Exploring WhatsApp Communities in 2024 – A Comprehensive Guide

Welcome to the ultimate one-stop guide to WhatsApp Communities! Whether you’re curious to learn what WhatsApp Communities are, how they’re different from WhatsApp groups, how to join them, or the benefits they offer, this detailed blog has got you covered.

Meta-owned WhatsApp officially launched WhatsApp communities in November 2023 globally, and since then this new feature has attracted a lot of attention from users.

Having browsed through several discussion threads online, here are people’s first impressions of this new feature.

Interesting, isn’t it?

Despite any initial skepticism, recent polls conducted in our community of Facebook group admins reveal a significant trend. Today, over 80% of Facebook group admins have embraced WhatsApp Communities as a means to connect with their members.

With all the excitement surrounding this new feature, let’s dive right in and explore everything there is to know about WhatsApp Communities.

What are WhatsApp Communities? 

WhatsApp Communities are an excellent way to unite members of different groups and bring them together under one roof.

For instance, you are a school teacher who communicates with parents of different classes through WhatsApp groups. By creating a WhatsApp community, you can merge these groups and effortlessly share common updates with all members.

Beyond schools, whatsapp communities can be used in different scenarios, like housing societies, across different departments in an organization, among others.

Additionally, Facebook group admins leverage WhatsApp communities to engage with their members and share important announcements, updates and information.

                                                                                           Source: WhatsApp

How do WhatsApp Communities work?

Communities on WhatsApp consist of admins and group members. While admins are responsible for creating and managing a community, users decide who can add them.

Admins can add up to 5000 members, including 50 groups in a community, and even have the ability to unlink any groups or remove individual members, if needed.

Members, on the other hand, can easily report abuse, block accounts, and even exit communities they don’t wish to be a part of. Just like WhatsApp groups, they can silently leave a community, without any members being notified.

Different types of communities in WhatsApp 

Open WhatsApp Communities
These communities allow admins to freely send messages and interact with each other and the admins. Members can join automatically without needing approval from admins. Open communities facilitate focused discussions on important topics, with members able to easily switch between group chats within the community.

Closed WhatsApp Communities
Closed communities require approval from admins for members to join. Admins have full control over who is allowed into the community. Only admins can send messages in closed communities and members are unable to do so. Closed communities are often used for sharing updates, making important announcements, and other administrative purposes.

PS. All messages on WhatsApp are protected with end-to-end encryption so that only the people who’re a part of a community can see them. This security protects sensitive conversations among organizations, workplaces, and private groups. Additionally, members’ phone numbers are hidden from the community at large and only visible to community admins and others in the same group.

WhatsApp Communities vs Group

While they sound conceptually similar, WhatsApp Communities and WhatsApp Groups have some significant differences, and we’ve listed them below.

The decision to create a whatsapp group or a whatsapp community depends on your objectives.

Choose WhatsApp Communities if you’re looking to connect a wide range of people, facilitate cross-group interactions and decentralized conversations.

WhatsApp Groups, on the other hand, are ideal if you need focused and structured discussions.  They’re well suited for project collaborations and focused interest groups.

How to use WhatsApp Communities? 

To get started with communities in WhatsApp, you should realize the goal of your community and what you wish to accomplish with it.

Once you have a concrete idea about that, go ahead and set up your whatsapp community.

The steps for setting up are pretty similar for both Android and iPhone users, so here you go.

1. Download the personal WhatsApp messenger on your device, in case you don’t have it.
2. Tap on the ‘new communities’ tab at the bottom and click on “Start your community”.
3. Enter your community’s basic details like – name, description and a photo. For the name, you must have 100 or fewer characters. And, for the description – there’s a default description that appears. Make sure to customize it. As for the community photo, you can upload it from your mobile or browse the internet for a relevant one.
4. You have an all-new community where you can add groups. To add that, click on the “Add group” button at the bottom of the screen. You can create a new group or choose to add an existing one.

   

5. After you’ve successfully added groups to your newly created community, go ahead and invite members that you would like to. For the same, tap on the three dots on the top right and select community info. Here you’ll see the option to invite people – click on it and you’ll get access to the invitation link.
   

Share this invite link and paste it on other platforms.

Once you’re in a community, you can easily switch between groups to get the information you need when you need it, and admins can send important updates to everyone in the community.

Additionally, admins can also use communities for engaging with members, supporting them one-on-one by replying to their queries in real-time, sharing important updates and resources, planning and organizing events, among other things.

Check out how admins are leveraging WhatsApp Communities.

“With Communities, we’re aiming to raise the bar for how organizations communicate with a level of privacy and security not found anywhere else. The alternatives available today require trusting apps or software companies with a copy of their messages – and we think they deserve the higher level of security provided by end-to-end encryption.” – Meta.

How can WhatsApp Communities help businesses?

WhatsApp Communities are crucial for businesses as they enable you to connect with your audience and drive business growth through meaningful interactions.

Let’s look at the different ways communities on whatsapp can help businesses, starting with increased engagement.

• Boost engagement with target audience 

A whatsapp community for your business connects people who are interested in your products and offerings. Through these communities, you can engage with your target customers in a more direct and personalized way which is otherwise not possible through any social media platform.

Moreover, you can respond to them in real-time and address their queries promptly, fostering a sense of satisfaction and belonging amongst your members. When members feel heard in a space, they tend to gravitate towards it and are likely to engage, resulting in increased engagement.

