It has been more than a year since The Costa Rica Star reported on the gruesome murder of a woman in Guanacaste who died at the hands of her jilted lover. The killer confessed to the homicide by posting messages on WhatsApp, an instant messaging platform with social networking features that has become as popular as Facebook in Costa Rica. Media reports of that ghastly incident raised popularity and awareness of WhatsApp, and now marketers are trying to figure out how to use this network to their advantage.

 

The Costa Rica Star has been reconsidering its social media strategy; to this end, we’ve been getting advice from Philip Mack, author of the Success Guide to Pinterest Marketing and the Success Guide to Twitter Marketing. We have also published a couple of articles that feature Mr. Mack’s advice on social media marketing, and they have been very popular. Mr. Mack has been looking at how marketers use social networks in Costa Rica, and he believes WhatsApp could be the next big push in that regard.

 

The following interview took place via Skype chat, although using WhatsApp would have been more appropriate.

 

The Costa Rica Star (TCS): Did you know that the WhatsApp homicide confession was a copycat?

 

Philip Mack (PM): Yes, we had a similar case in Miami of a man who confessed to murder on Facebook and even posted pictures of his dead wife.

 

TCS: And then, in a strange twist, Facebook bought WhatsApp for a lot of money.

 

PM: $19 billion. Since the acquisition, the WhatsApp user base has grown considerably and it may reach three billion users globally.

 

TCS: And now marketers are really paying attention.

 

PM: Yes, we see that happening with limited success. However, the best case studies I have seen thus far are in Costa Rica.

 

TCS: But Facebook is all about advertising. There’s so much of it… This has resulted in users leaving the network. Could WhatsApp be next?

 

PM: There’s no indication of that happening at this point. Mark Zuckerberg seems to have different plans for WhatsApp that do not involve advertising. You have to understand that some social networks are better than others in terms of marketing, and WhatsApp is not a native platform for this.

 

TCS: But it has marketing potential in Costa Rica?

 

PM: It has a lot of potential if you leverage the network correctly. The two great examples I have seen are a wireless service providers and a radio station. Can I mention them?

 

TCS: By all means, please.

 

PM: But first you have to remember to be careful on how you approach WhatsApp for marketing. It is not at all like Facebook, where your privacy is reduced. We have seen brands trying to intrude upon WhatsApp, which is a closed proprietary messaging platform and not an open social network. Such intrusions involve mass SMS marketing, which could result in your brand being derided on WhatsApp. The two brands I have studied in Costa Rica are not intrusive at all.

 

TCS: Ok then, tell us about them.

 

PM: Movistar and radio station 107.5 FM. As we all know, Movistar is a very strong mobile brand, and it is offering free WhatsApp service to clients who are on their prepaid business model. We also know that WhatsApp is not free; at some point you have to pay for the app and then there’s the use of wireless broadband to support the service, unless you can get an open WiFi signal.

 

TCS: That is the way many people try to use WhatsApp in Costa Rica: Almost exclusively on WiFi freebies.

 

PM: Not just in Costa Rica. In Miami we have lots of smartphone users who roam from one Starbucks to another, and then they’re off to public libraries and other spots where they can take advantage of the open WiFi signal. Back to Movistar, they offer free WhatsApp service for seven days and 21 MB of traffic, which I guess means that the company meters wireless broadband use and channels it to the app. You have to make a prepaid purchase in the amount of 2,000 colones, how much is that?

 

TCS: About $3.70 at today’s exchange rate.

 

PM: So that seems to be a good deal if you are a WhatsApp user. Movistar has your number already, and they can entice you with SMS marketing outside of WhatsApp. This is a pretty good example of how leveraged marketing should work; whereby you provide a benefit, produce revenue and leave the door open for future promotions.

 

TCS: And what about the radio station? It is called “Yeah,” and it follows a Top 40 and EDM format.

 

PM: So here we have a marketing strategy that most people are familiar with and enjoy: Radio station giveaways. This station in particular uses WhatsApp to invite listeners to participate and to notify them of contest results. It is brilliant because it appeals to the demographic and they are acquiring followers to join the station’s social circle. And you know what this means? Listeners who are willing to give you their WhatsApp ID will probably enjoy engagement from you. This station could send reminders about a certain show coming up, a or a new song, or a contest, or a promo… There are many possibilities, and this is not unsolicited SMS marketing at all.

 

TCS: Thanks for your time.