6.1 WHATSAPP

Instant messaging services and messengers allow for direct and fast communication with your customers. Messengers achieve high reach on smartphones, which customers almost always carry with them nowadays. Messages sent through messengers normally reach the customers promptly. Campaigns using messengers achieve high click rates of up to 30% and a low unsubscribe rate in comparison with newsletters as long as the content is interesting and you do not send too many messages each day. The most important messaging services in Germany are WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger.

6.1.1 TECHNICAL OPTIONS OF WHATSAPP: HOW CAN I USE WHATSAPP IN MY DAILY TRAVEL AGENCY ROUTINE?

68-69% of the German Internet users use messenger services. Messengers have replaced traditional SMS. The messenger most often used in Germany, but also worldwide, is WhatsApp. The company was founded in 2009 and purchased by Facebook in 2014. With 37 million active users in Germany, WhatsApp has even overtaken Facebook.

WhatsApp is a smartphone app. To register, you need a phone number, to use it, internet connection by WLAN or mobile Internet. WhatsApp can also used with your desktop browser at https://web.whatsapp.com. WhatsApp allows you to send text messages, photos, videos, files, location info, contact info and voice messages to individual contacts or groups (max. 100 members) for free. Other WhatsApp users can also call you or use the video call function of the app to contact you. The Broadcast function can be used to send a message to up to 260 recipients at a time. Messages are sent in individual chats, i.e. each recipient gets the messages in an individual chat and can answer it.