WhatsApp marketing on the WhatsApp Business Platform
In many markets, buyers prefer a WhatsApp message to a form. That works until dozens of conversations sit on one salesperson’s personal phone. We set it up properly.
Why the WhatsApp Business app stops working for a team
Many businesses start with the free WhatsApp Business app. It suits one person. With a team, it breaks down: conversations live on one number shared by a few devices, nobody can see who answered what, and nothing reaches the CRM. When staff use their personal WhatsApp, the leads leave with them.
The WhatsApp Business Platform, Meta’s API for businesses, solves this. One number, several agents, every thread visible to the team and kept on the lead record. In our unified inbox, WhatsApp threads sit next to Messenger, Instagram, SMS and email on the same lead.
The platform comes with rules the app does not have. Following them is what keeps your number in good standing.
What we set up
Platform access
Meta business verification, the WhatsApp Business account, your number and display name, connected to the inbox.
Click-to-WhatsApp ads
Facebook and Instagram ads that open a chat with a prefilled first message. The conversation arrives tagged with the ad that started it. See Facebook and Instagram ads.
Message templates
Confirmation, reminder, follow-up and campaign templates, written in each language you use and submitted to Meta for approval.
Opt-in capture
A clear opt-in on your forms and in the chat, recorded on the lead with its date and wording.
Quick replies and routing
Saved answers to common questions, and rules that send each new chat to the right person or team.
Tracking to the sale
Conversations, bookings and sales from WhatsApp tied to their source and campaign in revenue attribution.
The rules Meta applies
When a customer messages you, a 24-hour customer service window opens. Inside it, your team can reply freely. Outside it, or to start a conversation yourself, you can only send a message template that Meta has approved.
Meta’s WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy requires opt-in before you send business-initiated messages: the person must have agreed to receive messages from your business on WhatsApp. A phone number typed into a form is not, on its own, that agreement. The opt-in has to say so.
Meta also rates each number on quality. When many people block or report your messages, your sending limits drop and the number can be restricted. Template messages are charged by Meta at rates that depend on the country and the template category; the current rates are on Meta’s pricing page.
How a WhatsApp lead flows
The ad or the button
Someone taps a click-to-WhatsApp ad, or the WhatsApp button on your landing page, and sends the prefilled message.
An instant first reply
An automatic greeting goes out at once with a first qualification question, and a setter picks up the thread.
Qualify and book
The setter answers questions, completes the qualification and books the appointment in the team calendar.
Confirm and remind
Approved templates confirm the booking and remind the person before the day, with a reply to confirm or move.
Follow up the silent ones
Leads who stop replying get a short template sequence, then are left alone. Our guide to WhatsApp follow-up shows how.
Frequently asked questions
Can we send promotions to our whole customer list?
Only to people who opted in to receive messages from you on WhatsApp, and only with approved marketing templates. Sending to everyone whose number you hold invites blocks, reports and a restricted number. We help you collect opt-ins from now on, so the list grows cleanly.
Do we lose our current WhatsApp number?
Not necessarily. A number can usually be moved to the platform, and in some cases kept on the app at the same time. What happens to the chat history depends on the route, so we check your case before moving anything. Some businesses keep the old number for existing customers and use a new one for ads.
How much does WhatsApp cost?
Meta charges for template messages, at rates set by country and template category and published on its pricing page. Your inbox and our work are separate costs, quoted with the project. Replies inside the customer service window are where most of the conversation happens.
Can a chatbot answer for us?
For the first reply and simple questions, yes. Qualifying and booking usually go better with a person, or with a bot that hands over early. Our page on AI agents and chatbots covers what a bot can safely handle.
Do click-to-WhatsApp ads work better than lead forms?
They suit different buyers. A chat feels lighter than a form, so more people start one, and some of them are only curious. A form filters more. Run both and compare them on booked appointments: that is the only fair test.
Last updated · By the Napexy team
Keep reading
Tell us where you want to grow.
A 30-minute call with a strategist. You get a plan in plain words and a fixed quote, whether or not you work with us.