In regions like Africa and Latin America, WhatsApp has become an indispensable tool for business, though its potential is often undermined by poor execution. Many of you are trying to use the platform to grow your businesses, but I see too many entrepreneurs making the mistake of equating work with the sheer volume of messages sent. If you forward a single message to 2,000 contacts and 1,998 of them ignore or block you, you haven't done effective work; you’ve actually damaged your deliverability and sent negative signals to the platform’s algorithm.

To communicate effectively, you must understand the communications hierarchy. At the very top is face-to-face interaction, which is the most effective because it allows you to read body language and nuance, even though it is the most expensive and time-consuming.

Next is audio (phone calls), where you can still pick up on tone and inflection. Video currently ranks third because of the anxiety it often causes users regarding their appearance. At the bottom are text-based forms, with email being the least effective conversational medium.

The biggest mistake I see on WhatsApp is what I call "forwarding madness" . When you forward a message to a massive list, WhatsApp often displays a label at the top saying "forwarded many times" or even indicating it has been forwarded over a thousand times. This immediately tells the recipient that the message is not personal, making them far less likely to engage.

Furthermore, using inauthentic flattery like "Odogwu" or "Boss" in a mass-forwarded message feels hollow and lazy.

Instead of forwarding, I want you to adopt a more effective formula: Copy, Paste, Edit, Personalize, and Customize BEFORE you send.

Copy and Paste: Use a Bluetooth keyboard or WhatsApp Web to make this process faster.

Edit: Remove generic plural greetings like "wonderful customers" and replace them with the individual's name, such as "Madam Chidera".

Personalize/ Customize: Add a detail that only applies to them—perhaps asking about their child’s recent exam or a specific past transaction.

This approach takes more time, but the results are vastly superior. Sending 500 personalized messages that result in 100 actions is a 20% conversion rate, which is far better for your business and your reputation than sending 2,000 blasts that yield the same 100 responses.

When dealing with high-value customers or significant business changes, like moving offices or switching roles, don't rely on text at all. For the clients who bring in big money, go to see them face-to-face or, at the very least, give them a phone call. Investing 18 Naira into a three-minute phone call is a much stronger and more memorable gesture than a forwarded text.

By slowing down and respecting the communications hierarchy, you ensure your message is actually read, digested, and acted upon.