Start by getting customers to message you, through Click-to-WhatsApp ads, chat links and QR codes. Collect clear opt-in, then send approved template messages through the WhatsApp Business API to small, relevant segments. Reply fast, follow up for a few days, give an easy opt-out, and judge campaigns by enquiries and sales rather than by messages sent.
Good WhatsApp marketing feels like a helpful conversation, not a blast. The businesses that do it well get customers to start the chat, answer within minutes, and send a few relevant messages to people who asked for them. The WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy supports this: you may message only people who opted in, and every conversation you start must use an approved template.
A simple plan in six steps
- Choose the app or the API. The WhatsApp Business app is fine for a small shop. For campaigns, several salespeople and delivery reports, use the WhatsApp Business API through a provider or CRM.
- Open the doors. Add a WhatsApp chat link or QR code to your website, Google profile, invoices and counter. Run Click-to-WhatsApp ads on Facebook and Instagram, which open a chat with your business instead of a form.
- Collect opt-in. Make it clear the person is opting in to WhatsApp messages from your business by name. Ask separately for updates and for offers.
- Build templates. Write short marketing and utility templates with one clear action, and get them approved. Meta reviews templates and can take up to 24 hours.
- Segment and send. Send to people for whom the message fits: new enquiries this week, past customers due for a service, leads who asked about one product.
- Follow up and measure. Reply to every response quickly, follow up for a few days, then stop. Track enquiries, bookings and sales per campaign.
What to send
| Goal | Example message | Template category |
|---|---|---|
| Reply to a new enquiry | Price list and one qualifying question | Free-form reply inside the 24-hour window |
| Confirm a booking | Date, time, location, reschedule button | Utility |
| Bring back past customers | Service due, festive offer, new launch | Marketing |
| Re-engage old leads | "New units are available. Want the price list?" | Marketing |
Mistakes that hurt results
- Buying lists or adding people who never asked. This brings blocks and reports, and low quality can lead to rate limits.
- Sending the same offer again and again. WhatsApp also caps how many marketing messages each person gets from all businesses.
- No opt-out. Add a "Stop offers" button; the policy says every opt-out must be respected.
- Measuring reads, not revenue. A campaign with fewer replies but more bookings is the better campaign.
- Slow replies. A lead that waits hours often goes cold, and the free 24-hour window for replies closes.
What it costs
On the API, Meta charges per delivered marketing message, by the recipient's country. Chats started from Click-to-WhatsApp ads can be free for up to 7 days if you reply within 24 hours. See Is WhatsApp marketing free? for the details.
How salestrack helps
salestrack brings leads from Meta ads, Click-to-WhatsApp ads, Google Sheets and website forms into one list (see integrations), gives each an owner, and lets your team reply from a shared WhatsApp inbox. Broadcasts go to opted-in segments with the cost shown before you send, follow-up sequences stop when a lead replies, and Meta ads ROI shows which ads bring paying customers.
Related questions
What is WhatsApp marketing?
WhatsApp marketing is using WhatsApp to bring in enquiries, answer them and send offers, reminders and updates to customers who agreed to hear from you. At scale it runs on the WhatsApp Business API with approved templates.
Does WhatsApp marketing work?
It works best when people asked to hear from you and the message is relevant to them. Untargeted blasts get blocked and reported, which lowers your quality and can lead Meta to limit your sending.
How do I send a WhatsApp marketing message?
Create a marketing template, get it approved by Meta, choose an opted-in audience and send it through a tool connected to the WhatsApp Business API. Include a clear call to action and a way to stop offers.
How often should I send WhatsApp marketing messages?
Meta does not set a number for you, but WhatsApp caps how many marketing messages each person receives from all businesses. Send only when you have something useful, and watch blocks and read rates after each campaign.
Can I use the WhatsApp Business app for marketing?
For a small, loyal customer base, yes. App broadcast lists only reach people who saved your number, and WhatsApp warns against bulk messaging from the app, so growing businesses move to the API.
Sources
Checked on 1 November 2026. WhatsApp and Meta change their rules and prices often, so check the source before you rely on a detail.