Marketing messages for the WhatsApp Business App are here: This is how it works

If you're interested in using WhatsApp for marketing, then WhatsApp's latest feature is probably interesting for you. WhatsApp launched marketing messages for the WhatsApp Business App. We'll take a closer look at the new marketing option for businesses.

From WhatsApp broadcast to WhatsApp channels to WhatsApp marketing notifications: It can be hard to keep up with WhatsApp's ever evolving messaging features for businesses. Now, there's a new one you can add to the list: WhatsApp marketing messages. 

It's the latest addition to the WhatsApp Business App, and allows businesses to send out more targeted one-on-one marketing messages. 

What are marketing messages on the WhatsApp Business App?

Essentially, the new marketing messages on the WhatsApp Business App allow you to combine targeting with bulk messaging on WhatsApp Business. With the new messaging tool, you can send out customized one-to-many marketing notifications that end up in the users' personal inbox.

What makes these marketing messages so interesting is that it gives you new ways to create recipient lists, personalize your message by including each customer's name, schedule them, and thus send more targeted messages to (potential) customers.

You can use the marketing messages to send: 

• information about a new product
• special offers
• appointment reminders
• thank you messages
• feedback requests
• ...

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How much do marketing messages cost?

Unlike WhatsApp broadcasts, the marketing messages are not free of charge. Businesses have to pay for each sent message that's delivered to a contact within five days of it being sent. 

The prices depend on the country code of the recipient's phone number. 

For example:

• For India, the cost for a marketing message is 0.00914 US Dollars.
• For Indonesia, it's 0.0378 US dollars.
• For the UK, the cost is 0.065 US dollars.
• For the US and Canada, a message costs 0.023 US dollars.
• South Africa: 0.035 US dollars.
• UAE: 0.031 US dollars.

You can find the complete pricing list here. 

In order to pay for these messages, you need to add a payment method to your WhatsApp Business account, and have some funds available. WhatsApp will first reserve the amount for the messages you send out, but will ultimately only charge for delivered messages.

How to send marketing messages on WhatsApp Business in six steps

1. Add a media file to your message

When you open app the marketing message category on your Business App, tap "get started". Now, you can create a message by first adding a media file to your message. This can be a photo or video. 

You can add the media from your media library on your device, from your WhatsApp product catalog, from a recently shared media file, or from your archived statuses. 

Simply tap "insert" to add the media you want to use for the message, and then go to "next step".

2. Add text to your message

The second step is to add a message to your marketing message by tapping "add text". You can customize this step by inserting the field "receiver name". This adds a variable to your message that will automatically display as the recipient's first name when they open your message.

Once you finished the text, you can move to the "next step". 

3. Add a button to your message

Aside from a video or image and text, you can also include a call-to-action button in your marketing messages, such as: 

• view catalog (this'll take users to a specific item)
• tap to reply (allows users to reply directly to your message)
• phone call
• website (here, you can add a link that leads users directly to a landing page of your choice)

When you finalized your CTA button, tap "choose receivers". 

4. Select receivers

You can decide who to send your marketing message to. Recipients can be anybody in your contacts or users in existing broadcast lists. 

In addition, there are also smart lists and labels. 

Smart lists are pre-set contacts that: 

• you've recently chatted with
• you haven't been in touch with for 30 days
• have recently received a message for you

These smart lists are automatically generated by the app. Labels will automatically select users that you have attached labels to.

Of course, you can also individually pick contacts to send a given message to. 

Once you've selected your audience, you can review and send or schedule your message. 

5. Schedule your message 

Once you set up your message, you can choose to send a message right a way or schedule it by selecting "When", "send later", and then choosing a time and date. 

Note: The messages will only be sent if your device is connected to the internet at the scheduled time. If you're online, the app will try to send your message after one minute, and then every ten minutes up to ten times. 

6. Pay for your messages

In a final step, WhatsApp will charge you for the delivered messages. 

What are the message limits for marketing messages on the WhatsApp Business App?

As a general rule, you can send a message to up to 500 receivers, and as many as 1,000 messages within any 30-day period. 

Once you reach that limit, you have to wait until a new time period starts to send out more marketing messages.

Keep in mind that users will be able to report these messages as spam, and WhatsApp might suspend businesses from sending these types of promotional messages if there's a lot of negative feedback. 

It's also your business's responsibility to disclose all data and information processes (privacy policies, labeling marketing messages), and make sure that recipients give you all legally required consents (like the double opt-in), as well as stop sending out marketing messages when a user opts out of them. 

What insights do I get into my campaigns? 

The marketing messages on the WhatsApp Business app have a few analytics tools. You can track: 

• how many messages were read (only for users that have this feature enabled)
• reply rate
• taps on your CTA button

Where are marketing messages for WhatsApp Business available?

Marketing messages on the WhatsApp Business App aren't available to all businesses and in all countries yet. WhatsApp has just started rolling out the feature a few weeks ago in select countries, such as Indonesia and Peru. 

Even in the countries where the feature is first available, it might not immediately be available to all Business App users. 

