A few days ago, Facebook-owned messaging app WhatsApp announced that it has banned over 16 lakh accounts in India in April alone, as part of its efforts to curb fake news, spam, and misinformation on its platform through the use of WhatsApp marketing software. India has emerged as the second-largest market after Brazil for the popular messaging app, which has over 200 million users here. What this signifies is that people are now comfortable communicating with brands via their WhatsApp account without having to give out any additional information – simply by using their phone number and name.
1) Who is affected by WhatsApp’s Ban?
WhatsApp is a mobile app for all major operating systems. It is hugely popular across India and with its presence, it does have the potential to be used as an effective marketing tool. However, they have already banned over 16 lakh accounts from being used for business communications. which means that over 16 lakh users who use WhatsApp for Business Communication and marketing purposes will be affected by this ban on business accounts.
2) Why was this done?
A facebook spokesperson told NDTV Gadgets that it was done to eliminate spam. We are committed to keeping WhatsApp a private messaging app – not a marketing platform. To ensure people can use WhatsApp whenever they want to communicate with friends and family, we ask that people using the app include their verified phone number. In India, every month people are signing up for 100 million new phone numbers on average, he said.
3) What are the areas affected?
WhatsApp gives little information about the areas affected by the ban. When questioned, it says the affected users were not using its platform properly. WhatsApp has traditionally communicated poorly with Indian users who do not use English as their primary language. A number of people have complained about the issue on social media and online forums since last month.
- What are the areas affected?
- How many accounts have been banned?
- Is there a way to appeal if a particular account is wrongly banned?
4) How to get back on Whatsapp?
WhatsApp bans were given to users who abused WhatsApp’s features. However, there are still ways to get back and continue your marketing strategy. It is advised that users make an official apology on their page before asking for a reconsideration or emailing them. They can also approach their local government or other high-ranking officials to plead their case. If all else fails, consider coming up with a new account.
5) All you need to know about the ban on Whatsapp
Though the real reasons behind the ban are still unclear, the technological advancements that have been made over the past few years have allowed for numerous fake accounts to be created. If you’re a marketing manager and you own a business which operates on WhatsApp, then you need to know about the ban. However, with over 1 billion active users worldwide, WhatsApp is still very much an important tool for marketers around the world.
6) We are waiting for some more clarifications from Whatsapp
WhatsApp has already set up some rules and banned more than 16 lakh accounts from its platform. With such giant numbers, it is indeed a great loss for them. Therefore, we are waiting for some more clarifications from them to ensure that the best solution is developed to handle such crises.
7) How are brands managing the ban?
Brands are managing the ban by switching over to WhatsApp advertising. WhatsApp has slowly been rolling out new features that are similar to ones you’d find on Facebook or Instagram, but they’re all designed around having more engaging conversations with your followers. One of these new features is called Status, which lets brands share multimedia content with their audience for 24 hours. It’s much like Facebook’s and Instagram’s Stories, but it disappears after a day instead of accumulating indefinitely like on other platforms.
8) How to stay off Whatsapp’s spam list
How to stay off Whatsapp’s spam list? No one is safe from getting banned, even CEOs and CFOs are not spared. But don’t worry, there are a few ways you can avoid getting your account blocked by an admin or banned by WhatsApp itself. All you need to do it stay away from spamming and avoid sending bulk messages.
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