For seven years WhatsApp has been completely free to use, with not even a hint of an ad getting in the way of using the service.
When Facebook purchased WhatsApp for $22 billion three years ago it signaled that they believed there was enormous revenue potential from the platform. But still WhatsApp remained 100% free to use for its 1 billion regular users.
But are 22 billion reasons why WhatsApp couldn't stay as it is forever, and at last things have started to change. It's been announced that Facebook are running a pilot of a paid for business service called 'WhatsApp for Business'. That means Facebook have decided the cash cow known as WhatsApp has been languishing in the pasture for too long, and they are about to start furiously milking it for all it's worth.
For us marketers the opportunity to communicate with up to a billion potential customers via a platform they know and love is pretty exciting, and one that a lot of businesses will no doubt pay for - but what will WhatsApp for Business offer us? No-one's giving anything away at the moment, the only hint we have is that WhatsApp for Business is 'designed to help companies with 10 or less employees manage their clients more easily'.
But based on some evidence of the way Facebook has worked on similar products we can make some educated guesses about what the new platform will offer.
Here are five features we can expect to see as WhatsApp moves further into monetization.
1. Powering Chatbots
Facebook Messenger currently allows companies to use chatbots for all sorts of handy functions - from taking orders for products to pointing users to helpful blog content.
It's easy to see WhatsApp adopting similar, with WhatsApp users being served prompts to talk to a brand's chatbot after discussing a product or a particular pain point in a chat with a friend.
Facebook's slowly integrating this more responsive type of experience into Messenger, via M suggestions, and it's a fairly safe bet that they'll use the lessons learned to add similar into WhatsApp.
2. Sponsored messages to users
Brands would love the chance to start chats with potential consumers on WhatsApp. This would basically be cold calling (or should I say 'cold WhatsApping') and may risk annoying a big chunk of the apps' users. But we do know that users will have the ability to block a brand or business on WhatsApp for Business.
That might give Facebook just about enough of an excuse to start charging brands big money in order to send out millions of targeted messages via the platform
3. Hooking Up To Facebook Workplace
A branded WhatsApp environment could also appeal to a business in order to assist with internal communications.
WhatsApp groups famously can't be monitored from anyone who's not involved with them, but if there were a space where bosses could monitor their employees conversations on company WhatsApp groups, it might hold significant appeal as a workplace tool.
In integrated WhatsApp for Business might even give a boost to Facebook's somewhat underperforming Workplace platform.
4. Twitter destroyer
Businesses use Twitter to disseminate information and to provide customer service. It's easy to see how WhatsApp for Business could blow Twitter out of the water in both regards.
In terms of getting information, let's say you were connected to your neighbourhood café on WhatsApp. It's easy to imagine getting WhatsApped photos and videos of the day's menu by the café first thing in the morning - you could then reply with your coffee order so it was waiting for you as you swing by the cafe on your way to work.
In terms of being used as a customer service tool, Twitter's a brilliant platform for those who don't want to use a phone, or who spend a lot of time on Twitter already. Being able to tweet back and forth with your bank or energy supplier makes them seem much more human and much more helpful - but a chat over WhatsApp - a platform associated very strongly with conversations with friends and family - could be even more casual and approachable.
Imagine talking to a bank's customer service team over WhatsApp. That sort of 'cosy' conversation would bring customers closer to the brand, and brands closer to the customers. Against that sort of emotional pull, it's not hard to imagine Twitter could struggle to maintain its position as the go to place to provide customer service.
5. User Generated Content collector
Currently news networks like the BBC use WhatsApp to collect information, photos and video from the public on breaking news stories. Given this, it's not much of a leap to imagine WhatsApp being used as a channel for businesses to also collect user-generated content.
From unboxing videos, to recipes being tried out, to collecting testimonials, WhatsApp's association with informality could again encourage people to interact with brands as if they were friends or family.
Given it's scale, there's a heap of potential in WhatsApp for Business. It'll take some getting used to, for sure, but the pre-existing habitual use of the app will no doubt help in making it an attractive, helpful business tool.