WhatsApp has become an essential communication tool for many businesses. It allows companies to easily connect with customers and team members. One great feature available to WhatsApp Business users is the ability to create community groups.
Community groups on WhatsApp Business allow businesses to broadcast messages to customers who have opted in. They are useful for sending out updates, announcements, alerts, and other helpful information to large groups of people at once.
If you run an iPhone and want to create a community group for your business on WhatsApp, here is a step-by-step guide to help you get started.
Prerequisites
Before creating a community group on WhatsApp Business for iPhone, make sure you meet the following requirements:
- You have the latest version of WhatsApp Business installed on your iPhone
- Your WhatsApp Business account is confirmed with a green verified badge
- You have a Business Profile set up with essential business info
- You have an internet connection on your iPhone
If you don’t already have WhatsApp Business, you can download it for free from the App Store. It’s quick and easy to set up your business profile and get verified. This gives you access to all the best features for businesses.
Step 1: Open WhatsApp Business
First, launch WhatsApp Business on your iPhone. The app icon looks like a white chat bubble on a green background.
Once WhatsApp opens, you’ll see your chats and contacts. To create a community group, tap on the Calls tab at the bottom.
Step 2: Tap New Group
When viewing the Calls tab, you’ll see options for making Voice and Video calls. At the top right, tap on New Group.
This will open the menu for creating a new group.
Step 3: Tap New Community
On the next screen, you’ll have two options:
- New Group – For regular private groups
- New Community – For public community groups
Tap on New Community to create a community group.
Step 4: Name Your Community Group
You will now be prompted to enter a name for your new community group.
Type in a name that describes your business community. For example, “XYZ Company Updates”. Keep it short and simple.
The name you enter here will be displayed when members view the community group info. So choose wisely.
Step 5: Describe Your Community
On the next screen, you can add an optional description for your community group.
The description should provide more details about the purpose of the group. Keep it clear and concise.
For example: “Official broadcast channel for XYZ Company to share news and updates with customers. Stay up-to-date here!”
Step 6: Set Group Photo
WhatsApp allows you to set a photo for your community group. This photo will be visible to members.
To set a photo:
- Tap on the camera icon
- Choose to take a photo or select one from your phone’s library
- Crop the image if needed
- Tap Done to set it as the group photo
Make sure you use a high quality, representative photo for your business. You can also skip this step if you don’t want to add a group photo.
Step 7: Choose Admins
The next option allows you to add other admins for helping manage your WhatsApp community.
Admins can post messages, add or remove members, change group settings, etc. Choose other people in your business you want to give admin access.
To add admins:
- Tap Add Admin
- Select the contacts you wish to make admins
- Tap Add to confirm
You can skip this step for now if you don’t need other admins immediately. Admins can be added or removed later as well.
Step 8: Toggle Community Settings
Before creating your community group, WhatsApp allows you to modify the following settings:
- Edit Group Info – Change name, description, photo
- Admin Approval – Members need admin approval to join
- Restricted – Only admins can post messages
Enable or disable these options based on your preferences. You can always change them later.
Step 9: Tap Create
Once you’ve customized all the settings to your liking, tap Create at the bottom.
This will finalize and create your new WhatsApp community group!
Step 10: Start Adding Members
After the group is created, it’s time to start adding members.
Tap on Add Members to select contacts you want to invite. Choose relevant customers, employees, or anyone else who would benefit from the community.
Initially add at least 3 members for your community group to become active. Add up to 256 members in total.
Step 11: Send Your First Message
Now that your business WhatsApp community is ready, it’s time to send out your first broadcast message!
Tap Message to open the composer box. Type out an engaging first message to introduce members to the community.
Don’t forget to set the right tone and include relevant details about your business, community purpose, rules, etc.
Once your message is composed, tap Send to deliver it to all members. They will now be able to receive your community updates!
Tips for Managing Your Community Group
Here are some additional tips for effectively managing your WhatsApp Business community group:
- Post valuable content regularly, but don’t overboard with constant messages
- Make use of images, videos, documents to make messages interactive
- Moderate discussions and keep the community on topic
- Offer exclusive deals and perks to community members
- Consider enabling admin approval to control new member requests
- Analyze performance metrics to refine your approach
- Engage members and field questions to build relationships
Powerful Features for WhatsApp Communities
WhatsApp offers great features to help businesses get the most out of community groups:
- Announcements – Pin important broadcast messages to the top
- Polls – Run polls to survey your audience
- Chatbots – Automate replies to common queries
- Stats – View insights into message performance
- Labels – Organize communities with labels
Enable and utilize these tools to take your community engagement to the next level.
Conclusion
Creating and managing a community group on WhatsApp Business for iPhone is easy and provides immense benefits for connecting with customers.
Simply follow the steps above to get started with setting up your business community on WhatsApp. Add valuable members, send engaging content regularly, and leverage the available features.
Running a WhatsApp community will help you drive engagement, broadcast updates seamlessly, collect feedback, boost loyalty and much more!