could simply focus on promoting a message that asks buyers to drop a message to get assistance from experts.

This is also a great way for beauty and cosmetics brands to generate leads for their business.

4. Promote a look or a regimen

Tap into what’s trending on social media or on popular websites and run a campaign around it. Use your click to WhatsApp ads to highlight the products being used to achieve a certain makeup look or to complete a skincare regimen as suggested by the trend. Get the buyers to message you on WhatsApp to get links to the products directly instead of having to find their way to them on the site.

5. Showcase your value proposition

You can also create a carousel for your click to WhatsApp ad campaign. Instead of taking the usual approach of promoting products in this carousel, highlight the value proposition instead - for instance, the ingredients used, the making of these products, comparison to other products, and similar information.

6. Offer freebies

Retarget your existing customers with a click to WhatsApp ad that offers them a freebie from your beauty and cosmetics catalog. Encourage them to place another order on WhatsApp to get a freebie with their purchase. After all, who doesn’t love getting a free product?

7. Promote trial packs

More often than not, consumers tend to stick to a specific regimen. This means they use the same beauty and cosmetics products without wanting to experiment with new ones. Use your click to WhatsApp ads to promote ordering trial packs instead, that give consumers an ability to try things for themselves before making a bigger commitment.

8. Take preorders

Another way to use click to WhatsApp ads is to encourage pre orders. Getting a buyer to your site for the same can quickly become a distracting affair with all the discounts, and other products being promoted. But when you get the consumer to click through and message on WhatsApp to place a pre order, you shorten the cycle to securing a sale.

9. Run WhatsApp-only discounts

Another good idea for beauty and cosmetics brands to experiment with through CTWA campaigns is running exclusive discounts. This gives your business a chance to also build your WhatsApp list by capturing the true intent and interest of the buyer, getting them to make the purchase with the help of checkout links.

Best practices to follow for click to WhatsApp ads

While we’re still exploring more ways to use CTWA campaigns for beauty and cosmetics brands, here are some best practices we do recommend following:

Have a clear goal - You want the consumer to start a conversation on WhatsApp; but what is that conversation supposed to lead to - be absolutely clear about your campaign goals and objectives.
Experiment with formats - Click to WhatsApp ads can be run with single images, carousels or even videos. Remember to experiment with ad formats based on your campaign goals.
Focus on your ad copy - The traditional rules of running ad campaigns hold true for CTWA too. Remember to make your ad copy captivating to encourage buyers to interact with the campaign.
Automate a greeting message - Click to WhatsApp ads are proven to get better engagement, but if you don’t hook the buyer in a conversation, they can slip away. So automate a greeting message targeted at understanding the products they like and getting an opt-in; this helps get them moving forward towards making the purchase.
Run CTWA campaigns in non-peak hours - Engaging in a message conversation requires more than just a fleeting moment of attention. So ensure you’re not running these ad campaigns at peak hours when the distractions are too high! This can also help you keep a check on your CTWA campaign spends.
Run retargeting ad campaigns in peak hours - Once your CTWA campaign starts to drive in conversations, remember to set up retargeting ads as well; these can be run during the peak hours to remain at the top of the consumer’s minds.
Optimize frequently - Always measure the reach of your click to WhatsApp ad campaigns and the response they are generating. This can help you identify patterns, preferences and how consumers are making purchases on the messaging platform. Optimize based on insights!
Shorten the purchase cycle - To ensure your CTWA campaigns lead to sales, ensure that once you have the buyer on WhatsApp, you enable them to complete the purchase there itself. You can do this with the help of a WhatsApp catalog, checkout links and payment gateway integrations that let you get paid for orders too.

Ready to double your beauty and cosmetics sales with CTWA?

Running click to WhatsApp ads isn’t just about choosing the messaging platform over your brand site.

It requires understanding the nuances and the behavior that can lead a consumer from social media to WhatsApp, to then making a purchase from your beauty and cosmetics Shopify store.

This is where our WhatsApp marketing experts can help!

We help you not just run CTWA campaigns that convert, but also explore other WhatsApp marketing automations that can help you keep customers engaged - leading to more sales.

Want to learn more?

Book a demo with our experts today.

Frequently Asked Questions

Himanshu Gupta

Founder & CEO at QuickReply.ai

Himanshu is the Co-Founder and CEO of QuickReply.ai, a WhatsApp marketing and automation platform for online stores. He has over six years of experience in conversational marketing and sales and is passionate about helping businesses grow using AI and conversational marketing.