We share a few tips to help optimize your Viber campaign for maximum impact and engagement, including choosing the right rich content formats, whitelisting your content, and setting up SMS fallback.
Viber is one of the most popular messaging apps in the world. Users of the popular instant messaging app exchange billions of messages every day. Some of the top markets for Viber include the Philippines, Vietnam, Hungary, Greece, Bulgaria, Serbia, and Croatia.
According to a recent report by Viber, there are over 20,000 brands worldwide using Viber business messaging to communicate with their customers using rich content such as files, videos, and images.
So, how do you make the most of Viber for your marketing or customer service efforts?
If you’ve been considering sending business messages via Viber, we’ve got six actionable tips on how to use Viber for business the right way.
1. Make a strong first impression with your Viber business account
You only get one chance to make a first impression. In business messaging, that first touchpoint can make or break the customer relationship. If your opening text feels spammy or unprofessional, customers may block your Viber business message account right away. Hence, it’s extremely important to make sure everything is on point.Treat your business profile like your storefront. Always set the right brand name and upload your logo to your Viber business profile. You can also share additional contact information and your website’s URL, creating a mini home page for your customers. It needs to look credible so that it invites meaningful connections.
By partnering with a service provider like Messente, you can get started easily with the registration of your Viber Sender ID via our dashboard.
Pro tip: Once your first message gets accepted by a customer, your brand’s block rate goes down. Always request a demo and do a test run before rolling out your Viber business campaign.
2. Use the right content formats to boost engagement
Viber supports rich messaging, which means you’re not limited to plain text when sending out promotional messages.
With Viber’s rich messaging capabilities, you can engage with your customers by sending coupons, custom offers, invoices, booking reminders, and other enticing content.
However, formatting matters. If your files or images don’t meet Viber’s supported specifications, your message might not go through. Or worse, it could look broken on the recipient’s screen, leaving a horrible impression on them.
Here’s a list of file formats currently supported by Viber:
Files: .doc, .docx, .rtf, .dot, .dotx, .odt ,odf, .fodt, .txt, .info, .pdf, .xps, .pdax, .eps, .xls, .xlsx, .ods, .fods, .csv, .xlsm, .xltx
Images: .jpg, .jpeg, .png, .bmp, .gif, .svg, .webp
Videos: .3gp, .m4v, .mov, .mp4
And don’t forget: personalization goes a long way. Tailor the message with the customer’s name, location, or preferences to further boost customer engagement.
One way to check what your message might look like on the recipient’s device is to preview your message before you send it. Here’s how you can do it via Messente’s Viber dashboard.
3. Get your content approved through Rakuten Viber’s guidelines
Viber has very strict policies when it comes to opt-ins and message content. But don’t worry. You don’t need to go through the daunting approval process all by yourself.
As an official partner of Rakuten Viber, Messente does the heavy lifting for you. We help get your Viber business account approved and streamline the setup so you can start sending business messages as quickly as possible.
In some countries, such as Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia, pre-approved message templates are required. But if you’re using Messente’s omnichannel messaging platform, you can hit the ground running with these formats:
Text only
Text + Button
Text + Button + Image
Image only
It’s simple, powerful, and built for high-volume teams that don’t want to deal with tech headaches.
4. Always have a backup plan ready
Even if your business targets regions with high Viber penetration, not every customer may have Viber installed. Or, sometimes, a user’s device might block your message with no explanation whatsoever.
Imagine an important registration OTP meant for a new user trying to sign up for your service fails to reach them via Viber. The user won’t be able to register themselves, which means you lose a paying customer. That’s a direct loss of revenue!
That’s why fallback channels aren’t just a nice-to-have but an essential. Having fallback options means fewer undelivered messages and, thus, fewer lost conversions.
With Messente’s omnichannel API, fallback is automatic. If a Viber message can’t be delivered, the system seamlessly switches to SMS. If you’ve opted for fallback, you won’t need to set up any complex workflows manually or stay guessing who received what.
One thing to remember when setting up fallback messages is that rich messages might not always convert properly to their plaintext SMS versions. Therefore, it is a good idea to set a modified, SMS-friendly version of your message for cases where your fallback mechanism might kick in.
5. Don’t leave customers hanging: Use auto-replies and chat links
When using a messaging channel like Viber for customer communication, you don’t have to stick only to outbound campaigns. Viber is also great for conversational messages.
However, when it comes to two-way messaging, it’s important to remember that customers expect quick replies.
To avoid leaving your audience waiting too long, Viber gives you the option to set up auto-replies via third-party plugins. Automated replies are a great way to keep your customers engaged and keep conversations going even after business hours. You can share contact alternatives, reiterate your working hours, or redirect people using chat links to relevant resources or landing pages.
6. Optimize costs with session-based pricing and delivery transparency
If your customer initiates a conversation with your business on Viber, it will turn into a “session” after your first response.
Each session can cover up to 60 messages within a 24-hour period. Instead of paying per message, you’re billed once per session. This will allow your business to send and receive multiple messages at a fixed per-session price. It is ideal for customer support, order updates, or any other kind of conversational messaging.
By using a platform like Messente’s Viber messaging channel, you also get full transparency on what’s being delivered, what failed, and where things might be going wrong.
Our delivery reports and statistics dashboard can help you understand performance across your Viber campaigns so you can start working on any improvement required right away.
Why choose Messente for Viber business messaging
If you’re already sending high volumes of business messages or are planning to, you’d want your Viber campaign to run as smoothly as possible. That’s where Messente stands out.
Here’s what you get when using Viber through Messente.
Omnichannel API: One integration for all channels. Viber, SMS, and WhatsApp in a single unified API.
Fast support: Our team gets back to you in under an hour. If you run into a problem, you won’t have to go days waiting for help.
Built-in fallback: Viber message not going through? The system automatically switches to SMS. No extra work required.
Dashboard and API: You can choose what works better for you. Non-technical teams can launch Viber campaigns directly from the dashboard. Developers can use the API.
High deliverability: We work with you to register your business where needed, help you avoid content issues, and optimize for reach.
No surprise fees: Unlike some providers, we’re transparent with our pricing. You won’t have any unexpected costs creeping up on you later on.
Whether you’re sending OTPs, running promotional campaigns, or delivering customer service updates, Messente makes it easier to connect and convert through Viber for business.
Start sending rich content with Viber today
Given that the app has over 1 billion users worldwide, using Viber for business messaging can effectively address all your brand’s communication needs, including conversational, promotional, and transactional messages. When paired with rich content, flexible pricing, and a reliable fallback like SMS, Viber becomes a powerful channel for business.
If you’re looking for a smart and cost-effective way to run your marketing or customer service messaging, sign up for Messente’s Viber business messages service today.
