How to Effectively Engage Your Audience on Rakuten Viber Without Overwhelming Them

Viber noa-bar-shay
Noa Bar Shay
Senior Director, Partnerships & Sales at Rakuten Viber
How to Effectively Engage Your Audience on Rakuten Viber Without Overwhelming Them

Almost 95% of Internet users access chat and messaging apps worldwide. Rakuten Viber is one of those apps, with over 1 billion downloads on Android only. It has become an integral part of the everyday communication routine of a huge number of people. Our superapp features enable people to spend quality time connecting with friends, family, colleagues, and brands daily. 

This strong engagement makes Rakuten Viber an ideal channel for businesses seeking to forge connections with large audiences.

However, a challenge lies in striking the right balance between promoting brand offerings and maintaining a non-intrusive presence on Rakuten Viber to avoid overwhelming consumers. This article will examine how companies can create meaningful connections on Rakuten Viber while preserving a balanced approach.

Rakuten Viber’s Solutions for Harmonious Messaging Flow

Rakuten Viber collects messages from brands in a Business Inbox, a dedicated folder for brand-client interaction. Users can see it on top of the regular chat list if they have received any business messages, pinned by default. There are no special settings involved for businesses to start using the feature – it is automatically managed by Rakuten Viber to contribute to the balanced approach. By providing an organized and streamlined communication experience, its very existence decreases the risk of consumers being inundated by too much attention.

You can connect with your customers via Rakuten Viber Business Messages — transactional, conversational, and promotional. 

  • Transactional messages contain important information, such as appointment and payment reminders, one-time passwords, booking confirmations, and more. They are considered helpful by an estimated 75% of consumers.
  • Conversational Business Messages involve personal interaction of the company’s support team with customers, 58% of whom consider messaging the quickest way to interact with businesses.
  • Promotional Business Messages are personalized offers welcomed by a striking 72% of users, with 65% more likely to make a purchase on their phones after receiving a sale notification via text. You can integrate your CRM or CDP systems with Business Messages to create laser-targeted campaigns and deliver the most relevant offers to your customers.

The numbers confirm that people are open to receiving such messages and find them useful. You can analyze your audience, take into account their needs, and easily create content that will be welcomed by customers. 

Rakuten Viber Chatbots are yet another way to create a more personalized and non-intrusive communication experience for customers. They are an incredibly convenient communication tool (which is confirmed by 71% of consumers) and, importantly, a quick one. With 82% of users expecting immediate replies to their questions, using Rakuten Viber Chatbots is a must.

Creating Engaging and Smart Rakuten Viber Content

Leveraging rich media, such as images, videos, carousels or stickers, can significantly enhance the user experience with your brand on Rakuten Viber. These visual elements make your content more appealing and help convey your message more effectively. Tell compelling stories with rich media and encourage interaction.

Smart use of rich media content on Rakuten Viber

It's also essential to share relevant and valuable information that resonates with the needs and interests of those who see it. Balance promotional content with informative and helpful pieces, such as industry news, tips, and insights. This approach helps establish your brand as a credible source of information and fosters trust and loyalty.

Segmenting audience and crafting personalized content

One size does not fit all when it comes to engaging people on Rakuten Viber. To ensure your content resonates with different audience segments, consider classifying it based on demographics, interests, behavior, and other factors such as earlier purchases. Then create personalized pieces tailored to each group's preferences and needs. This targeted approach will result in more meaningful engagement and higher conversion rates.

Personalized marketing on Rakuten Viber

Keep people engaged with ongoing, easy-to-follow campaigns

Messaging requires a carefully planned strategy, just like every other channel. A business can effectively utilize Rakuten Viber to augment other marketing efforts and create a truly 360-degree campaign. Here is how you can achieve that:

  1. Utilize Viber Ads, branded Lenses and Stickers to catch consumers’ attention and lead them to an interactive Rakuten Viber Chatbot.
  2. Use chatbot to send personalized offers and pique the person’s interest in specific services or products.
  3. Apply Business Messages to help the consumer make a purchase.
  4. Finally, via post-sales support, ensure the one-time customer becomes a loyal, regular client.
Customer journey on Rakuten Viber

This smart approach allows reaching audiences at each stage of their customer journey in a seamless way, with one step naturally flowing into another.

Prompt customer support

As a business's products or services gain popularity, the workload for its customer support team inevitably increases. It's essential to ensure that their work is well-managed and streamlined. This is how:

  • Train your team to handle possible issues and ensure they are well-versed in your brand's policies and products.
  • Make sure they are readily available to address customer inquiries, concerns, and feedback, and know how to do it through Rakuten Viber.
  • Support the work of your live team with the use of Rakuten Viber Chatbots to offer instant replies to the most frequently asked questions and streamline customer interactions.

By offering prompt and efficient customer support, you can enhance the customer experience and use it as yet another way to strengthen the relationship between your brand and its audience.

Around-sales customer support on Rakuten Viber

Setting Boundaries to Avoid Overwhelming Users

As much as marketers want their brand to be in front of the target audience as frequently as possible, one of the keys to effectively engaging your customers on Rakuten Viber without overwhelming them is setting boundaries on the amount of promotional content sent.

  1. Users can quickly become annoyed or disinterested if they receive too much attention of this kind. That is why finding the right balance between informative, engaging, and promotional material is crucial. Establishing a consistent schedule for your messages can help you achieve this while ensuring that your audience remains interested in what you say.
  2. Another essential aspect of setting boundaries is fostering an environment in which two-way communication is encouraged. This involves actively listening to your customers’ feedback and responding to it accordingly. By allowing consumers to voice their opinions and concerns, you demonstrate that you value their input and are willing to adapt your engagement strategies to suit their needs better. Additionally, respecting feedback and making changes based on it can lead to more satisfied customers who will likely remain engaged with your brand on Rakuten Viber.
  3. Finally, it is crucial to continuously monitor how people respond to your marketing efforts and adjust your strategies as needed. Keeping a close eye on metrics such as open rates, click-through rates, and user feedback will provide valuable insights into how well your current approach works and where improvements can be made. By staying attuned to your audience's preferences and reactions, you can make informed decisions about your messages' frequency, content, and timing. This proactive approach will help you avoid overwhelming consumers.

Effectively engaging your audience on Rakuten Viber without overwhelming them is an achievable goal that can significantly enhance your brand's reach and foster meaningful relationships. By maintaining a balanced approach, creating compelling content, and being mindful of your audience's preferences, you can leverage the power of Viber to connect with people like never before.

Don't let the opportunity to tap into this valuable platform pass you by – start leveraging Rakuten Viber today. If you have any questions or concerns, contact the Rakuten Viber team, who are more than happy to assist you in navigating this thriving communication channel.