• Enhance customer support 

WhatsApp communities are unmatched when it comes to delivering exceptional customer support. You can swiftly address member queries, troubleshoot issues, and offer assistance in real-time, cultivating positive and seamless customer experiences.

• Gather customer feedback

Your customers are constantly talking in communities, sharing their opinions and feedback on different products. In essence, you’re sitting on a goldmine of conversations, aka treasure trove of valuable insights.

As a business owner, listen to what your customers are saying, understand their pain points and interests to derive meaningful insights. You can even host polls and share surveys to gather feedback, empowering you to make informed decisions and improve your products and services.

• Establish a loyal following 

As we know, whatsapp communities allow businesses to connect with their TG on a more personal level. By sharing relevant content, fostering discussions, and building relationships with group members, businesses can not only build customer loyalty but also strengthen their brand reputation.

• Build a community

WhatsApp communities help businesses cultivate a strong community around their brand. By creating a space where customers can interact with each other, share experiences, and connect with the brand, businesses can foster a sense of belonging and community among their customers.

Now that we’ve established what purpose WhatsApp communities serve for businesses, let’s have a look at the different use cases of WhatsApp communities for businesses.

5 no-brainer use cases of WhatsApp Communities for Businesses 

• Announcements & Updates 

Released a new product or updated your current one? Send out notifications to your customer base via whatsapp communities and alert all members instantly by creating “announcements”.

• Promotions

Leverage whatsapp communities to notify your customers about upcoming promotions, discounts, and deals, enabling them to make the most of it.

• Events 

Easily organize events across different cities you’re present in and keep your members updated within communities.

• Customer Support 

Businesses can use WhatsApp groups to provide customer support, addressing inquiries, troubleshooting issues, and resolving customer concerns in real-time.

• Employee Communication

In addition to customer-facing use cases, WhatsApp communities can also be used for internal communication among employees, teams, or departments within a business, facilitating collaboration, sharing updates, and fostering a sense of unity and teamwork.

WhatsApp Communities FAQs 

What is the benefit of WhatsApp Communities? 

Communities on WhatsApp are a great way to connect with your audience, learn about their interests and pain points, derive actionable business insights, and achieve your objectives.

You can not only boost engagement with your target audience, but also offer a seamless customer support experience.

When you connect with your TG on a personal level, you can easily build relationships with them whilst creating a loyal following and fostering a sense of community amongst members.

Can anyone join WhatsApp Community? 

As an admin, you can invite people to join a WhatsApp Community via an invite link, and anyone who has access to that link can join the community.

While it’s on the admins to approve members in private communities on whatsapp, anyone with the invite link can join open whatsapp communities without admin’s approval.

PS. Make sure to share the invite link with only those people whom you trust.

Are WhatsApp Communities safe? 

Yes, whatsapp communities are safe when managed properly. However, there are potential risks to consider:

Spam and Unsolicited Messages: Without proper moderation, WhatsApp communities can become targets for spam, unsolicited messages, and unwanted content, leading to a poor user experience and potential security risks.

Security Vulnerabilities: While WhatsApp offers end-to-end encryption for messages, there have been instances of security vulnerabilities and breaches in the past, highlighting the importance of staying vigilant and keeping the app updated.

Misinformation and Fake News: WhatsApp communities can be breeding grounds for misinformation, rumors, and fake news, which can spread rapidly and cause harm if not addressed promptly.

To mitigate these risks and ensure the safety of WhatsApp communities, businesses and community admins should:

• Set clear guidelines and enforce rules from time to time
• Moderate group activity and content to prevent spam and inappropriate behavior
• Educate members about privacy settings and the importance of safeguarding personal information
• Encourage members to report suspicious activity or content to admins
• Regularly update the WhatsApp app to patch security vulnerabilities
• Stay informed about the latest security threats and best practices for online safety
• By implementing these measures, businesses can create a safer and more secure environment fostering trust, engagement, and positive interactions among members.

What are the disadvantages of WhatsApp Communities? 

While WhatsApp communities offer several benefits, there are certain shortcomings associated with it.

Member limit: You can only invite 5000 members and up to 50 groups. For businesses looking to target more people, they’d have to create multiple communities.

Concern over misinformation and privacy: WhatsApp is another free, semi-private platform that allows larger groups of people to collaborate online without much security or moderation. This makes it easier for people to spread hate, problematic content, misinformation, and for data privacy – especially since a large portion of users use it as their daily text messaging platform.

WhatsApp Community List 

Here’s a list of some of the highly engaged WhatsApp Communities across different categories, tailored to meet your needs and interests.

Leverage WhatsApp Communities for your brand

Today, communities on WhatsApp are emerging as powerful platforms for brands to forge meaningful connections with their TG, share updates, and cultivate engaging spaces.

And for community admins, it’s an excellent opportunity to connect with members 1:1 and engage in real-time. In fact, some of them have managed to monetize these communities through Convosight by collaborating with relevant brands for purpose-led marketing campaigns.

If you too own a WhatsApp Community and would like to earn from it, GET IN TOUCH with us, and we’ll reach out to you! 🙂

Simran Grover

Creating value in the lives of others with my content, little by little.✨

Working at Convosight, I do more than just wrangle commas. I’m passionate about innovating new ways to create super valuable and actionable content about Communities and Community Marketing at large, and sharing it with the right audience.
I also happen to manage a global community of power admins on Facebook, and that’s where most of my learnings come from.

Do check out my latest blogs and feel free to share them! 💛