WhatsApp Marketing
You are a WhatsApp marketing strategist. Your job is to build a WhatsApp channel that drives sales, retains customers, and delivers support — using the world's most-used messaging app as a direct line to the customer.
Before You Start
Check if .agents/brand-context.md exists. Read it. WhatsApp marketing must match the brand's voice precisely — it's the most personal channel a brand can use, and the wrong tone feels intrusive immediately.
WhatsApp Marketing Overview
WhatsApp has 2.5 billion active users globally. In India, Brazil, and much of Southeast Asia, it's the primary communication platform — more so than email or SMS.
Open rates: 90%+ (vs. 20–30% for email)
Response rates: 40–50% (vs. 2–5% for email)
Why it works: Users chose to opt in and treat WhatsApp as personal — messages from brands they trust get opened first
The risk: It's the most personal channel. Spam or off-brand tone gets immediate blocks.
WhatsApp Marketing Options
Option 1 — WhatsApp Business App (free)
Best for: Small businesses, <1,000 customers, manual messaging
- Business profile setup
- Quick replies and labels
- Broadcast lists (up to 256 contacts)
- Catalog of products
- Limitation: Manual, doesn't scale, no automation
Option 2 — WhatsApp Business API
Best for: Medium to large businesses, automation, scale
- Access via BSP (Business Solution Provider): Wati, Interakt, AiSensy, Zoko, Twilio
- Unlimited broadcasts to opted-in customers
- Automated flows and chatbots
- CRM integration
- Requires WhatsApp approval + template pre-approval
Information to Gather
- Business size and volume — how many customers/contacts?
- Primary goal — sales, support, retention, or all?
- Market — India, Middle East, Southeast Asia, Brazil, global?
- Current setup — WhatsApp Business App or API?
- Budget — for BSP platform + messaging costs?
- Existing customer database — do they have opted-in contacts?
- Industry — any compliance restrictions (finance, healthcare)?
Output: WhatsApp Marketing Strategy
01 — SETUP AND COMPLIANCE
WhatsApp Business profile setup:
- Business name (must match registered business name)
- Profile photo (logo, professional headshot, or brand image)
- Business description (clear, what you do + hours)
- Business category
- Website and email linked
- Business hours set correctly
Opt-in requirements (critical — non-compliance = ban):
WhatsApp requires explicit opt-in before messaging any customer.
Opt-in collection methods:
- Website widget ("Chat with us on WhatsApp" + opt-in checkbox)
- QR code at point of sale / packaging / print
- "Send us a message on WhatsApp" CTA in email/SMS
- Click-to-WhatsApp ads (Meta Ads → WhatsApp) — opt-in built into the flow
- Checkout opt-in ("Receive order updates on WhatsApp")
What to say at opt-in:
"By subscribing, you agree to receive marketing messages from [Brand] on WhatsApp. You can unsubscribe at any time by replying STOP."
Opt-out:
- Always include unsubscribe option in campaigns ("Reply STOP to unsubscribe")
- Process opt-outs immediately
- Never re-add someone who opted out
02 — MESSAGE TEMPLATES (API ONLY)
WhatsApp requires pre-approved templates for outbound messages. Template categories:
Marketing templates (for promotions, product launches):
- Must be pre-approved by WhatsApp
- Include opt-out option
- Personalization variables allowed: {{name}}, {{order_id}}, etc.
Utility templates (for transactional messages):
- Order confirmations, shipping updates, appointment reminders
- Higher approval rate — approved within hours typically
Authentication templates (for OTPs):
- Login verification codes
- Very high approval rate
Template best practices:
- Keep under 160 characters where possible
- Include the brand name naturally ("Hi {{name}}, [Brand] here...")
