Veni, Vidi, Vici or How Viber Can Help Brands Conquer the World

5 min read

Reputation is the opinion that people have about what somebody/something is like, based on what has happened in the past.

Oxford Dictionary


What comes to your mind when somebody brings up Richard Nixon? The man is not a role model by any stretch of the imagination — especially in the United States. At the same time, even if you’re not American, you probably know John F. Kennedy as a wise reformist and inspiring peacemaker. That’s how reputation works.

The Friedman doctrine states that the purpose of any business is to maximise profit. And most business-minded people agree with that. Taking the shareholder theory at face value, how should reputation serve that goal? Businesses with a good reputation make greater profits. For instance, Harvard researchers have determined that higher star ratings on Yelp predict higher revenue.

For both individuals and businesses, one fundamental truth exists: reputation is what others think about you, so it’s shaped by communication. The way you interact with your customers directly correlates with loyalty. 40% of users will go to the competitor after a bad mobile experience. That’s why selecting the proper channels and developing well-orchestrated communication comes to the fore.

In this article, we will learn how Viber as a reliable communication channel can boost your brand’s reputation and fulfil the Friedman doctrine.

Though many people think engaging people through Viber means sending regular private messages individually to consumers, this approach will not get you really far.

But Viber is much more than just messaging. Its robust suite of communication and marketing features make it a solid choice for shaping up a brand’s reputation and improving sales conversions. But how do you use it right?


1. Leverage trust

In 2020, the global mobile messaging app market had 1.7 billion users. According to the Global Mobile Messaging Apps Industry report, the market is projected to reach a revised size of 2.7 billion by 2027, growing at a CAGR of 6.9% over 2020-2027. Such dramatic growth creates opportunities for a positive and even more diverse user experience while simultaneously opening room for new malware types. And Viber is known for its high security standards — one of the reasons why 98% of Ukrainians trust it.

But how can a brand leverage people’s trust on Viber? The answer is a verified Viber business account. Users are assured that they are communicating with a trusted brand when your channel has a Viber service name, Viber ID, logo, and the business’ info (contacts information, address, etc). On top of that, an authorised account is always marked with a blue tick. Marvel, Tesla, Rozetka, Nike, Metro — all these companies use only verified business accounts. Any doubts? Pick up your phone and check them out!

Verified Viber accounts how viber can help brands
Verified Viber accounts

2. Give them convenience

Nearly two-thirds of consumers — 69% — prefer communicating with brands over text messages rather than calls. Several factors contribute to such statistics:

  • Firstly, people feel more comfortable while communicating via text, not calls. You have more time to verbalise an idea — no pressure.
  • Secondly, text messages in combination with images are visual content. Hubspot reports that people following directions with text and illustrations do 323% better than people following directions without illustrations.
  • All the correspondence is stored in a Viber account, so you can reread the instructions when the same or similar issue appears.


Additionally, 90% of people would rather talk to an employee than an automated bot or an answering machine. For instance, Ukrainian web banking service Monobank understands that very well: its clients have an opportunity to communicate with the bank’s support team via Viber messages. That means practically all the requests are addressed correctly and can be answered in the shortest possible time.


3. Greater personalisation

According to Salesforce, 73% of consumers expect companies to understand their needs and expectations. These statistics are true for all generations but are especially relevant for millennials. Only 47% of customers say companies live up to these expectations, signalling ample room for improvement.

How to personalise your Viber communication:

  • Accurately select the target audience for your advertising. 68% of users don’t mind receiving ads if they are not annoying. Not annoying means appealing.
  • Don’t be spammy and offer real value. Let’s suppose you are an online clothing shop. A lot of people are keen to revamp their closets in winter. Use Viber ads and your verified channel to offer down jackets and winter shoes for existing and potential buyers. Your target audience will surely appreciate this move.
  • Use transactional messages to add more flavours. Did the customer forget to wrap up the purchase? Not a problem at all — send them a kind reminder on Viber while moving them down the funnel.


Senior Partnerships Account Director at Rakuten Viber Noa Bar Shay underlines that the trend towards sincerity in communication is a sign of new times: given the market oversaturation and a change in priorities, brand reputation is now more important than ever to customers.


4. Crafting smart marketing with micro-moments

A micro-moment is an intent-rich interaction with a smart device. Instead of browsing, the user is going to their device with a specific want or need.

Crafting smart marketing with micro-moments how viber can help brands

How can you take advantage of these as a Viber marketer?

  • Be helpful! Geofencing is something that can help you. Send your customer a discount code via Viber while they pass within the radius of the geofencing. They might not think to visit you that day, but a timely delivered offer can make them yield to temptation.
  • Be Consistent! According to a study by Google, 75% of adults aged 18-45 will start their purchase journey on one device and end it on another or even in person. A great way to connect the dots is with offer codes — give an offer code for a discount in your Viber campaign and then track how the code is used. This will help direct your marketing efforts in the future.


5. The power of community

Fostering a community around your products can help your customers build an emotional relationship with your brand. Brands such as Tesla, Nike, or Apple have highly engaged communities lining up to give them money literally for any new product they release. Create your community on Viber and spread the word to gather your fans on it. To better communicate about your brand, animate the community with news, updates, quizzes, and polls. See and measure your fans reactions to messages, videos, or pictures. Besides, Viber communities are searchable and shareable by default. This can create help create an even more engaged community of superfans.


Now, you see that reputation leans on three pillars: excellent service, delighted customers, and well-orchestrated communication. This combination will undoubtedly contribute to fulfilling the Friedman doctrine mentioned at the beginning of this article. And to get the best possible result, we recommend delegating the communication task to professionals. For instance, GMS helped the Fishka Loyalty Programme and its filling station partner OKKO increase turnover through the OKKO PAY service by FISHKA by 40%. Let our trusted experts show you how to get maximum results out of your Viber communications!

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