WhatsApp and Instagram broadcast channels: Next level social media community building

WhatsApp has over 2.78 billion users worldwide and is a valuable tool for many brands – in fact, 50 million brands (excl. China) use WhatsApp as a marketing tool worldwide. Germany ranks in the top 10 WhatsApp countries with the largest audiences at 48.3 million users.

What is the new WhatsApp Broadcast Channels?

Last week, Meta globally introduced broadcast channels to the platform—and we’re already seeing media outlets, creators and brands using the new feature. But this is nothing new. Earlier this year, Instagram launched a similar feature. Compared to Instagram, WhatsApp's version is less “in your face” for users and more cleverly placed in a different section to private chats.

What is Instagram Broadcast Channels?

Meta claims: Broadcast channels allow you to have a direct connection to your followers and build a larger, more active community. The channels appear in between users’ direct messages and have the same user interface as regular direct messages. The only difference: It’s one-way communication with only the broadcast channel creator having the ability to share messages. Users can only react to the messages with emojis but can’t respond.

The new function comes with Instagram’s continuous decline in organic reach since the platform algorithm tends to favor paid ads over organic posts of which the average engagement rate is only 4.59% (June 2023).

How brands can use Broadcast Channels for proactive online community management

In Germany, Vogue uses WhatsApp broadcast channel to drive traffic to the website. By teasing articles in a short and appealing way, they found yet another point in the customer journey to:

In other words: Vogue uses WhatsApp broadcast channels like just another social media tool that allows real-time communication. Like Instagram, users are unable to comment. The sole indicator for the popularity of topics is the option to interact by reacting with an emoji.

By engaging with fans and followers regularly, they tend to be more interactive. The new feature could be an additional way to go to slide right into users' DMs and ensure they have even more touch points to your brand. While creators jumped onto the new trend quickly, we are only now seeing brands starting to use the channels.

Generally, it appears its functions are mainly targeted at creators for now. Voice notes for example allow broadcasters a more personalized way of speaking than via stories–for brands, this tool is only effective in case there is a spokesperson behind the company that users are already familiar with.

Depending on the quality of content, engagement rates could certainly be increased by using the channels. However, there is a thin line to being perceived as annoying. It largely depends on your brand and your current engagement with the community whether being even more present would have a positive impact.

WhatsApp vs. Instagram: Which is better?

Despite launching this new function, WhatsApp wants to continue its focus on private messaging. We see potential to drive traffic and livestream communications at events. But it’s yet to be determined whether WhatsApp broadcasting will establish itself.

On the other hand, Instagram aims to use broadcast channels as another way to build an active community. Some users could find the new Instagram feature somewhat disturbing because brand communication is mixed with their private lives.

With this new feature on both platforms, Meta has two new ways for brands to be more present in the customer journey and only time will tell whether there is an actual positive impact on relevant KPIs, depending on different business goals.

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