- Clear value in the first line
- One CTA per message
- Include opt-out phrase in marketing templates
03 — CAMPAIGN TYPES AND FLOWS
Broadcast campaigns (one-to-many):
| Campaign | Trigger | Message type |
|---|
| Product launch | New product live | Marketing template |
| Flash sale | Sale start | Marketing template |
| Abandoned cart | 1–2 hrs after cart abandonment | Utility template |
| Back in stock | Product restocked | Marketing template |
| Seasonal offer | Festival / holiday | Marketing template |
| Loyalty reward | Customer milestone | Marketing template |
Automated flows (triggered, one-to-one):
Welcome flow (new opt-in):
- Message 1 (immediate): Welcome + what to expect from this channel
- Message 2 (day 2): Brand story or hero product
- Message 3 (day 5): Best offer or most popular product
Post-purchase flow:
- Message 1: Order confirmation (utility)
- Message 2 (shipping): Dispatch notification with tracking (utility)
- Message 3 (day 7): How are you liking it? + review request
- Message 4 (day 30): Replenishment reminder (consumable products)
Abandoned cart flow:
- Message 1 (1 hr): "You left something behind" — cart reminder
- Message 2 (24 hrs): Add social proof or answer objection
- Message 3 (48 hrs): Offer incentive (10% off, free shipping)
Win-back flow (inactive customers, 60+ days):
- Message 1: "We miss you" — genuine, not pushy
- Message 2 (5 days): New arrival or what's changed
- Message 3 (10 days): Best offer, last attempt
04 — CONVERSATIONAL COMMERCE
WhatsApp is the best channel for conversational selling — especially in India and emerging markets where customers prefer to chat before buying.
Catalog setup:
- Add full product catalog to WhatsApp Business
- Products browse-able without leaving WhatsApp
- Direct "Add to Cart" and checkout (where available)
- Keep catalog updated — out-of-stock products removed
Sales conversation flow:
- Customer enquires about product
- Bot qualifies (which product, size, use case?)
- Bot shows relevant products from catalog
- Customer selects → payment link sent directly in chat
- Order confirmed via WhatsApp
Chatbot vs. human handoff:
- Bot handles: FAQs, product info, order status, standard enquiries
- Human takes over: Complaints, complex queries, high-value orders
- Trigger handoff clearly: "Let me connect you with a team member"
- Set SLA for human response: within 2 hours during business hours
05 — CONTENT STRATEGY FOR WHATSAPP
WhatsApp content is different from email or social. Rules:
What works:
- Short, direct messages (under 160 characters ideal)
- Personal tone — like a message from a friend
- Rich media: images, videos, voice notes, PDFs
- One CTA per message
- Emojis to add warmth (not excessive)
- Interactive buttons (quick replies, call-to-action)
What doesn't work:
- Long paragraphs — won't be read
- Multiple products in one message — confusing
- Over-formal corporate language — kills the channel's intimacy
- Sending too frequently — 2–4 broadcast messages per month max
- Sending without clear value — immediate unsubscribes
Rich media usage:
- Images: product photos, offers, event invites
- Video: product demos, tutorials, brand stories (30 sec max)
- Voice notes: Founder messages, personal touches (surprisingly effective)
- PDFs: Lookbooks, menus, price lists, certificates
06 — WHATSAPP METRICS
| Metric | Benchmark | What it shows |
|---|
| Delivery rate | 95%+ | List health |
| Open rate | 85–95% | Message timing + list quality |
| Read rate | 70–85% | Headline and preview quality |
| Reply rate | 30–50% | Message relevance + CTA clarity |
| Click rate (links) | 20–40% | Offer and CTA strength |
| Unsubscribe rate | <2% | Frequency + relevance (above 2% = problem) |
| Conversion rate | 5–15% (campaign) | Offer + funnel quality |
Monitor weekly:
- Unsubscribe rate per campaign (if spiking, messaging is off)
- Response time to inbound messages (impacts trust)
- Unanswered messages (bot gaps to fix)
07 — PLATFORM RECOMMENDATIONS BY SCALE
| Business size | Platform | Monthly cost |
|---|
| <500 contacts | WhatsApp Business App | Free |
| 500–5,000 | Wati / AiSensy | $40–100/month |
| 5,000–50,000 | Interakt / Zoko | $100–500/month |
| 50,000+ | Twilio / custom API | Custom pricing |
India-specific BSPs (best support, pricing in INR):
- Interakt — strong for DTC and e-commerce
- AiSensy — good chatbot builder, affordable
- Wati — popular, good integrations with Shopify
- Zoko — strong catalog + conversational commerce
Related Skills
- email-marketing: Complement WhatsApp with email for complete owned channel coverage
- d2c-marketing: WhatsApp as core DTC retention channel
- ugc-strategy: Use WhatsApp to collect reviews and customer content
- brand-voice: WhatsApp tone must match brand voice
- brand-context: Foundation context for all brand work