You can check if the feature is available to you by going to your business features, and see if the new "Marketing Messages" are visible. 

Are there companies that can't use the feature?

Yes. For certain industries, such as pharmacies, alcohol, and gambling, there are restrictions on the type of products and services they are allowed to promote on WhatsApp. This includes sending out promotional messages.

Make sure to read WhatsApp's commerce policy for specific guidelines.

🔥Tip: If you fall into one of these categories, make sure to check out Telegram's bulk messages as a WhatsApp alternative!

Limitations and disadvantages of marketing messages

Compared to WhatsApp Broadcast, marketing messages offer more functions and possibilities for companies. But there are also disadvantages. 

Limited features

Although the marketing messages already offer more options than WhatsApp broadcasts, such as scheduling messages or personalizing the first name, this is neither here nor there if you want to get serious about WhatsApp marketing. 

Because there's also a lot of important functionalities that you don't get, such as: 

• No automation: neither chatbots nor templates are possible, so you still have to create each message individually, and you can't have a bot answer incoming questions or deploy follow-up notifications
• Limited personalization: as you can't integrate CRM or helpdesk systems, there's little personalization possible besides the first name. If you wanted to add a variable to insert a customer's previous purchase, it's not possible. If you wanted to send out campaigns to customers who clicked on a certain ad, it's not possible. 
• Limited targeting: Even though there are some ways to build target groups easier, it's still very basic. You can't build target groups based on previous reactions or responses to campaigns, for instance or based on customers that clicked on your CTA buttons. 
• Not data compliant. The marketing messages are a smartphone feature, and come with the same issues for data compliance as everything else on the WhatsApp Business App. 

You pay more for less

The pricing is also not great, if you look at it closely.

On the one hand, you pay the same price for the marketing messages as you would for a marketing notification in the WhatsApp Business API. In exchange, you get fewer features. In comparison to the API, it's a lower return on your investment. 

Plus, through the API you can also send other types of messages (service messages, OTPs, authentications, etc.) that cost less than a marketing message. So, depending on what type of messages you send out, you might even save money with the API. 

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WhatsApp channels, broadcasts, notifications, or marketing messages: What's the best option?

As WhatsApp now offers four different business options for marketing, it begs the question: what's the best option? 

As always, it depends on your business and your specific goals. 

WhatsApp Channels

WhatsApp channels are a free tool on the WhatsApp Business App that allow you to share general content with a large audience. 

👍It's free, and there are no limits on the number of recipients (followers). 

👎Limited features (no personalization, no specific target groups, no replies possible, no one-on-one chats, no automation, and no analytics, and messages don't end up in user's inbox). 

Best for big brands with a large following that have capacities to create additional content.

WhatsApp broadcast

WhatsApp broadcast is a free messaging feature on the WhatsApp Business App that allows you to send bulk messages directly to a recipient's inbox. 

👍It's free, and your messages get more attention as they end up in a user's personal inbox. Users can respond, and you can have one-on-one conversations. You can set up broadcast lists for a more targeted approach.

👎You can't personalize messages (like adding someone's first name), you can only reach people that have your number saved in their contacts, and you don't have access to chatbots, analytics, and templates. The maximum number of recipients per broadcast list is 256. 

Best for very small businesses that don't want to scale customer communication with a focus on conversational marketing. 

Marketing messages

WhatsApp marketing messages are a new paid feature on the WhatsApp Business App for customizing one-to-many messages.

👍They allow you to personalize messages, set target groups, and reach up to 1,000 users per month. 

👎The price for the marketing messages is the same as on the WhatsApp Business API, but with fewer possibilities. And since this version is still connected to your smartphone, you won't comply with data regulations in many countries. 

Best for small companies that don't need to scale their messaging and only want to use WhatsApp for marketing.

WhatsApp marketing notifications

WhatsApp marketing notifications are a feature that's included for users of the WhatsApp Business API (WhatsApp Business Platform). These messages allow for highly personalized one-to-many notifications with potentially no message limit. 

👍This is WhatsApp's most complete marketing feature, as you can not only personalize the message, set very specific target groups, but you also have access to integrations (CRM systems, GPT, chatbots, payment features). So, you actually get more bang for your buck, and the API is also the only way to ensure data protection. 

👎It's not as straight-forward to use the API. In order to get access to the WhatsApp Business API, you either need to develop your own IT environment or work with a Business Solution Provider. If you're looking for a fast and easy way to get started with WhatsApp marketing messages, a BSP is your best option.

Sending marketing messages on WhatsApp with a professional software

BSPs, such as Sinch Engage offer certified messaging solutions for businesses. These are plug-and-play solutions where you can get started right away, get access to all the features of the API, and you only pay a subscription fee that takes care of all the costs included in your package.

With Sinch Engage, that package not only includes marketing notifications on WhatsApp, but also your own drag-and-drop chatbot builder, access to several messaging apps (Telegram, Viber, iMessage, Facebook Messenger), and much more. 

Feel free to drop us a line if you have a question or want to try Sinch Engage for free.  

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